TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Ministry of the Interior (MOI, 內政部), Taiwan's agency responsible for domestic affairs, declared on Tuesday (July 15) that the island has substantially improved its disaster prevention capabilities following years of systematic development. The announcement comes in the aftermath of Typhoon Danas, which made an unprecedented landfall in Chiayi County — the first such occurrence in the region in 100 years. Ministry officials stressed the importance of enhanced emergency response training programs to confront the challenges posed by increasingly extreme weather patterns worldwide.
Former Interior Minister Lee Hong-yuan (李鴻源) publicly criticized the government's typhoon response during a recent online program, casting doubt on the effectiveness of current disaster management protocols. Lee argued that field inspections have devolved into perfunctory ceremonies without substantive participation from water resource experts and technical specialists. In response, the MOI highlighted that the Central Emergency Operation Center (中央災害應變中心), Taiwan's emergency management headquarters, maintained continuous coordination with regional authorities throughout the crisis, establishing vital communication channels and assessing local needs beginning July 6.
Ministry officials reported the deployment of more than 6,911 emergency personnel as of Monday, along with specialized engineering equipment to support recovery operations in storm-damaged regions. The Executive Yuan (行政院), Taiwan's cabinet, has simultaneously activated post-disaster reconstruction protocols, encouraging municipal authorities to promptly submit funding applications for infrastructure repairs. Central government officials have pledged to accelerate both the review and inspection processes for these requests. The ministry expressed its desire to secure additional resources for expanding the disaster prevention framework, and has reached out to Lee and other former interior ministers for their backing in these efforts. ◼
