Earthquake and Tsunami Drill to be Conducted Across the Country

The Central Meteorological Administration of the Transport Ministry will release data on earthquake and tsunami drills across the country tomorrow (20th) in conjunction with the “National Disaster Prevention Day” drill programme.

The drill covers two major scenarios: earthquake and tsunami. The Met Office reminds people not to panic when receiving the message. The exercise aims to enhance public capacity to respond to disasters, ensure the effectiveness of earthquake and tsunami disaster prevention systems, and strengthen actual disaster prevention activities.

Simulation Scenario

The exercise simulation scenario consists of two parts:

• The “earthquake” scenario, which is an earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale that will occur on September 20 (Friday) at 9:21, with a maximum magnitude of 7, and a focal depth of 7.9 km;
• The “tsunami” scene, set at 9:50 a.m. on the same day when a magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurs; In the waters off southwestern Taiwan, a tsunami is triggered.

During the exercise, the Meteorological Department will use the Disaster Prevention Warning Cell Broadcast Service (CBS) to send disaster prevention information to the public through mobile phones in real time.

Importance of the Drill

The Meteorological Administration said the annual National Disaster Prevention Day drill is not only a comprehensive test of disaster prevention response systems, but also an important opportunity to raise national disaster prevention awareness and increase overall capacity.