Following this morning's magnitude-6.1 earthquake centering Ren-ai Township in Nantou County, Premier Jiang Yi-huah promptly commanded the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) to set up an emergency response task force. The task force consisted of officials from the Executive Yuan's Office of Disaster Management and National Rescue Command Center, the MOI's National Fire Agency, and the National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction.
According to Executive Yuan Spokesperson Cheng Li-wun, following the 10:03 a.m. quake, a special unit on spatial intelligence was activated by 10:10 a.m. and had convened a working meeting at 11 a.m. And by 10:35 a.m., the MOI's National Airborne Service Corps had sent three helicopters on aerial reconnaissance missions to survey damage caused by the temblor.
Ministries and agencies under the Executive Yuan also offered immediate assistance to local governments. The MOI dispatched rescue command and communications vehicles throughout Nantou to ensure communication remained uninterrupted for local emergency operations. The Directorate General of Highways under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications sent crews to check for landslides and repair roads near the epicenter.
Cheng said most of the tremors measuring magnitude 5 or above were felt in Nantou, Taichung and Changhua counties, where rockslides, fires and sporadic incidents have been reported. Premier Jiang gave instructions that inspections be conducted swiftly in those areas with special attention to the safety of slopelands and mountainous roads.