TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A panel of experts discussed disaster resilience at the Center for Asia-Pacific Resilience and Innovation (CAPRI) second Annual Forum on Monday (May 6).
The 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck Taiwan on April 3 received global attention. The panel explored how Taiwan and neighboring disaster-prone countries, Japan and the Philippines, have responded to disasters and are preparing for future crises.
Steven Pan (潘思亮), chair of Silks Hotel Group, said that after the quake, hundreds of tourists and employees were trapped at Taroko Jingying Hotel in Hualien. Cell towers were down, but the hotel had a fixed line that allowed everyone to contact their family for two minutes to report they were safe.
“Without communication, everyone is panicking. How do you get up and start helping each other? It's that connection and connectivity that is crucial,” Pan said.
Joe Huang (黃思浩), who leads volunteer planning at Buddhist Tzu Chi Charity Foundation, emphasized disaster prevention education. He said that in 2019, the 20th anniversary of Taiwan’s 921 Earthquake in 1999, which killed 2,415 people and injured more than 11,000, Tzu Chi began cooperating with the Ministry of Education to ensure young people learn earthquake response measures.
Huang said Tzu Chi volunteers are always the first to arrive at disaster sites “because volunteers are locals.”
Kristoffer Berse, dean at the University of the Philippines Diliman, added, "Disasters are from political and economic choices. Earthquakes themselves will not kill people, but buildings will." He said the Philippines requires local governments to develop natural disaster risk assessments and consider cross-city and cross-administrative contingency plans.
Shuhei Nomura, associate professor at Keio University School of Medicine, focused on the impact of natural disasters on the elderly, given that Taiwan and Japan are both aging societies. He said many elderly people in nursing homes were not able to survive an evacuation, as their health deteriorated and they died within a month.
The closing keynote featured Vice President-elect Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), who spoke of Taiwan as an "Island of Resilience" that can lead Asia in three aspects: politics, society, and the economy. Hsiao said Taiwan leads in Asia in terms of political freedom, human rights, free speech, and media, and since 1996, it has had free and fair elections.
“Taiwan has made itself home-based for an increasing number of international NGOs, think tanks, and media organizations that require a free political environment to function,” she said. “Our democracy continues to move forward, recharged by a population determined not to go back to authoritarianism.”
In terms of society, Taiwanese have been leaders in social progress, according to Hsiao. “Though far from reaching ideal standards, Taiwan’s advances in universal health care, gender equality, LGBTQ rights, and labor rights inspire others in the region,” she said.
Hsiao also mentioned Taiwan is one of the most generous suppliers of humanitarian assistance and charity. “From donating PPEs during the pandemic to providing hot meals to disaster-affected zones, wherever there is a disaster, there will be some form of Taiwanese help,” she said.
Despite its international isolation, “Taiwan has managed to lead in soft power as a force for good,” Hsiao added.
On the economic front, “Taiwan was once synonymous with low-cost, high-volume production, but we have reinvented ourselves as a hotbed of innovation,” Hsiao said.
While news focuses on the tech sector, “Taiwan’s strengths remain in our small and medium-sized enterprises … attracting those who cherish the free and international environment where innovation can take place," Hsiao said.
