[Disaster Prevention] NSC Indicates the Earthquake Hotspots in Taiwan, Urging the Public to Enhance Preparedness

[Disaster Prevention] NSC Indicates the Earthquake Hotspots in Taiwan, Urging the Public to Enhance Preparedness (Chinese Version)

Now News, Radio Taiwan International & China Times E-paper (2010/01/22) Fault activities are regarded as the main cause of land earthquakes. NSC held a press conference on January 21, making public the result of the active faults investigation by National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction (NCDR) of National Applied Research Laboratories, by which it was intended to remind the people who live near the active faults to enhance the idea of disaster prevention and to get prepared for the earthquakes.

In the reports of RTI and China Times, NSC cites the information from the report of Central Geological Survey, MoEA, indicating that among the faults the Meishan Fault in Chiayi and Milun Fault in Hualien are most dangerous. They respectively have the chance of 44.91% and the chance of 41.4% to have earthquakes measuring over 7 in 50 years. RTI cites the explanation of Professor Yue-Gau CHEN of Department of Geosciences, NTU, that the prediction is based on and modified from the models from the US, New Zealand and Japan, together with the statistics obtained in Taiwan; however, there is error space, and the significance of the prediction is to list the hot spots for people's reference.

China Times reports about the reactions from the local government. Chiayi County will enhance the earthquake drills in response, while Nantou County asks NSC to offer more specific proofs or otherwise the predication is just threatening. Besides, Hualien adopts the regulations and administrative strategies for disaster prevention. Because in the construction regulations Hualien has been included in the dangerous earthquake area, the requirement of earthquake resistance is relatively higher than the other areas; also, the local government and the Association of Architects have an agreement to actively double check the buildings under construction after an earthquake measuring over 4.

According to China Times, several specialists including Deputy Director of Seismological Center of Central Weather Bureau Kai-wen KUO (郭鍇紋) and Director of Hualien Office of Taiwan Architects Association Sheng OUYANG (歐陽昇), urges the public not to worry too much about the prediction. They point out that after 921 earthquake Taiwan's requirement of building's earthquake resistance is lifted. There was no severe damage in recent earthquakes measuring close to 7 exactly because of the improvement of architecture technology.


Further Information:
Central Geological Survey, MoEA
Now News 2010/01/22 (Chinese)
Radio Taiwan International 2010/01/22 (Chinese)
China Times E -paper 2010/01/22 (Chinese)
China Times E -paper 2010/01/22 (Chinese)
China Times E -paper 2010/01/22 (Chinese)



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