TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan will mark National Disaster Prevention Day on Sept. 20 with the simulation of a response to a magnitude 7.3 earthquake hitting the southern county of Chiayi, including a national alert message.
The event has been scheduled for the day before the 25th anniversary of the 921 earthquake, which killed 2,400 people after hitting Nantou County on Sept. 21, 1999. Mobilization for next week’s training will start Sept. 18 and will also cover tsunami preparedness and rescue work, Interior Minister Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said Thursday (Sept. 12).
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) will send an emergency alert message to all phones at 9:21 a.m. on Sept. 20 as a test, per Radio Taiwan International. According to the drill, a magnitude 7.3 quake will strike an area 23.5 kilometers east of Chiayi County Hall, in the township of Zhuqi, not far from the popular tourist destination of Alishan.
Residents of coastal areas will also be warned of a tsunami by loudspeakers and sirens in their communities. At the same time, the authorities in Chiayi County and Chiayi City will follow assessment, search and rescue procedures to respond to the simulated disaster.
In Penghu in the Taiwan Strait, the action will center on responding to an airplane crash. An Air Force C-130H transport plane and a Coast Guard Administration patrol vessel will transport a rescue team to one of the county’s smaller islands. The exercises will also include the setting up of a reception center for rescue teams and an evacuation command post at Penghu’s main airport.
Television stations will show a disaster prevention program from 10:59 a.m. to 11:01 p.m. on Sept. 20. The broadcast is intended to test if the public can receive information about a disaster from several channels.
