Mind Red and Yellow Alerts for Preventive Evacuation - Agency of Rural Development and Soil and Water Conservation, MOA

Follow Red and Yellow Alerts to Reduce Damage to or Injury of Human Life

According to General Director Huang Ming-yao of the Soil and Water Conservation Bureau, debris flow warnings are categorized into yellow and red alerts. When a yellow alert is issued, local governments must urge residents within areas affected by potential debris flow torrents to evacuate. When there is a red alert, local governments must start evacuation. Having experienced multiple natural disasters over the years, residents in mountainous areas increasingly accept the concept that “a temporary evacuation can prevent a lifetime of regret” and are willing to cooperate with the governments’ preventive evacuation, which has dramatically reduced the damage to and injury of human life.

Disaster Prevention APP for Emergency Evacuation Information

The Soil and Water Conservation Bureau has specially developed the map and graphic versions of APP systems for its debris flow prevention information network. This is an attempt to integrate instant information feeds from debris flow observation stations across Taiwan, debris flow warnings from towns and villages, instant precipitation information, satellite weather images, and information on emergency evacuation shelters. Integrated with Google Map and mobile phone locator, the APP systems show a user’s location, allowing the user to orient him/herself on the map to find nearby emergency evacuation shelters and emergency contact information, thus creating a more comprehensive safety network.

“Thumbs Up” to Debris Flow Prevention Information Network

The debris flow prevention information network has established a facebook fan page (https://www.facebook.com/246.swcb) to provide not only disaster prevention information, news, and debris flow warnings, but also serve as a communication platform between the public and the Soil and Water Conservation Bureau. During the 0610 torrential rain and Typhoon Talim devastation this year (2012), debris flow volunteer specialists trained by the Soil and Water Conservation Bureau used the fan page to report back the disaster situations in their locations in a timely manner, which improved the efficiency of disaster response.