Translated by John Hsu
On 21 September, an earthquake whose magnitude was 7.6 degrees on the Richter scale shocked Taiwan, causing the death of more than 2,000 people. More than 10.000 people were injured…“ This was what I read on the Internet when the electricity came back on at my house. Because of the media I knew the extent of the damage that the earthquake had caused. I saw people who had lost their family members, and saw many buildings that had fallen down. However, I also saw people entering into the villages which had been cut off to save those afflicted by the earthquake. Many people donated food and money. This earthquake reminded us of some problems which still exist in Taiwan, including a lack of necessary equipment to help victim, bad building construction, and a lack of an efficient government systems in case of emergency. In the first place, people did not know how to save the people who were buried beneath wreckage. Although Taiwan rescue groups worked courageously and passionately, they could not know where the survivors were. Rescue teams from Japan, Korea, the U.S., Mexico, Spain, and other countries came to help us look for the victims that were trapped under the buildings. They brought high-tech equipment which we did not have. It is a pity that we lacked this equipment not because of money, of which we have enough, but because we spend twice as much money to buy defensive weapons. Even though we have defensive weapons we cannot save people, which is ironic. Second, when tall buildings were constructed, neither the government nor the purchasers inspected the stability of the whole structure. Therefore, there were construction companies that could use poor materials, construct buildings badly, and sell them at high market prices. A lack of standards in construction safety can be seen in the fact that some newly constructed buildings collapsed, while old apartments building made ten or twenty years ago remained intact. I think that ten or twenty years ago, there were few builders who dared to use small steel bars to build columns. Nevertheless, we found many tins of cooking oil filled with cement in the columns of even new buildings. The municipal governments seem to ignore the importance of inspecting new buildings carefully. Third, we did not have an efficient government system that could help us in times of emergency. The government could not understand the seriousness of the accident at once and did not react until the next day. Furthermore, the central government and the Taichung municipal government did not contact each other until very late, and so could not cooperate effectively. Instead of collaborating, they wasted a lot of time criticizing each other. I consider that both the central and the municipal governments have little experience. They did not know how to react in this big disaster, nor did they know to establish a system for emergencies. After the earthquake, we should form a group which can assist in times of emergency, with the cooperation of all local as well as national powers. The earthquake caused much death and suffering to all people of Taiwan, especially to those who lost their family members or friends. The problems of lack of organization, of building standards, and of rapid assistance can be solved gradually. I believe, and hope, that the government has learned how to organize itself better in a similar situation. I know that this earthquake has left a profound imprint in our hearts, but I also know that in time the bitterness and the pain will disappear from our memory. a
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The Taida Student Journal has been active since 1995 with an ever-changing roster of student journalists at NTU. Click the above link to read about the authors Archives
May 2024
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