Taiwan Unveils New Disaster Prevention Tech and Helicopter Rescue Strategies

Twenty-seven years after the 921 earthquake, the tragedy of that year remains deeply embedded in the hearts of Hualien residents. The magnitude 7.3 strong earthquake claimed more than 200 lives in just a few minutes, destroying roads, bridges, and residences, and forcing Taiwan to face the rescue and reconstruction challenges of large-scale mountainous disasters for the disaster for the first time. Following the disaster, the central and local governments successively promoted disaster prevention infrastructure, including landslide warning systems, disaster response centers, and community disaster prevention drills. However, due to complex terrain and dispersed populations, resilient governance remains a long-term challenge. Every year on National Disaster Prevention Day, in addition to commemorating the deceased, it serves as an opportunity to review the implementation of disaster prevention policies and examine shortcomings.

In this Hualien County magistrate election, Democratic Progressive Party candidate Chang Chun paid tribute to frontline rescue workers on Disaster Prevention Day, emphasizing that "disaster relief is not a one-time action, but continuous resilience building." During his past tenure as deputy secretary-general of the county government, Chang helped promote the organization of the "post-disaster reconstruction fund" and "community disaster prevention teams." He advocated using technology to enhance early warning efficiency and proposed expanding the real-time updates of disaster information platforms so that mountain residents can obtain alerts at the earliest possible moment. This statement is intended to echo the public's expectations for the distribution of disaster prevention resources and to use past practical experience as the foundation for a governance blueprint.

Independent candidate Wei Chia-hien focused on the gaps in rescue manpower and aerial support. Wei pointed out that whenever Hualien is struck by landslides and torrential rain, firefighters are often unable to quickly reach remote areas due to manpower shortages. He suggested that the county government increase the staffing of full-time firefighters by at least 30 personnel while striving for a regionally stationed helicopter from the central government to shorten rescue times. Citing recent landslide cases, he illustrated the critical role of helicopters in transporting medical supplies and evacuating trapped residents, believing that this move will not only enhance real-time disaster relief efficiency but also provide logistics support during the post-disaster recovery phase. Wei's proposal highlights the urgency of aerial rescue and manpower reinforcement in resource-limited mountainous areas.

Kuomintang county magistrate candidate Yu Shu-chen focused on the theme of "holistic resilient governance," visiting tribes and indigenous communities to listen to residents' expectations for disaster preparedness. She advocated incorporating disaster prevention into holistic planning, requiring simultaneous upgrades in land use, building standards, public facilities, and community education to form a multi-layered disaster prevention network across the county. Yu mentioned that past disasters often led to delayed rescue due to unclear departmental divisions of labor and poor information transmission. She hopes to work with local autonomous bodies through cross-departmental coordination mechanisms to formulate disaster prevention manuals and promote the quantitative evaluation of "disaster prevention resilience indicators," giving every township comparable disaster response capability metrics. This policy aims to transform disaster prevention from a single-event response into a long-term, systematic governance model.

As seen from the policy orientations of the three candidates, disaster prevention in Hualien has become the core of electoral competition. Over the past decade, due to climate change and frequent extreme weather, the frequency and scale of mountainous disasters in Taiwan have shown an upward trend. Voters' expectations regarding the allocation of disaster prevention resources, rescue efficiency, and future resilience building are rising day by day. If Chang Chun's technological early warnings, Wei Chia-hien's rescue manpower and aerial support, and Yu Shu-chen's holistic governance can be practically implemented, they could potentially build a more resilient disaster prevention system for Hualien while providing a model for disaster governance throughout Taiwan. The election results will directly affect the formulation of disaster prevention budgets and the promotion of related regulations over the next five years, holding critical significance for enhancing Hualien's survival and recovery capabilities in the face of natural disasters.

(Source of Facts: Central News Agency)