Disaster Risk Reducation Education

Figure, Article｜Promote the integration of Aboriginal regional characteristics into the Disaster Prevention Education Program team

At 1:47 AM on September 21, 1999, a 7.3-Richter-magnitude earthquake struck Jiji Town, Nantou County, causing 2,455 deaths, over 10,000 injured, and around 80,000 collapsed or partially damaged houses. In memory of the 921 Earthquake victims, and to stay alert and well-prepared for disasters, the government has made September 21 the National Disaster Preparedness Day, with an earthquake drill carried out across the country in order to minimize casualties in the event of a disaster.

Building Disaster Resilience Schools Post-921-Earthquake

In the 921 Earthquake, over 200 schools collapsed and urgently needed reconstruction. Back then, thanks to the resources input and help from government, enterprises, and non-governmental organizations, the reconstruction of those schools was completed one by one from June 2001. Afterwards, earthquake resistance assessment and reinforcement of school buildings have been consistently conducted to gradually enhance the schools’ disaster preparedness as well as to improve the schools’ resilience to disasters.

The Ministry of Education began planning a nationwide disaster preparedness education project in 2003. With the assistance and guidance of the Ministry of Education, the county and city governments started to support schools under their jurisdiction to implement fundamental disaster preparedness tasks in 2011. The governments have also helped establish disaster resilient demonstrative kindergartens, in order to strengthen the overall disaster preparedness education. In 2019, 28 special education schools across the nation launched the Program of Disaster Risk Reduction Education. This year (2021), we have achieved the goal of “every school is a disaster resilient school” across the country and successfully promoted stronger disaster resilient schools.

National Disaster Preparedness Day Earthquake Sheltering Drills

To demonstrate the schools’ disaster preparedness and response capabilities, since 2012, the Ministry of Education has worked with the Executive Yuan on the National Disaster Preparedness Day events every year, organizing earthquake sheltering drills in schools and kindergartens across the country to strengthen teachers and students’ disaster preparedness and awareness. The nationwide drill is scheduled for September 21^st each year (tentative to holidays), with approximately over 3 million teachers and students across the country participating each year.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) has implemented a nationwide earthquake evacuation and sheltering drill at 9:21 a.m. for senior high schools and lower education institutions, in conjunction with simulated earthquake messages released by the Central Weather Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC)'s Earthquake Real-Time Alert software. Other education institutions (public and private tertiary institutions and kindergartens, etc.) conducted drills utilizing in-school broadcasting systems, loudspeakers, or existing facilities at each school. Combining the three life-saving steps of "drop, cover, hold on" with earthquake alert, the drill aims to remind teachers and students across the country that in the event of an earthquake, they should find a safe cover as soon  as possible and protect their head and neck, treating their own safety as first priority. This enables people to carry out effective self-rescue in the event of a disaster and strengthens the abilities of teachers and students to respond to earthquakes, maintaining the safety of campuses, teachers and students. The National Fire Agency of the Ministry of the Interior also invites people to conduct earthquake self-protection drills, establishing the concept of "self-help, mutual aid, and government care" to improve disaster resilience.

County and city governments have designated schools to demonstrate drills on National Disaster Preparedness Days over the years. In 2019, former Vice President Chen Chien-jen visited Nantou County She-Liao Junior High School to join their drill. Shixian Elementary School in West District of Chiayi City organized the 2019 National Disaster Preparedness Day Chiayi City demonstrative drill; in 2020, President Tsai Ing-wen visited the Affiliated School for Students with Hearing Impairments of National University of Tainan to understand how students with disabilities can conduct earthquake sheltering exercises with teachers’ assistance and guidance.

Although affected by the COVID-19 pandemic this year (2021), the county and city governments and the disaster reduction education counseling groups have spared no effort to prepare and implement drills at schools under the pandemic prevention measures, including livestreams of demonstrative drills with multiple devices, video description of the school’s earthquake sheltering response procedures, exercise demonstration videos, etc., which fully demonstrate the results of the promotion of resilience and disaster risk reduction education. Taipei Municipal Shilin Preschool had a rehearsal and pre-announcement, resulting in a successful drill. All children in the kindergarten were evacuated and assembled within 4 minutes and 15 seconds. Taipei School for the Visually Impaired used the "Public Warning Cell Broadcast Service" and "Strong Earthquake Early Reporting System" to release the "National Disaster Preparedness Day Earthquake Alert" message, and then guide students to take the 3 steps of earthquake evacuation - drop, cover, and hold on. Students from Gaoshi Elementary School in Mudan Township, Pingtung County have been able to "drop, cover, and hold on" on the spot immediately to protect themselves when they hear the alarm.

For expanding on the National Disaster Preparedness Day activities,  the MOE has also invited various ministries, county and city governments, non-governmental organizations, and disaster resilient schools across the country participate in the "Mobilization for Disaster Prevention, the 8th and 9th Gathering of Disaster Resilient Schools" online through Virtual Reality (VR).The exhibition combines interactive, technological, creative, aesthetic, humanistic and cultural elements into DRRE, presenting diversified online experience activities, DRRE games and learning courses. The event is expected to be effective in preventing crowd contamination during COVID-19 while expanding the benefits of promoting disaster preparedness and relief achievements in Taiwan.The online exhibition has received enthusiastic response, with over 1 million visits. The content of the exhibition will continue to be displayed on the Disaster Risk Reduction Education website of the Ministry of Education (https://disaster.moe.edu.tw) to provide schools across the country with reference to promote resilience and disaster risk reduction education.

National Disaster Preparedness Day Disaster Risk Reduction Education Events

The National Taiwan Science Education Center host a disaster preparedness fair along with a series of disaster preparedness related science activities; the 921 Earthquake Museum of Taiwan and the Chelungpu Fault Preservation Park of the National Museum of Natural Science will offer free admissions from September 18 to 21, and hold the "National Disaster Preparedness Day Needs You" Disaster Preparedness Education Carnival. The National Science and Technology Museum showcase the permanent exhibition "Hope and Future - Morakot Memorial Hall" and the " emergency Kit Interactive Event" disaster preparedness education promotion event from. Although these activities have ended, everyone is welcome to follow related information next year and join the events.

Future Outlook

So far, the disaster risk reduction education in Taiwan has continued to cultivate and improve disaster risk reduction literacy on the existing foundation and implement to build a safe environment. In the future, we will continue to promote disaster resilient schools, hoping to nurture people’s correct understanding and positive disaster management attitudes through early-age school education. With the National Disaster Preparedness Day events, we aim to improve the overall disaster resilience of society, present our results to the world, and share Taiwan’s valuable experience in promoting disaster risk reduction education.