The Executive Yuan today hosted a national symposium on disaster prevention and response, inviting experts and scholars to exchange opinions with government officials in order to boost the nation's relevant capabilities.
The event aimed to clarify the strategic direction of the nation's efforts in this field, ascertain resource shortages and shortcomings of current mechanisms, promote the transparency of relevant administration, and establish the basic principles governing cooperative operations between various levels of the government.
Minister without Portfolio Yeh Shin-cheng, who convened the meeting, stated that the participants have high expectations of the government's performance in disaster management and believe it is necessary to review the challenges facing the operating mechanisms under the framework of the Disaster Prevention and Protection Act. Relevant opinions and suggestions will be collected and reported to the premier and vice premier and will serve as the basis for further discussions with the private sector and local governments.
The five major discussion topics at today's symposium were:
- Clarifying the strategic direction of the nation's disaster prevention and response efforts.
- Promoting the overall disaster prevention and response system.
- Properly deploying disaster prevention manpower and building the specialized skills of relevant personnel.
- Programs to prepare for responding to large-scale disasters (such as earthquakes).
- Channeling the power and strategies of the private sector.
Deputy Minister of the Interior Chiu Chang-yueh first pointed out the central and local governments' defined roles in the disaster prevention system. He believes that the principles for division of labor stipulated in the Disaster Prevention and Protection Act are quite clear. The central government is to get a handle on the situation immediately and provide assistance to local governments. Each side has its own authority and duties, and the two work cooperatively on their separate tasks. The central government's disaster prevention unit, the Executive Yuan's Office of Disaster Management (ODM), not only plays a role in policymaking but also must have substantive disaster relief capability.
ODM Director Chou Kuo-hsiang and Central Police University (CPU) Professor Teng Tzu-cheng said that the courses of all major disasters have points in common. They advocated establishing a specialized, modular response mechanism that would take responsibility for rescue and response operations as soon as a disaster takes place.
Executive Yuan Office of Homeland Security Director Shih Tseng-kang stated that current response mechanisms should be consolidated and adjusted. He called for particular emphasis on whether to raise the administrative level of the response team commander so he can dispatch the military to help with relief efforts.
National Fire Agency Deputy Director-General Chen Wen-lung recommended that the central government dispatch personnel to the command centers at the disaster site. These staff would offer and integrate relevant substantive information about the response. This would strengthen local governments' rescue capacities and allow relief capabilities to be fully unleashed, he said.
A cross-disaster, cross-jurisdiction, cross-scale disaster response mechanism should be considered in order to promote the overall disaster prevention and response system, former National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction (NCDR) Director Chen Liang-chun recommended. He pointed out that disaster prevention and response includes two major aspects: preparation in order to decrease disasters and their effects, and responses to disasters after they occur. The roles of the central and local governments and the private sector in these areas should be clearly defined by law. Central and local government disaster prevention and response offices should be upgraded and run by specialized personnel.
Regarding future national strategic planning for disaster prevention, Ming Chuan University (MCU) Professor Wang Jieh-jiuh believes the necessary resources and funding must be invested, with a focus on greater coordination and better evaluation capabilities at the time a disaster occurs. Moreover, the concept of command authority must be clearly defined by law. Wang also proposed making the Central Disaster Prevention and Protection Council a more concrete entity.
Due to the reorganization of the Executive Yuan, Article 3 of the Disaster Prevention and Protection Act must be amended, MCU Professor Sawyer Mars stated. He gave three recommendations for upgrading the country's overall system in this field. Firstly, the Central Disaster Prevention and Protection Council's roles and functions should be upgraded. Additionally, the Executive Yuan's white paper on disaster prevention and response should describe the nation's overall strategic direction in this field. Finally, a joint disaster response mechanism between the central and local governments should be established. Promotion of further legal amendments would then continue in the future.
CPU Professor Chien Shen-wen discussed operating models for disaster management from the perspective of Taiwan's social and human characteristics. He underscored the importance of localizing crisis management and contingency procedures to fit people's needs and expectations, and of strengthening the public's recognition and understanding of disaster risks. Central and local governments should also provide continuous training for their disaster response personnel to build more professional and elite teams.
Current NCDR Director Hongey Chen said it is essential to listen to the views of the online community and to strengthen exchanges between central and local authorities.
Participants at the meeting expressed agreement on a number of issues such as drafting national-level disaster reduction strategies and directions, creating a central-level agency dedicated to disaster reduction, and linking emergency response mechanisms at the central and local levels.
Other recommendations that offered valuable reference include educating the public on disaster prevention and protection, monitoring and disaster-proofing key infrastructure, sheltering and servicing disaster victims and their families, using national military resources and implementing disaster drills.
These recommendations will serve as a discussion blueprint in the next phase when participation will be expanded to local governments and broader sectors of society. The Executive Yuan will gather feedback from all sectors, forge a consensus, complete the discussion stage hopefully before flood season, and draft concrete policies and programs for implementation.
If the discussions indicate a need to revise related laws, the Executive Yuan will work with ruling and opposition political parties to incorporate such amendments so that Taiwan can be fully equipped to meet the challenges of disaster management.