The government of Nantou County conducted its annual disaster prevention drill near a night market in Tsao-tun Township on March 19 to polish the county’s responsiveness to force majeure. Held in conjunction with “Wan-an drill No. 35”, conducted by the ROC armed forces, this time the drills were not conducted in fixed points but were carried out in different places, to which attending officials—including Nantou County Governor Chao-Ching Lee, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the ROC Ministry of Defense General Zhen-wu Liu, and Director of Central Disaster Prevention Office Tseng-gang Shih—traveled by foot. There drills turned out to be very real and vividly substantiated, receiving high remarks from the officials.

  Following the drills, Lee said that the county has been constantly traumatized by heavy rainfall because of its geographic setting, emphasizing the importance of regular disaster drills, especially in terms of rescue and recovery skills and horizontal contact capacity. Take Typhoon Morakot. Despite the catastrophic trauma, the county of Nantou managed to survive the storm without any casualties thanks to rigorous training. He expects everyone to carry out the crucial routines, for it will concern the security of thousands of fellow citizens.

  Liu expressed high remarks on the drills, comparing his own experience to the county’s diligent efforts. He said Nantou County’s losses as a result of Typhoon Morakot were no less than those of other cities in Taiwan; however, the county had the least severe damage due to prompt rescue and recovery work carried out in addition to disaster prevention and evacuation, setting a role model for all the other cities in Taiwan. In addition, the county has been working hand-in-hand with the military in the hopes of maintaining excellent interaction through cooperation on disaster prevention and rescue and recovery missions.

  Lee led the attending officials on a tour to Hsu-guang High School to inspect some of the advanced rescue and recovery facilities and materials such as hummer ambulances, fiber life detectors, and promotion posters, followed by an interactive talk session with students and drills conducted near a night market in Tsao-hsieh-dun (Tsao-tun).

  The drills started with a simulated drama centering on the story of Yama (the god of death) played by the Yushan women firefighting squad, hoping to incorporate the pleasure of drama into advocacy of disaster prevention knowledge and techniques. A simulation exercise ensued with an alarm, evacuation, and preparedness practice, along with mobilization of civilian and local rescue and recovery teams to engage in 26 missions—including but not limited to—recovery, renovation, cleaning, and sanitation. The entire procedure was intense, and the training results were closely monitored by government officials, as if these were real incidents of force majeure.