There are more than 1,000 tsunami shelters across Taiwan, Deputy Minister of the Interior Wu Tang-an (吳堂安) said yesterday, as he addressed the issue of disaster preparation following an interdepartmental ministry meeting.
During the meeting yesterday, the departments discussed the magnitude 8.7 earthquake that struck off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula on July 30, prompting a tsunami watch in Taiwan, Wu said.
They also referenced the magnitude 7.1 quake that occurred off the coast of Miyazaki Prefecture in Japan on Aug. 8 last year, Wu told a news conference after the meeting.
Photo: CNA
After the Japan quake, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) devised a new tsunami alert protocol in January, and the Ministry of the Interior clearly identified tsunami shelters in Taiwan, he said.
As part of Taiwan's disaster response plans, the Fisheries Agency, Coast Guard Administration, National Police Agency and various municipal governments have designed evacuation routes and shelters in the event of a tsunami or other disasters, Wu said.
There are 1,091 tsunami shelters across Taiwan, which can be located on emergency response smartphone applications and platforms, he said.
The apps and platforms include Disaster Prevention e-Point, Fire and Disaster Prevention and the Emergency Management Information Cloud, which are available not just to first responders, but also the general public, Wu said.
At the news conference, National Fire Agency Secretary-General Chang Yu-zhong (張裕忠) said that tsunami-related information can also be found in the latest edition of Taiwan's disaster prevention handbook.
While the handbook is mainly in Chinese, some of the illustrations have English translations such as "Evacuation Shelter" and "Tsunami Hazard Zone," and the symbols for tsunami are self-explanatory.
The ministry is to continue to hold symposiums around Taiwan on disaster response and would make sure that local governments are updating their disaster prevention and response maps, Wu said.
From Sept. 17 to 19, the fire agency is to hold disaster and tsunami drills in New Taipei City and Yilan County, which would involve first responders and international search-and-rescue experts, to strengthen their tsunami response, he said.
Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) also spoke at the news conference, advising the public to download the disaster prevention and response apps.
She also encouraged the public to participate in disaster drills so that they can be prepared in the event of earthquakes, which could cause tsunamis over wide areas.
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