Interior ministry gives reminder of tsunami shelter locations across Taiwan

Taipei, Aug. 14 (CNA) There are currently more than 1,000 tsunami shelters across Taiwan, Deputy Interior Minister Wu Tang-an (吳堂安) reminded the public on Thursday, as he addressed the issue of disaster preparation following an inter-departmental meeting in his ministry.

During the meeting on Thursday, the departments discussed the magnitude 8.7 earthquake that struck off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula on July 30, prompting a "tsunami watch" in Taiwan, Wu said.

They also referenced the 7.1 quake that occurred off the coast of Miyazaki Prefecture in Japan on Aug. 8 last year, Wu said at a press conference after the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) inter-departmental meeting.

After the Japan quake, Taiwan's Central Weather Administration (CWA) devised a new tsunami alert protocol in January, and the MOI clearly identified the tsunami shelters in Taiwan, he said.

As part of Taiwan's disaster response plans, the Fisheries Agency, Coast Guard Administration, National Police Agency, and various municipal governments have designed evacuation routes and shelters in the event of a tsunami or other disasters, Wu said.

Currently, there are 1,091 tsunami shelters across Taiwan, which can be located on emergency response smartphone applications and platforms, he said.

The apps and platforms include Disaster Prevention e-Point, Fire and Disaster Prevention, and the Emergency Management Information Cloud, which are all available not just to first responders but also the general public, Wu said.

At the press conference, National Fire Agency (NFA) Secretary-General Chang Yu-zhong (張裕忠) said that tsunami-related information can also be found in the latest edition of Taiwan's disaster prevention handbook.

While the handbook is largely in Chinese, some of the illustrations have English translations such as "Evacuation Shelter" and "Tsunami Hazard Zone," and the symbols for tsunami are self-explanatory.

According to Wu, the MOI will continue to hold symposiums around Taiwan on disaster response and will make sure that local governments are updating their disaster prevention and response maps.

During the period Sept. 17-19, the NFA will be holding disaster and tsunami drills in New Taipei and Yilan County, which will involve first responders and international search and rescue experts, to strengthen their tsunami response, he said.

Interior Minister Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) also spoke at the press conference, advising the public to download the disaster prevention and response apps.

She also encouraged the public to participate in disaster drills so that they can be prepared in the event of earthquakes, which could cause tsunamis over wide areas.