Pingtung Nuclear Disaster Drill Trains Local Response to Radiation Leak

TaiwanPlus News

Pingtung in southern Taiwan has played host to the country's 31st annual disaster drill, the first since the nearby Maanshan power plant was retired in May. This year’s drill focuses on response to a radiation leak from nuclear waste in the event of an earthquake or extreme weather event.

Transcript

00:00First responders drive around this neighborhood less than three kilometers away from a nuclear

00:09power plant, telling residents to evacuate. It's the 31st year of Taiwan's nuclear disaster drill,

00:15and it's the first since the nearby Mansham nuclear power plant was decommissioned in May.

00:25Volunteers go door-to-door to alert those who have trouble hearing the alarm.

00:30It's a new feature this year to better protect people with disabilities and elderly people during

00:34a nuclear accident. A key scenario in this year's drill is the impact of natural disasters on rescue

00:46efforts. Local shops have joined the efforts by offering up space for medical assistance

00:50in case the area becomes inaccessible after an earthquake. Now we're at a backup help center

00:56set up in front of a local restaurant. Those injured and evacuees would be sent here for

01:00treatment and get scanned for radiation instead of a nearby airport where official help there

01:05is disrupted by natural disaster. The army has also sent a helicopter to deliver aid in the case of

01:12the area being completely cut off. Pindong County Chief Zhou Chunmi, who is against bringing back

01:17nuclear power, has come to oversee the evacuation. She says the exercise is important even after the

01:24Manshan nuclear power plants was decommissioned. As nuclear waste stored inside could cause radiation

01:29leaks during an earthquake or extreme weather event.

01:32In the neighboring Kunting district, just outside the evacuation zone, some are not so concerned

01:53about a nuclear accident now that the plant has closed.

01:56It's already been purchased. It's not a nuclear waste. It's not a nuclear waste. It's not a nuclear waste.

02:02It's not a nuclear waste, right? Why do you want to practice that nuclear waste?

02:07While some from outside of Pindong think the prospect of a natural disaster is a concerning factor for nuclear safety.

02:13I think the climate change is pretty fast.

02:17While the chances of the Manshan plant being brought back into service seem uncertain,

02:23and people here seem confident in their safety,

02:25officials who arrange the drill believe it's better to prepare for any eventuality.

02:30Joseph Wu and An-Ring Lin in Pindong for Taiwan Plus.

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