'As well prepared as possible': How Taiwan kept death toll low in massive earthquake | Taiwan

For Nina Huang, it was the vibration that woke her up. “The first thing I did when I woke up was grab the dresser next to my daughter. I was afraid it would fall on top of it,” she recalled. Then her phone rang with a tsunami warning.

The biggest fear for Huang and her husband was that the bridge connecting their waterfront village of Yanliao to Hualien City would collapse, leaving them stranded.

So they drove into town with their one-year-old daughter and waited in a parking lot until the tremors stopped, away from any buildings that might collapse on them.

But the bridge did not collapse. Although the 7.4-magnitude quake, which struck the east coast shortly before 8 a.m. Wednesday, was the largest in Taiwan in 25 years, relatively few people died or were injured. In 2016, a smaller earthquake killed more than 100 people.

While last week's earthquake killed at least 12 people, Hualien County, with a population of more than 300,000, fared remarkably well in the face of the violent tremors.

Debris in the lobby of an apartment building damaged by Wednesday's earthquake in Hualien City, Taiwan. Photograph: Yan Zhao/AFP/Getty Images

Taiwan has learned to respond quickly to emergencies due to the omnipresent threats posed by natural or man-made disasters. The island and surrounding islets are located near the intersection of three tectonic plates in the world's most seismically active region, known as the “Ring of Fire.”

The threat of an attack from China, which frequently conducts military exercises near Taiwan, also puts people on high alert. Huang had already scouted her nearest hideout – a nearby police station – after a nationwide alert about a Chinese satellite launch in January.

Adam Pascal, chief scientist at the Earthquake Research Center in Victoria, Australia, said Taiwan “has done a lot to improve earthquake resilience since the 7.7 magnitude Chi Chi earthquake in 1999,” referring to the quake that killed nearly 2,500 people. . “They have introduced new building standards, strengthened existing buildings and created an earthquake early warning system. Sensors across the country can save precious seconds warning of upcoming strong tremors so people have time to take cover to protect themselves from falling objects.

The Chi Chi earthquake was a wake-up call for political decision-makers in Taiwan. A museum near the epicenter preserves the ruins of a collapsed middle school as evidence of the dangers of poorly fortified buildings. The date of the 1999 earthquake, September 21, became a designated day for nationwide disaster drills, with fake alerts sent to people's phones and evacuation drills.

Public education and important preparedness policies such as updating building safety standards are things that “often only receive short-term attention in other parts of the world after a disaster strikes,” Pascal said. But decades of improvements made since Chi Chi meant Taiwan was “as well prepared for this earthquake as possible.”

Taiwan's preparedness comes in the form of better buildings, early warning systems, education campaigns, and elaborate rescue operations.

a map

After 1999, the authorities updated building standards to make new buildings more earthquake-resistant. But with more than 4 million homes in buildings that are at least 30 years old, according to official statistics, the government has also provided subsidies to local authorities to inspect and upgrade any buildings that do not meet modern safety standards.

Individuals can also apply for subsidies of up to NT$4.5 million (£110,000) to upgrade buildings, by reinforcing concrete floors and walls, for example.

Nationwide cellphone alerts also give people what experts say are precious seconds to find cover before debris starts falling. CCTV footage from a maternity center in the capital, Taipei, which also felt some shocks, showed nurses racing to stabilize wobbly cots to protect the newborns.

In another video, the earthquake warning system can be seen interrupting the live TV broadcast for more than 10 seconds before the studio begins to shake (although the presenter continues to report).

Rescue teams continue to search for people trapped by the earthquake that struck eastern Taiwan. Photography: Annabelle Cheh/Getty Images

However, people in some provinces that experienced smaller earthquakes complained of not receiving phone alerts. Taiwan's Central Meteorological Administration said it was only sent to people in areas experiencing tremors of magnitude 5 or higher, although the agency is developing an artificial intelligence system to provide more targeted warnings in the future.

Pascal noted that setting notification limits was a difficult balance. “It often takes an event like this to highlight the difference between a calculated threshold and what the community expects to hear about,” he said, adding that the risk of making alert systems too sensitive is that “people ignore notifications or disable them altogether.”

Rescue operations in Taiwan have not yet ended, and aftershocks and landslides are expected over the weekend, complicating efforts to rescue hundreds of people still trapped. But for a small island facing multiple existential threats, Taiwan may take comfort in last week's response.

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos