Taiwan is hosting its first "whole of society" civil defense drills in the southern city of Tainan. The exercises simulate natural and man-made disasters, forcing participants, including members of the public and civil defense experts, to respond to emergencies in real time.
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00:00extinguishing fires after a massive explosion, and rushing civilians to safety as a tsunami
00:10approaches. Simulations of disasters that pose very real
00:16threats to Taiwan played out in the southern city of Tainan at this new kind of whole-of-society
00:22civil defense drill. It's all part of President Lai Ching-de's campaign to better prepare
00:28the country for whatever comes.
00:42Over a thousand people, a mix of civilians and civil defense experts have joined the
00:47drills, but notably absent today is the military, which usually plays a big role in disaster
00:53response.
01:17One of the scenarios that simulates an explosion at a tourist center that injures hundreds
01:21of people, with much of the focus on response times and setting up medical infrastructure
01:27at short notice.
01:32More than just demonstrations, these exercises simulate real-life disasters, forcing the
01:37civilians taking part to improvise and act in real time as if it was a real disaster.
01:43And the people joining these drills say participating is their duty as citizens of Taiwan, a country
01:49under constant threat from the forces of nature and China.
02:20Officials say this will be the first of many drills happening across the country, as Taiwan
02:27does its best to prepare for the worst.
02:30Scott Huang, John Su, Jaime O'Connor and Rhys Ayres for Taiwan Plus.