Taiwan’s contingency model links real-time coordination, high-tech forecasting and local volunteers for swift action.
Taiwan’s location on the western edge of the Ring of Fire, where earthquakes, typhoons, floods and landslides are frequent, makes disaster preparedness a policy priority that has shaped both the country’s physical landscape and legislative environment. Taiwan has honed a contingency planning system that combines legal framework, interagency coordination and advanced technology into an integrated response mechanism.
The system’s foundation is the Disaster Prevention and Protection Act, first enacted in 2000 and continually refined to address emerging challenges. The law mandates a three-tier structure in which contingency planning and response fall to the central government, while municipal, county and township, or district administrations implement plans and coordinate with responders on the ground. At the highest level, the Central Disaster Prevention and Protection Council, chaired by the head of the Executive Yuan, sets policy and provides oversight. In a natural disaster or extreme weather event, the Central Emergency Operation Center (CEOC) at the Ministry of the Interior's National Fire Agency (NFA) becomes the nation’s command hub. The National Police Agency and the National Airborne Service Corps, both of which, like the NFA, field search-and-rescue teams are also present at the CEOC. Depending on the crisis at hand, representatives from other ministries will be present, including the Central Weather Administration (CWA) under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, the Water Resources Agency (WRA) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Working together, they align decisions and pass them to municipal and county governments to be adapted to local conditions. At the same time township and district offices handle immediate tasks such as issuing evacuation orders, maintaining contact with vulnerable populations and managing shelters. The balance of centralized information and localized response ensures agility, allowing the nation’s varied conditions to be efficiently recognized and addressed.
Weather Watch
Every disaster response in Taiwan begins with a forecast. Director Chen Yi-liang (陳怡良) of the CWA’s Forecast Center noted that the center operates around the clock, analyzing satellite imagery, Doppler radar and high-resolution models to predict the timing and severity of events. “With around 90 percent accuracy, these forecasts enable life-saving decisions that prevent emergencies from escalating,” he said. As climate patterns grow increasingly erratic, forecasting has become more complex, and meteorologists must rely on ensemble modeling and running thousands of simulations to estimate a full range of possible outcomes. Once confined to research, these forecasts now guide decisions like school closures, work suspensions and shelter openings. As a result of early warnings, over 11,000 people were evacuated as a precaution during Typhoon Krathon in 2024.
Agriculture and public health also benefit from the work of the center, which not only warns of typhoons but also of phenomena like the hot, dry Foehn wind that withers fruit before it is picked and particularly affects farmers along the central mountain range. “We also call attention to climate indicators related to dengue fever,” Chen added. The new generation of meteorologists are trained in data science, communication and crisis management to support timely, informed decisions across all levels of society. By combining precise forecasts with rapid public communication, the center serves as the first line of response to extreme weather events.
Contingency Planning
In 1989 the CWA established the Seismological Center to monitor tectonic activity through leased telecom lines. From 600 remote stations spaced less than 10 kilometers apart, digital signals measuring the velocity and acceleration of ground motion stream into the center for analysis, processing and archiving. It also operates 200 observation stations that run crustal deformation, seismic groundwater, geomagnetic and geoelectric observation networks. Director Wu Chien-Fu (吳健富) noted that the center provides automated earthquake analysis and can transmit warnings to public notification systems, broadcast media and directly to mobile phones in affected areas within 10 seconds via customized software. Taiwan’s seismic observation network has been maintained in part through allocations from the Forward-looking Infrastructure Program.
Forecasting provides warnings, and preparedness ensures they translate to effective action. The role of the National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction (NCDR) is to use meteorological, seismic and hydrological forecasts to create actionable strategies and transform past lessons into preparedness. “We undertake simulation exercises as a core task,” said NCDR Secretary General Li Wei-sen (李維森). Before the May to October typhoon season, the NCDR models potential storm impacts on transportation, power grids and vulnerable communities. These simulations guide local governments in preparing evacuation plans, stockpiling supplies and testing response capacities. Similar modeling applies to earthquakes and landslides to ensure agencies respond with coordinated strategies rather than isolated action.
The NCDR also manages the national disaster drill system, which involves ministries, schools, hospitals and infrastructure operators, many of which are private entities. These exercises are high-tech, data-driven tests of communication speed, interagency coordination and public responsiveness. Once completed, each drill is carefully analyzed and the results are integrated into future planning. The NCDR operates digital platforms and dashboards that provide real-time access to rainfall levels, seismic activity, landslide warnings and evacuation statuses. “The data helps ministries deploy resources swiftly and avoid bottlenecks,” Li said. After actual incidents the NCDR compiles extensive databases tracking damage, government response times and recovery progress.
Embedding Resilience
As part of the three-tier disaster response mechanism, investment in community preparedness empowers township and village offices to conduct drills, maintain shelters and keep up direct connections with central data hubs. Since 2018 the NFA has offered training and certification in disaster prevention, inspired by the Japan Bousaisi Organisation’s model of self-help, mutual assistance and group cooperation. The training enhances risk awareness and was first targeted at local volunteers and fire chiefs, forging a relationship from the outset. In the initial rollout villages and communities sent two volunteers to participate, and the program was later expanded to welcome all interested parties without age restriction. It offers four types of instruction tailored to individuals, village and apartment block representatives, nongovernmental organization members, and businesses and institutions such as factories and hospitals. The NFA also offers ongoing training to specialists from government agencies like the WRA and the Ministry of Agriculture’s Agency of Rural Development and Soil and Water Conservation.
Courses are around 15 hours long and comprise an overview of the national disaster handling system and agencies, instruction in basic first aid, and an introduction to duties and responsibilities, recent disaster analysis and community contingency planning. They include tabletop exercises to prepare for possible disaster scenarios. As of January 2025 the program has trained 41,564 disaster relief volunteers, and the MOI plans to subsidize the training of 7,000 more individuals in 2026, extending the program to taxi drivers, building management committees, and security and military personnel carrying out substitute service.
As part of this year’s National Disaster Prevention Day, Yilan County mobilized thousands of residents in a comprehensive disaster drill simulating a magnitude 8.5 earthquake in the Ryukyu trench. The large-scale exercise tested emergency response capabilities across multiple scenarios including building evacuations and tsunami warnings. Following national earthquake alerts, teachers guided students to designated safety areas on school grounds and conducted head counts. The drill also included tsunami scenarios, in which students and area residents took shelter on higher floors. Officials coordinated the drill to evaluate preparedness levels and identify areas for improvement in disaster response protocols.
Speaking to the media before contingency exercises in 2024, Interior Minister Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) highlighted the importance of community support during disasters. Chen, from the CWA’s Forecast Center, confirmed widespread support. “Our weather forecasts receive the highest engagement of all government alerts,” he said. “Cross-agency coordination and community involvement together form a resilient system dedicated to protecting lives and adapting to future challenges.”
Write to KRAKIAS KAI at kwhuang@mofa.gov.tw