Taipei City Government

To strengthen the emergency response capabilities of Nangang Station, the Taipei City Government will hold a large-scale disaster prevention and rescue drill at the station and its surroundings on March 7 from 14:00 onward. The drill is called the “All-Out Defense Mobilization and Disaster Prevention and Protection - Min An Drill No. 5.”
 
The drill, which is to mobilize municipal personnel, volunteers, and NGOs, will demonstrate an efficacy of self-help, mutual assistance, and government support. The ROC Armed Forces will participate as well, while international support mechanisms will also be activated and tested. Search and rescue teams from Japan (Tokyo), Australia, and Malaysia will be on site to render assistance and showcase the outcomes of joint peacetime disaster response exercises.
 
The Taipei City Fire Department pointed out that a drill of this scale has become necessary as Nangang District has developed so rapidly in recent years. The high-speed rail station, National Biotechnology Research Park, TWTC Nangang Exhibition Hall, Taipei Music Center, and other recently constructed and fast-growing major developments under the Taipei East District Gateway Plan have lifted the area and transformed Nangang Station into an important transportation hub.
 
The exercise is based on the 2017 National Science and Technology for Disaster Reduction’s (NCDR) scenario of a landslide in Taipei’s southern foothills caused by a 6.6 earthquake peaking at 7 on the Richter scale, which shakes greater Taipei violently and triggers a serious disaster alert. In the scenario, trains passing through Nangang Station will experience brake failures leading to major traffic accidents at the station and collapse of the station’s structure. The building will collapse, fires will break out, and hazardous chemicals from the science park will spill out. These result in large numbers of casualties and injuries. The city government will be testing its capabilities for emergency dispatch, mobilization, and disaster response.
 
The drill will involve United Nations-accredited search and rescue teams from Japan, Australia, and Malaysia. The Australian and Malaysian teams’ first-ever participation in a disaster drill on Taiwanese soil marks an achievement in international exchange and diplomacy. A traditional mainstay in disaster work, the ROC Armed Forces mobilize reserve military units to participate in the drill. To add to the realism of the drill, on the afternoon of March 7, the Central Weather Bureau’s public warning system will issue a cellphone broadcast with its Cell Broadcast Service (CBS) to all mobile telephones in and around Nangang Station telling recipients that this is a drill and there is no need to panic.
 
In addition to the live army drill at Nangang Station on March 7, Taipei City Government will stage ten other drills for earthquakes, floods, landslides, water treatment plants, river rescues, water reservoir damage, and drowning prevention.  Through identifying and resolving issues in disaster preparedness, these drills will further enhance the city’s disaster response capabilities to keep lives and property safe.