TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Ministry of the Interior (MOI, 內政部) announced on Thursday (Sept. 5) plans to train 50,000 Disaster Relief Volunteers (DRV, 防災士) by the end of next year.
Interior Minister Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) highlighted the importance of community support during disasters, citing the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake (日本阪神大地震).
Liu noted that 60% of survivors escaped with help from family and friends, compared to 34.9% who escaped independently. Liu emphasized the critical role of mutual assistance in disaster prevention and relief.
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) pointed out that Taiwan frequently experiences earthquakes and typhoons, which prompted the government to launch the DRV training and certification program in 2018. To date, the program has trained over 30,000 individuals, positively impacting public risk awareness and disaster expertise.
Cho urged the MOI to collaborate with various organizations and community groups to expand DRV training. He also called for revitalizing training courses and integrating societal resilience concepts to attract more participants.
