At a disaster simulation exercise held today at Chenggong Railway Station in Taichung City, Premier Jiang Yi-huah said Taiwan's vulnerability to typhoons, earthquakes and floods means that its people must practice year-round and be prepared for natural disasters at any time.
The premier commended the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) for organizing today's railway drill for National Disaster Preparedness Day. He hopes the exercises for road, air and sea travel can be as complete and well-coordinated.
Every country in the world is subject to natural calamities, Jiang pointed out. While some face the threat of only one or two types, 75 percent of Taiwan's population are at risk of being hit by three types of disasters, simultaneously. Only through regular practice can people develop the skills and procedures that are necessary to minimize the loss of life and property.
The importance of disaster drills was apparent in the case of Tropical Storm Kong-Rey, which hit the island late August, Jiang said. The storm's torrential rainfall triggered a massive mudslide in southern Taiwan that derailed a train, trapping hundreds of passengers and injuring dozens others. Personnel from Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) quickly arrived on the scene to tend to passengers and arrange alternate transportation. Track repair work was expected to take many days, but the TRA completed the task in only two. Disaster drills are not empty exercises, Jiang said, but can train skillful action and help people to respond correctly in an emergency.
Today's railway disaster drill is unlike any conducted in previous years, the premier continued. It simulated a realistic earthquake scenario with train cars suffering damage and passenger being evacuated. Railway staff, mechanics and electricians were all on hand promptly to respond. The premier hopes the exercise will give citizens a better sense of the effect earthquakes can have on transportation infrastructure.
The MOTC said today's drill focused on post-quake restoration and evacuation work, and it was the first time a train was actually derailed for practice purposes. In addition to testing authorities' response when heavily used transportation systems are impaired, the exercises can also measure their resource coordination and help the public become more familiar with post-quake safety and evacuation procedures.