Remarks from the CEO

On August 8th, 2009, Typhoon Morakot shocked the world and devastated southern Taiwan. The natural disaster resulted in enormous losses to people's homes, land, assets, and lives. After the disaster, governmental agencies, military, and private organizations immediately involved in disaster relief efforts. At the same time, the government also sought assistance from private organizations to begin comprehensive post-disaster reconstruction efforts. Seven days after the disaster, with great efficiency the Executive Yuan established the Post-Disaster Reconstruction Council while the Legislative Yuan also approved the Special Act and NT$116.5 billion in a special budget. Due to the dedicated efforts of legislative, administrative departments and organizations throughout Taiwan, reconstruction was able to take place rapidly after the occurrence of the disaster.

The Executive Yuan's Morakot Post-Disaster Reconstruction Council is comprised of 37 members, including members of administrative departments, expert scholars, members of private organizations, heads of office in disaster-stricken counties and cities, disaster victim representatives, and indigenous peoples' representatives. Over the span of three years, the Council has called 31 council meetings and 44 working group meetings to discuss various key decisions. As the decision-making mechanism includes business, governmental, academic, central and local governmental, indigenous peoples, and disaster victim perspectives, it consolidates and takes into account a wide variety of opinions throughout the reconstruction process.

Different stages of reconstruction efforts have come to fruition over the past three years. With relation to homeland reconstruction, up until Chinese New Year 2013 (February), 3,441 permanent housing units have been completed, enabling more than 10,000 residents in the reconstruction region to move into their safe new homes. In terms of basic infrastructure, the damaged rail and highway systems was all completed reopened to traffic by the end of December 2009. Benchmark projects such as the Alishan Roadway, Jiasian Bridge, Liouguei Bridge, and Cishan Bridge were all completed ahead of schedule. Not only did this provide local residents with safe and convenient routes of transportation, it also stimulated local tourism development. As for industrial reconstruction, the orchid and grouper farming industries, which were severely damaged by the typhoon, have been completely revived. Export volume now exceeds pre-disaster rates. Utilizing sand and gravel created through river dredging to fill fish ponds and farmland was also an innovative measure developed during these reconstruction efforts. As each item on the software and hardware reconstruction list is checked off and residents demonstrate their work ethic and vitality, the local economies in reconstruction areas are also gradually reviving. In the future, the government will continue to promote cultural, living, and industrial reconstruction policies in hopes that the permanent housing bases may serve as comfortable new homes for residents to live and work sustainably in.

"Reconstruction is not a floral archway, but a great wall built through blood and sweat". Throughout more than three years of reconstruction efforts, the Reconstruction Council staff has worked without pause. We are grateful for the kindness which the public has shown, the passionate assistance which charity organizations and private corporations have provided, and many anonymous individuals who have done their part for post-disaster reconstruction. This love and kindness has poured out unendingly from all walks of life, demonstrating the noble "soft potential" which Taiwanese society possesses as a whole, while also serving as a positive force to motivate reconstruction progress. The hope is that each and every one of us will learn from nature's lesson through the occurrence of this disaster so that we are better equipped to face other natural disasters in the future. Lastly, I would like to offer my most sincere gratitude and respect to everyone who has been involved in post-disaster reconstruction efforts.

Dr. Chern Jenn-Chuan

CEO, the Morakot Post-Disaster Reconstruction Council, Executive Yuan

August 9th, 2013