Taiwan disaster management reference handbook

The Taiwan disaster management reference handbook (April 2026) is produced by the Center for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance (CFE-DM), a U.S. Department of Defense organization. It provides a comprehensive overview of Taiwan's disaster management system — covering key actors, natural hazards, policies, critical infrastructure, and international engagements — intended for planners, disaster responders, and personnel who may work alongside Taiwan's first responders in exercises or real-world events.

The handbook shows that Taiwan faces exceptional disaster risk due to its location along the Pacific Ring of Fire, with frequent typhoons, earthquakes, floods, and landslides threatening over 70% of its land and population. Despite this, the country has dramatically improved its resilience over the past 25 years — most notably illustrated by the contrast between the 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake (2,400 deaths) and the comparably powerful 2024 Hualien earthquake (18 deaths). Taiwan operates a single-hazard management model led by the National Fire Agency, and is currently shifting toward a broader civil resilience approach under a Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience framework. A key ongoing challenge remains its diplomatic isolation, which complicates international coordination during large-scale disasters.