TAIWAN DISASTER REDUCTION CENTER EXPECTS MORE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 TAIPEI 000854

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR USAID/OFDA, EAP/EP, BANGKOK PASS USAID/OFDA
REGIONAL ADVISOR ROB FRIEDMAN, DHS FOR FEMA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/14/2019
TAGS: AEMR ECON ETRD SENV TPHY TSPL APEC TW XE
SUBJECT: TAIWAN DISASTER REDUCTION CENTER EXPECTS MORE
CROSS-STRAIT COOPERATION, WORRIES ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE

REF: 08 TAIPEI 00236

Classified By: Economic Chief Hanscom Smith for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (SBU) This message contains an action request. Please see
paragraph 9.


2. (C) SUMMARY: Taiwan's National Science and Technology
Center for Disaster Reduction (NCDR) expects to broaden an
already solid base of international cooperation in the
future, including with its counterpart agency in the PRC.
Interaction with the mainland in the field of disaster
prevention and reduction has already included sharing
satellite imagery and data, as well as frequent academic
exchanges. Separately, NCDR hopes to reinvigorate
cooperation with FEMA and worries that the weather-related
effects of climate change may overburden Taiwan's urban
infrastructure. END SUMMARY.

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NCDR IS A "BLACK ORGANIZATION"
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3. (SBU) The NCDR is one of 11 agencies under the National
Applied Research Laboratories of Taiwan's National Science
Council (NSC). It is staffed by 60 research scientists and
20 administrative staff, as well as a network of 20 advisors
in universities island-wide. These advisors are the NCDR's
"eyes and ears" in the field, assigned with responding to
disaster sites and relaying information back to NCDR
headquarters in Taipei. Although the NCDR is funded through
the NSC, its legal authority to exist comes through the
Executive Yuan's National Disaster Prevention and Protection
Commission. NCDR Deputy Executive Secretary Li Wei-Sen
refers to the NCDR as a "black organization" because its
funding and lines of authority are unclear even to many in
the Executive and Legislative Yuans. Li notes that this
sometimes leads to confusion when deciding who can assign the
NCDR with its various missions. He expects a planned
restructuring of Taiwan's executive agencies will both
clarify the NCDR's location in the policy structure and
double the NCDR's scientific staff.

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FOREIGN COOPERATION IS GROWING
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4. (SBU) In a recent meeting with ESTH officer, NCDR Director
Chen Liang-Chun and Deputy Executive Secretary Li separately
pointed with pride to the growing number of international
cooperative agreements and memorandums of understanding the
NCDR has signed in recent years. These include MOUs with the
University of Hawaii's Pacific Disaster Center (2008),with
Japan's National Research Institute for Earth Science and
Disaster Prevention (2007) and Real-Time Earthquake
Consortium (2007),and with Korea's National Institute for
Disaster Prevention (2007). The Government of Vietnam
recently approached the NCDR to sign an MOU for cooperation
in disaster preparedness. Deputy Executive Secretary Li
notes that Vietnam would benefit from Taiwan's expertise and
advanced technical know-how in this field, while Taiwan would
earn "friendship" and another avenue for foreign cooperation.
Li added that Vietnam hopes the NCDR can fund capacity
building programs under the proposed MOU, but Li explained
that the NCDR is not a funding agency. In addition to MOUs,
NCDR has cooperative research relationships with universities
in the U.S. and elsewhere, and hosts international
conferences, such as the December 2007 2nd International
Conference on Urban Disaster Reduction and the September 2008
APEC Workshop on Large-Scale Disaster Recovery. A conference
this September will commemorate the 10th anniversary of the
devastating 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake, which killed 2,455
people and caused nearly USD 10 billion in damage. NCDR
Director Chen forecasts expanding international linkages for
his agency, and added that because the NCDR is staffed by
scientists, it has increased flexibility and space to work
internationally.

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SHARING WITH PRC PROCEEDING SMOOTHLY
--------------


5. (C) Deputy Executive Secretary Li told ESTH officer that
the relative lack of political considerations in the NCDR's
work allows it to cooperate successfully across the Taiwan
Strait. He noted that during the May 2008 Sichuan
earthquake, NCDR provided satellite imagery on a continual 24

TAIPEI 00000854 002 OF 003


hour basis to the PRC's National Disaster Reduction Center of
China (NDRCC). This was done through a file-sharing protocol
on the NCDR website and was initiated with a phone call from
the Taiwan side. Li claims that his PRC contacts accepted
Taiwan's assistance very quickly and with no apparent
bureaucratic interference. The imagery came from Taiwan's
FORMOSAT-2 satellite, which Li states has a resolution of 2x2
meters in black and white. Li added that Taiwan's Central
Weather Bureau routinely provides satellite imagery and data
on approaching typhoons to the PRC. An end-of-year "official
visit" from the NCDR to the NRDCC is planned, which
accompanies an already high volume of cross-Strait academic
cooperation on disaster issues.


6. (C) Deputy Executive Secretary Li added that his PRC
contacts are particularly interested in learning about the
recovery phase of disaster planning, and opined that the
PRC's disaster preparedness system is weakest in the area in
pre-disaster evacuation. While praising the ease of recent
cooperation with the PRC in his field, Li lamented the high
rate of staff turnover at the NRDCC and said he cannot get a
straight answer from his NRDCC contacts explaining this
phenomenon.

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NCDR WANTS MORE COOPERATION WITH FEMA
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7. (SBU) Looking forward to the September Chi-Chi earthquake
conference, NCDR principles are enthused that FEMA NPD Deputy
Administrator Timothy Manning is slated to attend the
conference. Director Chen noted that much of the NCDR's
success is attributable to FEMA, which served as the source
for NCDR's disaster reduction system. However, according to
Chen, after FEMA was folded into DHS in 2003, the previous
close FEMA-NCDR cooperation was reduced. Chen would like to
reinvigorate cooperation with FEMA, particularly through
cross-training and study opportunities. This request echoes
the sentiments of Chen's predecessor (reftel). Deputy
Executive Secretary Li added that the NCDR's biggest weakness
is its incident command system and critical infrastructure
protection program, and NCDR would like U.S. assistance in
addressing these areas. The NCDR is also in the process of
developing models to quantify costs/benefits of disaster
prevention in Taiwan in order to make the value of NCDR's
work more readily apparent to the public and policymakers.
Li believes discussions in this area with U.S. counterparts
would also be useful.

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CLIMATE CHANGE TAKING TOLL ON INFRASTRUCTURE
--------------


8. (SBU) NCDR International Affairs Research Fellow Sophia
Lee explained to ESTH officer that climate change is driving
weather-related phenomena that negatively affect Taiwan. She
and Deputy Executive Director Li argue that models clearly
show climate change is behind intensifying typhoon activity
over the last twenty years and is also increasing rain
intensity in general. Li says that most urban sewer systems
in Taiwan were not designed to handle the intense bouts of
rain that are more frequently striking Taiwan, and he
predicts increased urban flooding if current rainfall trends
continue. Li adds that reservoirs are more likely to flood,
as well, drinking water may be negatively affected, and
mudslide activity may increase. The Water Resources Bureau
is working on a draft plan that would pay individuals to move
out of low-lying areas particularly prone to flooding. Li
says that flooding and earthquakes are the disasters that
keep him awake at night. He adds that following disasters,
the NCDR has been asked by members of the Executive and
Legislative Yuans to explain why it was not able to predict,
for instance, that a given bridge would collapse. Li
responds that the NCDR must cooperate more closely with other
Taiwan agencies and local authorities to ascertain the
stability and resiliency of infrastructure. He adds that due
to bureaucratic difficulties and unclear lines of control,
effective cooperation with local authorities is the most
difficult challenge the NCDR faces.


9. (C) COMMENT AND ACTION REQUEST: AIT appreciates the
planned visit of FEMA Deputy Administrator Manning to Taiwan
this fall. Apart from attending the conference, we would
recommend an expanded program that could include new areas of
bilateral cooperation in this field. If there is interest,
we would be glad to explore with Taiwan NCDR officials
possible subjects for study and exchange. END COMMENT AND

TAIPEI 00000854 003 OF 003


ACTION REQUEST.
WANG