Past Issues

Meeting the Challenge of Disaster Mitigation

• Byline:
• Publication Date:08/01/2012

Taiwan’s story is one of resilience and perseverance. Just as the country has developed into an economic powerhouse despite its relatively small population and fierce international competition, it has also worked diligently to meet the hazards of its natural environment, the most threatening of which are debris flows, earthquakes, floods and typhoons.

Torrential rainfall can result in disastrous flooding and debris flows, as was the case during Typhoon Morakot in 2009. Identifying and monitoring vulnerable areas are the keys to mitigating such threats. The country’s most recent effort to demarcate hazardous locales is the Ministry of the Interior’s Disaster Prevention Map, a project that began last year. When storms brought heavy rainfall on June 12 this year, the project’s maps were used to zero in on areas susceptible to mudslides, debris flows and flooding, as well as evacuation routes. As a result, more than 1,000 people received advance notice to evacuate to safer ground.

As for monitoring, the government has set up dozens of stations to measure rainfall in potential debris flow areas. The stations transmit data to the Debris Flow Disaster Prevention Center, which analyzes the information and issues warnings to local governments and residents when needed. As Morakot pounded Taiwan, the monitoring and warning system saved the lives of more than 800 residents, according to government estimates.

To mitigate the threat posed by marine earthquakes and tsunamis, Taiwan put the Marine Cable Hosted Observatory into service in November 2011. The system’s sensors monitor the geologically active area off the northeast coast and transmit data to the Central Weather Bureau via a 45-kilometer cable. The 10-minute tsunami warning the system provides is vital, as experts estimate that casualties resulting from the huge waves can be reduced by 90 percent if people in coastal areas are given five to 10 minutes to evacuate.

Effective legislation also plays a crucial part in Taiwan’s efforts to mitigate natural hazards. After the deadly September 21, 1999 earthquake, for example, the Disaster Prevention and Protection Act was promulgated in July 2000 to organize the nation’s disaster response system. The act clearly delineates the responsibilities and requisite actions of government agencies at the central and local levels. Housing was also urgently needed after Morakot damaged or destroyed more than 1,700 homes. In response, the Legislative Yuan passed a statute that greatly simplifies land appropriations for building permanent homes.

Cooperative efforts are important when it comes to large-scale projects such as alleviating the damage of natural hazards. At a major symposium on disaster prevention and reconstruction in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan in early May this year, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) noted that helping Morakot survivors had depended on cooperation between central government branches, the central and local governments, and the public and private sectors.

The government has cooperated closely with nongovernmental organizations to build permanent housing for those displaced by Morakot. For example, in Shanlin District, Kaohsiung City, a combined effort by the government and the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation allowed refugees to move into new homes just six months after the disaster. The state-owned Taiwan Sugar Co. provided most of the land for the housing project. Nationwide, cooperative efforts have built new housing for more than 10,000 people affected by the disaster.

Taiwan’s steep topography, heavy rainfall and seismically active neighborhood make natural hazards an unavoidable fact of life. While earthquakes, typhoons and major debris slides cannot be prevented, they can be learned from. The nation’s resilience shows in the way it uses such difficult lessons to improve monitoring and warning systems, implement effective legislation and boost public-private cooperation. Mitigating natural hazards is a truly massive undertaking, but the people of Taiwan have never been known to dodge a challenge.