At the Cabinet's weekly meeting Thursday, Premier Chen Chien-jen received briefings from the Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Transportation and Communications, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Ministry of Education regarding disaster recovery and reconstruction efforts following the earthquake that struck Hualien County on April 3. The premier thanked disaster relief personnel from all levels of central and local government for their full commitment to rescue efforts. He has instructed Minister without Portfolio Wu Tse-cheng to organize a task force dedicated to the earthquake, which will better understand and catalog the needs of local governments and integrate resources across ministries and agencies to proactively assist recovery and reconstruction work.
The earthquake has caused much structural damage, the premier said, and we can all sympathize with the plight of those who have suddenly lost their homes. He instructed the Ministry of Interior to continue communicating with local governments to gain a full understanding of the post-disaster situation and where further assistance is needed, and to expeditiously submit to the Executive Yuan a residential recovery and reconstruction subsidy plan, so that affected households are given the help they need to rebuild their homes and resume their normal lives as quickly as possible.
Premier Chen also instructed the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to complete the repairing of affected provincial highways on schedule, and asked the Ministry of Economic Affairs to provide comprehensive support and assistance to affected business owners through streamlined and convenient measures. The premier also directed the Ministry of Education to fully assist affected schools with reconstruction and building reinforcement work, and to continue promoting campus disaster risk reduction education and emergency drills.