The Executive Yuan Aug. 6 approved draft amendments to the Disaster Prevention and Protection Act, highlighting the government’s commitment to building a disaster management system centered on professional expertise, dedicated personnel and specialized disaster prevention.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, the draft amendments add tsunamis and landslide dam breaches as statutory natural disasters, with the MOI and the Ministry of Agriculture as their respective central authorities. A designated lead agency will take responsibility from the EY’s Central Disaster Prevention and Protection Council and Office of Disaster Management to coordinate major disaster response operations, the ministry said.
Government agencies are required to appoint a disaster prevention official to promote and supervise disaster preparedness within agencies, the MOI said, adding that all levels of government and public utilities should also employ full-time disaster prevention and relief personnel.
Townships, towns, county-administered cities, municipal districts and Indigenous mountain districts are all required to establish disaster prevention coordination centers, and the centers’ staff may ask substitute military service personnel for assistance with evacuation, operating shelters and distribution of relief supplies.
The act has undergone 11 amendments since its promulgation July 19, 2000, the MOI said. It still requires further amendment to deal with challenges caused by extreme climate events and complex disasters like Typhoons Danas and the Mataian River barrier lake overflow in Hualien County last year, the ministry noted, adding that such amendments will strengthen disaster response capabilities and the resilience of local governments and offices.
After being approved by the EY, the draft amendments will be submitted to the Legislative Yuan for review, the MOI added. (YCH-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw
According to the Ministry of the Interior, the draft amendments add tsunamis and landslide dam breaches as statutory natural disasters, with the MOI and the Ministry of Agriculture as their respective central authorities. A designated lead agency will take responsibility from the EY’s Central Disaster Prevention and Protection Council and Office of Disaster Management to coordinate major disaster response operations, the ministry said.
Government agencies are required to appoint a disaster prevention official to promote and supervise disaster preparedness within agencies, the MOI said, adding that all levels of government and public utilities should also employ full-time disaster prevention and relief personnel.
Townships, towns, county-administered cities, municipal districts and Indigenous mountain districts are all required to establish disaster prevention coordination centers, and the centers’ staff may ask substitute military service personnel for assistance with evacuation, operating shelters and distribution of relief supplies.
The act has undergone 11 amendments since its promulgation July 19, 2000, the MOI said. It still requires further amendment to deal with challenges caused by extreme climate events and complex disasters like Typhoons Danas and the Mataian River barrier lake overflow in Hualien County last year, the ministry noted, adding that such amendments will strengthen disaster response capabilities and the resilience of local governments and offices.
After being approved by the EY, the draft amendments will be submitted to the Legislative Yuan for review, the MOI added. (YCH-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw
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