President Tsai Ing-wen went to the Affiliated School for Students with Hearing Impairments of National University of Tainan on National Disaster Prevention Day (NDPD), September 21 to understand how physically and mentally disabled students conduct earthquake drills with the assistance and guidance of faculty. The school is mostly for hearing impaired students and students with multiple disabilities. The drill focused on topics of earthquake emergency search and rescue as well as rescue of the injured. Alarm announcements were connected to televisions in each classroom for broadcasting emergency information, hearing impaired students were aided to obtain alarm information, wheelchair-bound students were sheltered, and students with emotional disturbances were pacified and assisted. Through practical drills, students’ response to disasters was fostered. Today’s earthquake drill was attended by all faculty and students in school. The achievements of this drill have deeply received appreciation and encouragement by the attending delegates. 

At 9:21 a.m. on September 21, after the simulated earthquake information released by the earthquake early warning system of the Central Weather Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communication, primary, junior high and senior high schools in our nation synchronously completed the three mitigating and lifesaving actions of ‘Drop, Cover, and Hold On’ in the earthquake drill. Through early warning, students and teachers in our nation are reminded when encountering the threat of earthquake disasters, they should firstly seek safe cover and protect their heads and necks, prioritize their own safety, and effectively save themselves when disasters occur.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) continuously promotes the operation of establishing disaster prevention campuses in combination with central authorities’ disaster prevention promotion capacity, so the diverse learning tools of disaster risk reduction and education (DRR education) can be developed. In addition, through the ‘Disaster Risk Reduction Education website’, schools can create campus disaster prevention maps, edit and revise campus disaster prevention and rescue programs, conduct disaster prevention apparatus preparations on campuses, organize courses and promotional activities of DRR education based on the features of the potential local risk hazard. Moreover, in response to combined disasters caused by global climate change, the attitude and skills of school teachers and students in disaster prevention will be enhanced to refine the practical work of campus disaster prevention.

The MOE seeks to raise the disaster risk awareness of all people, and its governing institutions have jointly organized a series of activities for the NDPD synchronously. For example, the 921 Earthquake Museum and the Chelungpu Fault Preservation Park of the National Museum of Natural Science are holding permanent exhibits on earthquakes, while the National Science and Technology Museum is also holding a permanent exhibition, ‘Light up the Future: Stories of Recovery and Reconstruction after MORAKOT’. People are welcome to experience and learn, and teachers and students in schools at all levels and preschools are encouraged to utilize their spare time to conduct off-campus visits. For more information about NDPD activities, please visit the ‘Disaster Risk Reduction Education website’ (https://disaster.moe.edu.tw/WebMoeInfo/).