September 21, 1999 is a day that still lives in the memory of Taiwanese people. Early that morning, Taiwan was struck by an earthquake that killed thousands, and while the country looks forward in hopes of preventing the next big disaster, the event left many with lasting memories.
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00:00Earthquake drills like this one are common in Taiwan.
00:07But on this day, they hold a special significance.
00:11They honor National Disaster Prevention Day
00:14and mark a grim anniversary.
00:3025 years ago, thousands of people were killed by a 7.3 magnitude earthquake in central Taiwan.
00:43It destroyed over 50,000 homes, damaged over 800 schools, and left communities without
00:50power for weeks.
00:53The quake's epicenter was a small town in Nantou County, and most seriously affected
00:58Nantou and neighboring Taichung.
01:01Over two decades later, memories of the earthquake remain clear to those who survived it.
01:08Dr. Hong Hongzhang was on shift in Nantou Hospital when the earthquake struck at nearly
01:132 a.m., not far from the epicenter.
01:18He still remembers the chaos, and how quickly they had to make decisions about who to treat.
01:28With over 2,000 people dead and more than 10,000 injured, there was a shortage of critical
01:39supplies.
01:40Emergency workers also had to call for more coffins and body freezers.
01:46Water risked running out, so the head of the Nantou Fire Department remembers that when
01:51a winery caught fire, he decided to let it burn.
01:55In the end, he said, that decision served a dual purpose.
01:59In a neighboring county, some of the destruction from that time is still preserved today.
02:27Here in Taichung, this used to be a school, but it was seriously damaged in the earthquake.
02:32The fault line that caused the quake runs directly through this school, and all around
02:36me are damaged buildings.
02:39Since then, it's been turned into a museum, where people can learn and remember, but it's
02:43also a reminder that people need to be prepared for future disasters.
02:48And in many ways, Taiwan is preparing.
02:51It's changed building regulations to protect against earthquakes, and is upgrading an early
02:56warning system.
02:58But none of this can wipe away emotional scars.
03:01Lin Huiqi, who was a teenager at the time, is now a teacher at a school damaged in the
03:071999 quake.
03:10She said she's still afraid of the dark because of it.
03:35Like her, many across Taiwan have their own stories of the earthquake.
03:41As the country moves forward in hopes of preventing another disaster, many continue to bear the
03:46weight of these memories, 25 years later.
03:51Ryan Wu, Pichi Chuang, and Cadence Coranta for Taiwan Plus.