Taiwan: Government to issue disaster prevention white paper annually

The Executive Yuan will present a white paper on disaster prevention to the Legislature annually as part of its efforts to minimize human casualties and the drain on national resources, Premier Wu Den-yih said Sunday.

Wu made the pledge at the closing ceremony of a national water management conference aimed at mapping out effective strategies to prevent recurrence of the devastating flooding caused by Typhoon Morakot in early August which caused more than 700 deaths and huge property damage.

Noting that the conclusion of the conference marks the start of action, Wu said all administrative agencies should step up promotion of disaster prevention and work to fulfill the government's core mission of protecting people's lives and property.

As part of the government's all-out disaster prevention drive, Wu said, the Executive Yuan will collect information through as many channels as possible about earthquakes and typhoons that may strike Taiwan.

"We will also come up with a white paper on disaster prevention annually and refer it to the Legislative Yuan for screening, just as we have submitted an annual national defense white paper to the Legislature over the years," Wu said.

In addition to natural calamities, the white paper will also cover prevention efforts against epidemics such as influenza A(H1N1), Wu said. Equal emphasis should also be given to mitigating possible loss of human lives and the drain of national resources that could result from natural and other types of disasters.

Typhoon Morakot-triggered massive flooding and landslides that left more than 700 people dead or missing and rendered thousands homeless.

(By Sofia Wu) enditem /pc