CEO's Remark

Join-sane, Lin

Secretary-General of the Executive Yuan &
CEO of the Morakot Post-Disaster Reconstruction Council, Executive Yuan

    According to a report by the World Bank, Taiwan's disaster coverage ratio in terms of earthquakes, typhoons, and floods is the highest in the world. As extreme weather conditions become more prevalent due to global climate changes, we will be facing increasingly difficult challenges in the response to natural disasters. Hit by Typhoon Morakot on August 8th, 2009, southern Taiwan sustained heavy losses, yet the resilience and soft power of Taiwan have also become even stronger as a response. The Armed Forces, governmental departments, and different social circles spared no efforts in the rescue, restoration, and reconstruction efforts in the wish of minimizing the damages caused. In order to help victims back on their feet as soon as possible, the Executive Yuan established the Reconstruction Council seven days after the incident. We would like to especially thank the support from Legislative Speaker Wang and all legislative members who quickly passed the Special Act and funding of 116 billion NTD that made the reconstruction efforts possible. Within six months after the disaster, governmental and civil groups worked together to complete more than 500 free, permanent houses for the victims, demonstrating Taiwan's soft power and the public's caring through ultra-efficient performance.

    The 37 commissioners of the Morakot Post-Disaster Reconstruction Council under the Executive Yuan include those from the administrative departments, experts and scholars, civil groups, officials in the counties and cities affected by the disaster, representatives of victims, and representatives of aboriginal groups. In the past year, 19 commission conferences and 31 pre-conference meetings have been held in which the commissioners and officials from the central and local governments worked together to discuss and determine major policies. Restoration efforts have been actively implemented and yielded great results. A year after the disaster, 1,593 permanent houses have been completed that benefit 4,082 individuals. In terms of the reconstruction of infrastructure, the six major road systems totaling 653 km and eight loop railway tracks have been restored by the end of December, 2009. Major restoration projects such as Alishan Highway, Jia-shian Bridge, and Liou-guei Bridge have also been completed. In terms of industrial restoration, orchid production has been fully restored, and the groupers have also been restored to 80%. Related departments are also assisting in the promotion of the restoration of the culture, life, and industries in the permanent-housing communities and arranged supplementary industrial and tourism packages in the wish of achieving sustainable communities and economic recoveries in the disaster areas.

    The reconstruction effort is a race against time as many projects must be completed before the season of floods, plum rain, and typhoons. The disaster also made the government realize the importance of teaching the public about disaster prevention, minimization, and preparation as the power of nature should never be underestimated. The government fully respects the free will of each resident and does not force them to move into permanent housing. However, regarding those living in hazardous areas and not willing to relocate, the Armed Forces and all governmental departments will immediately take the "pre-emptive preparation and 24-hour standby" measures once the government announces any disaster alarms. The public must cooperate and evacuate in time in order to stay safe, and this is also what we would like those living in hazardous areas to keep in mind.

    Restoration efforts are too comprehensive to be completed by the government alone. Besides the full collaborations between the central and local governments, the participation of charity groups and assistance provided by private companies and entities are also the key. The endless love and caring from society is the soft power of Taiwan as well as the positive force that restores the victims' lives and drives the government to keep working harder. It is wished that everyone could learn the lesson given by nature and become more proficient when facing natural disasters in the future. Lastly, I would like to express my most sincere gratitude and appreciation to all the staff participating in the rescue and reconstruction efforts.