00:00An earthquake alert went out across Taiwan on Friday at 9.21 a.m.
00:08Television stations also added disaster warnings.
00:12But this wasn't a real emergency.
00:15It was part of annual drills.
00:17The exercise is held each year around the anniversary of the devastating Jiji, or 921 earthquake, on September 21st, 1999.
00:25An event that claimed more than 2,400 lives.
00:31Taiwan's President Lai Qingde also attended this year's event, to underscore its importance.
00:55The drills are actually being held over three days.
01:13And this time, they simulate a magnitude 8.5 quake in the Ryukyu Trench, east of Taiwan,
01:20followed by a tsunami that strikes Yilan in the northeast of the country.
01:24The drills covered earthquake and tsunami evacuations, shelter management, as well as first aid and rescue operations.
01:37They also showed how technology can be used in disaster response,
01:50including AI-powered drones to identify people in need of rescue,
01:55and domestically developed drones to carry and drop live buoys.
02:00Taiwan's own disaster response teams took part in the drills,
02:03and were joined by experts from countries like Japan and Poland.
02:07We were invited by the Taiwan side because we are cooperating since, I think, more than one year in some activities in Europe.
02:17So we had also a visit of the Taiwan side in Poland.
02:21And we are an emergency medical team who is training for disasters too,
02:26and for delivering medical help in disasters.
02:30At the drills, President Lai says such international collaboration is key,
02:35as natural disasters are challenges faced by many countries.
02:39A number of visitors were impressed with Taiwan's preparedness.
03:02I was really impressed, the level of technical expertise and passion that the Taiwanese firefighters and emergency services professionals brought to the exercise.
03:15I think with anything as we've learned as a global community in disasters,
03:19it's that early coordination and communication is so important.
03:24This year, over 200 disaster response experts from 14 different countries attended the drills.
03:29The drills may only be three days, but it's less than last year-round.
03:38Disasters may strike at any time, and being prepared is the best defense.
03:42Patrick Chen and Sunny Chi in Elan for Taiwan Plus.
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