Taiwan’s Earthquake Resilience
從花蓮大地震看台灣展現的韌性
Preparing for and Managing Natural Disasters the Right Way
ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR
It is early Saturday in Taiwan, where authorities are still looking for several people following Wednesday’s massive earthquake. Before poor weather conditions forced rescue workers [to] stop on Friday, they were looking in the hard-to-reach mountainous areas. Officials say hundreds of people remained stranded and at least 10 people have died. Search and rescue efforts are expected to pick up again in the coming hours. CNN’s Ivan Watson visited the quake zone and has this report.
IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT
A daring mountain rescue—one day after Taiwan is pummeled by a powerful earthquake, emergency workers struggle, climbing over treacherous landslides, trying to bring victims home. Among those initially stranded [were] dozens of miners in two remote quarries. On Thursday, authorities announced their successful rescue—some choppered to safety. “There were too many rocks falling like bullets from above,” this miner says. “We didn’t know where to run.”
The aftermath of some landslides [is] visible from a moving train. Many paved roads to the disaster zone are still blocked, but on Thursday, the railways resumed service.
It has only been a day since this powerful, deadly earthquake rocked Taiwan, and already, this train to the epicenter is running on time.
In the small city of Hualien, residents [are] still coming to grips with the earthquake’s damage. Though there are some scenes of real destruction, it also feels like this earthquake-prone community is quickly bouncing back. The city government set up this temporary shelter in an elementary school.
This is your home?
WANG MEI-FEN, EARTHQUAKE SURVIVOR
Living room.
IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT
There’s a hole in the wall.
Wang Mei-fen is camping out here with her husband and mother.
Do you feel safe staying in Hualien?
WANG MEI-FEN, EARTHQUAKE SURVIVOR
I’m not afraid. I was born here.
IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT
Among those here [is] the mayor of Hualien, who was injured in the quake.
What happened?
“A cabinet fell on me,” he says. He attributes the relatively low death toll in his city to advanced preparation.
WEI CHIA-YEN, MAYOR OF HUALIEN CITY (VIA INTERPRETER)
Here in Hualien, we grew up with earthquakes. Our teachers and relatives always taught us how to react when earthquakes strike, so we’ve known about this since we were kids.
IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT
This ruined building is a terrifying example of the power of Wednesday morning’s 7.4-magnitude earthquake. But look down the road here, and you see that most of Hualien is not damaged. It is lit up, intact and very active.
Amid these scars [is] an impressive display of community resilience.
Ivan Watson, CNN, Hualien, Taiwan.
CNN主播 伊莎.索爾斯
現在是台灣的週六一早,在週三的大地震之後,當局仍在尋找幾個人。在不佳的天氣狀況週五迫使救援人員停工前,他們在難以抵達的山區進行搜尋。官員表示仍有數百人受困以及至少十人已喪生。搜尋和救援工作預計將在接下來的幾個小時重新接續進行。本台記者艾文.華森探訪了地震區,並且帶來這段報導。
CNN特派員 艾文.華森
一場勇敢的山區救援──台灣遭強烈地震重創後一天,緊急救援人員努力奮鬥,攀越危機四伏的坍方,試圖把罹難者帶回家。兩座偏遠採石場中的數十名礦工在一開始受困的人員之列。週四,當局宣布他們救援成功,有些人被直升機載到安全處。 「有太多石頭像子彈一樣從上面掉下來,」這位礦工說,「我們不知道要往哪裡跑。」
從行駛中的火車上看得到一些坍方造成的結果。許多通往災區的鋪設道路仍無法通行,但週四,鐵路恢復了服務。
這場強烈且奪走人命的地震撼動台灣後僅僅一天,這輛前往震央的列車已經在準時行駛。
在花蓮這個小城市,居民仍在努力面對地震帶來的損失。儘管有一些真切的破壞景象,但也感覺這個經常發生地震的社區正在快速復元中。市政府在一所小學裡設立了這個臨時庇護所。
這是你家嗎?
地震倖存者 王美芬(音譯)
客廳。
CNN特派員 艾文.華森
牆上有個洞。
王美芬和她的丈夫及母親在這裡暫住。
你覺得留在花蓮安全嗎?
地震倖存者 王美芬
我不害怕。我在這裡出生的呀。
CNN特派員 艾文.華森
在這裡的人包括在地震中受傷的花蓮市長。
發生了什麼事?
「一個櫃子倒在我身上,」他說。他把他的城市相對低的死亡人數歸因於事先的準備。
花蓮市市長 魏嘉彥(經由口譯)
在花蓮這裡,我們從小到大都有地震。我們的老師和親戚一再教我們地震來襲時要怎麼反應,所以我們從小就知道這件事。
CNN特派員 艾文.華森
這棟毀掉的建築物是週三早上這場規模七點四(編按:美國採地震矩規模,與芮氏規模數值不同)的地震威力的駭人例證。但是這邊這條路看下去,各位看到花蓮大部分地區是沒有受損的。這裡燈火通明、沒有受損而且非常活躍。
在這些傷痕之中,是令人印象深刻的社區韌性的展現。
本台記者艾文.華森,在台灣花蓮的報導。