The Interior Ministry mobilized more than 1,300 people in an earthquake drill on Monday for National Disaster Prevention Day in Taiwan.
The choice of September 21 is significant: this year is the 21st anniversary of the 921 Earthquake which struck central Taiwan on September 21, 1999. More than 2,400 people were killed in the magnitude 7.3 quake.
In Monday’s drill, the Interior Ministry simulated a magnitude 6.9 earthquake in the southern city of Tainan. The exercise brought together resources from the central and local governments, the military and civic groups.
In a speech on Monday, President Tsai said that the world continues to face natural disasters in the middle of a pandemic. That means people need to be ready for compound disasters. She said that Monday’s drill fostered connections between different agencies so that they will be better prepared to help each other in the event of a disaster. The president said the goal was to boost Taiwan’s resilience.
Monday’s drill tested the national text message warning system, sending alerts to people’s cell phones at 9:21am. A test of the tsunami warning system came at 10am, and cable channels began broadcasting a public television feed and warning messages between 10:59 and 11:01am.
The Interior Ministry says that next year’s drills will simulate the response to an earthquake in eastern Taiwan.