Taiwan thanks international community for care following Hualien quake
2018/02/09
The Republic of China (Taiwan) government is deeply grateful for the concern shown by ROC diplomatic allies, like-minded countries and supporters around the world following the magnitude 6 earthquake centered on Hualien County in eastern Taiwan, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Feb. 7.
Messages of condolences and support received to date from the governments and politicians of Australia, Belize, Canada, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, France, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Japan, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Poland, St. Lucia, Singapore, Turkey, the EU, U.K., U.S., as well as the Dalai Lama and Pope Francis are sincerely appreciated, the MOFA said.
The Office of the President also thanked the international community the same day for its care and warmth.
According to the Central Emergency Operation Center, the temblor caused severe damage after it struck at 11:50 p.m., Feb. 6, off the coast of Hualien. The latest CEOC statistics confirm nine dead, 25 missing and 269 injured.
President Tsai Ing-wen, who met with government and military officials overseeing rescue and recovery efforts during an early morning inspection tour of Hualien Feb. 7, is keeping a close eye on the situation. In a recent tweet via her official Twitter account, she said “we will not rest until all are found.”
During a visit to Hualien later the same day, Premier Lai Ching-te said NT$300 million (US$10.2 million) in funding is to be made immediately available to the local government for emergency housing programs. Compensation of NT$800,000 will also be provided to the families of those killed, as well as NT$250,000 for those injured, he added, urging the public to make cash donations through a special account set up by the county government.
According to Lai, rescue and recovery efforts are taking place in three stages. The first is providing medical care and shelter for those affected while searching for the missing; the second is restoring key utilities and infrastructure such as power, gas and water lines; and the third is inspecting roads and bridges to assess safety and minimize further damage, he said.
The government’s response to the earthquake has been swift and comprehensive, with the CEOC overseen by Interior Minister Yeh Jiunn-rong in New Taipei City activated 10 minutes after the temblor, staffers from the MOFA’s Eastern Taiwan Office immediately dispatched to assist foreign nationals and a post-disaster reconstruction task force headed by National Development Council Minister Chen Mei-ling set up the next day.
Front-line rescue and recovery efforts are being carried out by the ROC armed forces, National Airborne Services Corps, and National Fire and Police agencies. This involves 661 military personnel, 13 air crews, 595 firefighters and 522 police, according to the CEOC.
Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=2&post=129218)
