00:02Flood warning alarms fill the command room, part of a public disaster drill in the eastern
00:07county of Hualien. It comes after a barrier lake on the local Ma Tai An River breached
00:13last September, inundating a town downstream. The flooding took at least 19 lives. Since then,
00:20new barrier lakes have formed, and a typhoon in November triggered another disastrous flood
00:25nearby. Authorities say this exercise is meant to keep residents on alert and better organize
00:31emergency response personnel. It also sends a message to those in power.
00:53As part of the drill, around 4,000 residents of 12 villages consider to be in immediate danger
01:00from flooding practice evacuating. Meanwhile, the first phase of bank restoration has been completed
01:06along the river, ahead of the May flood season. Work is also underway on stronger levees next to the
01:12river, and a second line of defense 200 meters out. Up in the mountains, authorities are keeping a
01:19close eye on barrier lakes, and say there is a three-level evacuation plan in place.
01:42Hualien County Chief Xu Zhengwei says the 4,000 evacuees in this drill is not a definite number.
01:48She says her officials will continue to coordinate with the forestry agency to narrow down their
01:54prediction, getting people ready for typhoon season this summer. Joseph Wu in our England for Taiwan Plus.
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