Taiwan Today

seeks to commemorate, reflect on and learn from the earthquake that devastated central areas of the island 10 years ago.

It was a day to be mourned as well as remembered--at 1:.m. on September 21, 1999, a temblor registering 7.3 on the Richter scale struck . The calamity, known as the 921 Earthquake or the Jiji Earthquake, after the town in central at the quake's epicenter, claimed up to 2,455 lives, injured 11,305 people and destroyed about 85,000 buildings. The death toll, along with the economic losses estimated at some NT$360 billion (US$11 billion), made the quake one of the island's worst natural disasters in more than a century.

Though 10 years have passed since then, the horrifying scenes of the catastrophe remain a vivid and painful memory for victims and witnesses. Huang Chi-min, director-general of the National Fire Agency (NFA) of the Ministry of the Interior (MOI), together with other ranking government officials, arrived in the quake-ravaged areas in in central by helicopter at dawn the morning after the earthquake to act as the commander in charge. "There was a multitude of houses left in total ruin, corpses were laid on the ground in line after line, and roads and bridges were heavily damaged. And just a short distance away, Puli Brewery was on fire," Huang recalls.

One of the biggest problems that Huang found at the time was that telephone communications had been knocked out. Consequently, he was unable to remain in contact with or report on the situation to the central government. It was not until a Japanese rescue team arrived and provided the use of their satellite phones that Huang was able to resume communications with related authorities and agencies. Huang says that the different kinds of advanced telecom and rescue equipment brought by rescue teams from abroad impressed him a lot.

Lesson to Learn

"The 921 Earthquake exposed the serious inadequacies of 's disaster rescue systems in terms of both 'hardware' [such as rescue equipment] and 'software' [like the overall response system]. We lacked not only the integration of communications services, but also the coordination of manpower among different rescue units from different levels of governments," Huang says.

After his return from the quake-stricken areas, Huang saw the need for a comprehensive legal framework to improve disaster preparedness, and thus pushed for the passage of the Disaster Prevention and Protection Act, which was promulgated in 2000. "Fundamental to establishing more efficient disaster management was the creation of a legal framework," he says. Basically, the law specifies the kinds of incidents that require a government response--the list covers various disasters including air crashes, chemical spills, explosions, fires, earthquakes and typhoons, among others--as well as which branch and level of government should act as the regulatory and management authority. All levels have designated assignments and responsibilities in disaster mitigation, response and recovery work.

Accordingly, the National Disaster Prevention and Protection Commission (NDPPC), headed by the vice premier, was established. Its major duties include related policymaking, formulation of standard operating procedures, law enforcement, technical training, educational promotion, resource coordination, maneuver rehearsals and logistics.

The NFA, responsible for carrying out the policies of the NDPPC, soon established the National Special Search and Rescue team (NSSAR), which consists of 75 well-trained members and possesses state-of-the-art equipment. The team works closely with the National Airborne Service Corps of the MOI to provide search and rescue, emergency medical services, transportation, reconnaissance and patrols. Besides responding to domestic emergencies, NSSAR traveled to in 2000, in 2001, in 2003 and province in mainland in 2008 to take part in international humanitarian rescue missions. Established in 1995, the NFA was initially tasked with fire prevention and rescue. However, after being appointed to implement the policies of the NDPPC, Huang says his agency has been using 80 percent of its resources for disaster prevention and response.

In 2006, the MOI also founded the 24-hour . It houses a high-tech emergency information management system that aids in the efficient response to any kind of major disaster by monitoring and evaluating conditions, devising countermeasures and offering immediate support to local administrations. The center also features a wide range of facilities that function as meeting and training venues for officials and response teams. Stationed there on a daily basis are staffers from the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) and the MOI's NFA and National Police Agency, together with staff from the Guard Administration and Department of Health.

Meanwhile, the NFA was granted NT$2.2 billion (US$67 million) in government funding to set up an integrated emergency communications system and information database for disaster rescue and prevention. The comprehensive telecom platform, which was completed in 2007, can facilitate the integration of a wide variety of communication mediums including satellite technology, microwave systems, cell phones, fax machines, video conferencing equipment and the Internet. It also connects different agencies and levels of government from central, city and county offices to township administrations.

"It was not until the aftermath of the Jiji Earthquake that we started to take a serious look at rescue operations and take action to draw up related legislation. We sought to build a mechanism that integrates national resources while executing the distribution of relief workers through high-tech communication applications," Huang says. "All these years we've been catching up on the latest in disaster management so that now not only can we cope with major incidents that occur on the island, but we can also join international relief efforts."

Though the 921 Earthquake took a heavy toll on both lives and property, it has, on the other hand, stimulated a number of positive developments for the protection and well being of the Taiwanese public. The establishment of the disaster emergency response system is just one aspect seen as indicative of progress. Many reconstruction projects resulted in improved overall design and construction, particularly the incorporation of earthquake-proof elements. At the same time, many community regeneration schemes have been launched to revitalize local economies. Plus, the 1999 disaster has motivated the active participation of members of the general public in disaster relief and recovery work since then.

Ten Years On

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the 921 Earthquake as well as represent how Taiwanese society has weathered the catastrophe and grown stronger, the Executive Yuan set up a committee to map out a series of activities to be held this month. Frank Fan, minister without portfolio and chairman of the Public Construction Commission of the Executive Yuan, is the convener of the task force. The memorial activities, he explains, are aimed at demonstrating how has learned to pay increased attention to nature conservation, safe and high-quality construction, and disaster relief and prevention operations since the temblor struck. In addition, the events are designed to express gratitude to those that assisted with rescue work, offered psychological counseling and helped with reconstruction. "The memorial activities are designed to remind us to examine our relationship with nature--how we should protect natural resources and react to natural disasters," Fan says. "Also, we hope to pass on all the experiences of disaster management and reconstruction that we've accumulated over time and share them with the international community."

Jiji Train Station in was
among the 85,000 buildings damaged by the
devastating quake that hit central
in 1999. Since then it has been rebuilt and
is now a popular tourist destination.
(Photos by Larry Hsieh and Chang Su-ching)

The activities cover five sections: a memorial concert organized by the Council for Cultural Affairs with publicity campaigns by the Government Information Office; an exhibition that showcases Taiwan's state-of-the-art rescue equipment and the results of reconstruction work by the NDPPC; international symposiums organized by the National Science Council (NSC); coordination of private-sector participation by the Relieve Disaster Foundation (RDF); and tours of reconstruction zones by the MOTC.

Among these events, the NSC will organize 14 symposiums--including some 600 international experts, scholars and rescue workers who participated in the 921 quake relief operations--to discuss disaster management.

Wu Kuo-chi, a chief administrative officer at RDF, says that recovery efforts after the 921 Earthquake saw massive participation by businesses, civic groups and individuals. Since then, private organizations and individuals have played an important role in helping tackle the aftermath of other major disasters like typhoons. His foundation, for instance, was set up by the Executive Yuan with funding of NT$30 million (US$909,000) in 2001 to coordinate public donations for disaster relief. RDF has continued to expand over the last few years as donations have increased, with operational funds growing to NT$5 billion (US$150 million).

Wu says that as this year marks the 10th anniversary of the Jiji Earthquake, many civic groups have expressed interest in organizing or participating in memorial activities. His foundation was thus commissioned by the Executive Yuan's preparatory committee to help these groups by acting as a central coordinating body.

In addition to organizing seminars to review the post-quake reconstruction progress of public and private buildings, schools and communities, the foundation will also invite heroes and volunteers from the rescue effort to visit reconstruction areas to thank them for their efforts at the time. RDF has also established an online "museum," 921.gov.tw, dedicated to providing a thorough record of the quake as well as the latest information about disaster relief and reconstruction.

Not Forgotten

Lin Yuan-lang, president of the Yue Yuen Educational Foundation, which was set up by the Pou Chen Group, one of Taiwan's leading athletic and casual footwear makers, says the government's emphasis on organizing various activities to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Jiji Earthquake indicates it has not forgotten the damage that the quake caused in central Taiwan and the trauma quake victims experienced.

The Pou Chen Group helped finance the construction of 500 prefabricated houses for the emergency living quarters of quake victims in . It also invested NT$300 million (US$9 million) over a period of seven years to restore the quake-hit in Lugang, in central . The temple, built in the 17th century during the Qing dynasty (1644-1911), has been designated by the MOI as a national historical structure.

Lin says the government has done a good job rebuilding the schools and public structures destroyed by the 921 quake, as well as offering tax benefits and interest-free loans to quake victims to help them cope with economic difficulties. However, he says it is yet to address problems such as the gaping rifts in the ground, landslides and sediment accumulation in some reservoirs and rivers, which increased after the major quake. He urges the government to consolidate soil conservation programs and launch comprehensive cleanup plans along the length of river systems to better safeguard the quality of life for those in quake-affected regions.

Rebuilding, Revitalizing

was among the hardest-hit by the Jiji Earthquake, with more than a half of its structures including the town hall, the police station, the hospital and many schools destroyed. The temblor also caused a multitude of serious cave-ins and shifts in the earth throughout the mountains, bringing the danger of potential landslides to local residents.

Ma Wen-jun, chief of Puli Township Office, says apart from launching numerous rebuilding projects with assistance from the Ministry of Education, the non-governmental Tzu Chi Foundation and public donations, her office spearheaded the use of ecological engineering to tackle the landslide issue by hiring local people to plant trees on the slopes. Such an approach, which also proved to be a cost-effective technique, was later employed in the other quake-affected areas.

In terms of economic revitalization, Ma says Puli, which primarily relies on agriculture and tourism, has been recovering thanks to the activity of several community regeneration groups. In the process of reconstruction, a number of communities like Puli sought to highlight their own special characteristics to facilitate local development. With financial support from the Council of Agriculture (COA), many local villages have turned the crisis into an opportunity by giving their towns a makeover in the process of reconstruction.

Ma cites the Taomi community as a good example. As a part of their reconstruction plans, community residents moved to cultivate several species of plants endemic to provided by the COA's Endemic Species Research Institute based in . The plants were used to beautify the town and also cultivated for sale. Residents also succeeded in a proposal to relocate 's Paper Dome to their neighborhood in 2005. Built right after the Kobe Earthquake in 1995 by the Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, the dome was created to commemorate the , a local religious center in that city. Since the relocation of the dome to Taomi, the unique paper tube structure has become one of the biggest and most unique tourist attractions in the town. Currently, through the promotion of tourism as well as sales of farm produce and handicrafts, the community generates around NT$150 million (US$4.5 million) in annual revenue.

Another neighboring community, Seshui, located in , has also seen renewed, prosperous development in its post-quake reconstruction. The locals rebuilt their homes with sloping roofs and white-tiled facades, planted different kinds of trees, built forest paths, used the local clay to develop ceramic art and constructed several guesthouses. Now it has become a beautiful farming village that lures tourists all year round.

Ten years ago, "the earth bull turned," a Chinese euphemism for an earthquake, under and cut open a 105-kilometer path of destruction. Nevertheless, through the extensive injection of financial and human resources from all sectors of society, the setup of a national, integrated disaster management system, the cultivation of disaster prevention concepts and the promotion of community regeneration, many of the scars of the major quake are now healed.

While commemorating the 1999 disaster on its 10th anniversary, those in can also see some positive changes since the catastrophe. "The Jiji Earthquake let us witness the might of natural forces and realize the importance of respecting nature, while motivating us to learn more about seismology and disaster prevention," says Frank Fan of the Public Construction Commission. "And in the process of reconstruction, we've found that the  strength of rebirth can lead us to a better future."

Write to Kelly Her at kelly@mail.gio.gov.tw