5:15 PM - 6:45 PM
[G01-P02] Twenty years of using earthquake ruins for educational purposes – the 921 Earthquake Museum of Taiwan as example
Keywords:earthquake ruins, educational activities, 921 Earthquake Museum of Taiwan
At 1:47 am on September 21, 1999, central Taiwan experienced an intense earthquake of 7.3 on the Richter scale. As the epicenter was close to Chichi Town in Nantou County, it was named the Chi-chi Earthquake. Following the Chi-chi Earthquake, the Ministry of Education commissioned the TVBS Caring for Taiwan Foundation to plan and construct an earthquake memorial park on what was once the Kuang-Fu Junior High School athletic field in Wufeng Township of Taichung County. This campus was chosen to create an earthquake museum for the purposes of preserving its earthquake ruins and remembering this disaster, as well as presenting the history of earthquakes and providing a venue for earthquake-related education.
The 921 Earthquake Museum of Taiwan officially opened on September 21, 2004. Lesson plans and teaching aids have been developed and educational activities have been organized to disseminate information about earthquakes. It has been found that geological profiles are well suited to educating the public about active faults, while earthquake ruins, such as collapsed buildings, awaken people to the importance of disaster prevention. Here, they learn the best ways to evacuate during an earthquake, what types of structures can withstand earthquake forces, and that a major earthquake can occur at any time.
In 2017, this museum was certified as a Mission Readiness Test (MRT) site by the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG), as announced by the National Fire Agency of the Ministry of the Interior. In early 2018, it broadened the scope of its educational work, by cooperating with the Fire Bureau of Taichung City Government to implement rescue dog training in collapsed classrooms in the northern section of the campus. Some of the dogs trained here were sent to Turkey to assist with rescue and relief efforts following an earthquake in that country in 2023.
The 921 Earthquake Museum of Taiwan officially opened on September 21, 2004. Lesson plans and teaching aids have been developed and educational activities have been organized to disseminate information about earthquakes. It has been found that geological profiles are well suited to educating the public about active faults, while earthquake ruins, such as collapsed buildings, awaken people to the importance of disaster prevention. Here, they learn the best ways to evacuate during an earthquake, what types of structures can withstand earthquake forces, and that a major earthquake can occur at any time.
In 2017, this museum was certified as a Mission Readiness Test (MRT) site by the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG), as announced by the National Fire Agency of the Ministry of the Interior. In early 2018, it broadened the scope of its educational work, by cooperating with the Fire Bureau of Taichung City Government to implement rescue dog training in collapsed classrooms in the northern section of the campus. Some of the dogs trained here were sent to Turkey to assist with rescue and relief efforts following an earthquake in that country in 2023.