Sustainable Disaster Prevention
Taiwan is located in the Ring of the Pacific Earthquake Belt and the northwest corner of the Pacific Ocean. Its unique geographical position means that earthquakes and typhoons occur frequently. In addition, Taiwan's active geological environment and the short and torrential nature of its rivers make it common for Taiwan's plains and hills to undergo obvious changes in topography and geomorphology when influenced by earthquakes and rainfall, and even more severe changes are influenced by human activities, threatening people's lives and property. Furthermore, in recent years, the frequency and intensity of extreme weather (including earthquakes, rainfall, etc.) have also increased each year. For example, the disasters caused by the Chi-chi Earthquake in 1999 and Typhoon Morakot in 2009 (see the figure below) are so-called extreme events in the design regression cycle. The damage or repair resulting from such disasters can no longer be carried out by traditional analysis or design thinking alone. Sustainable innovative concepts must be incorporated into the traditional disaster prevention system in order to enable the peaceful coexistence of human beings and natural disasters. As a result, such government departments as the Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Earthquake Engineering Research Center, the National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Prevention and Rescue, the Center for Environmental Change of the Academia Sinica, the Central Meteorological Bureau, central or local engineering and water conservancy departments at all levels, and the relevant units of universities and colleges have all invested considerable efforts into the prevention and rescue measures of various disasters in recent years, obtaining results from small to wide areas.
Traditional disaster prevention concepts primarily focus on preparation and prevention before disasters, rapid response during disasters, and post-disaster recovery and review, while the concept of "sustainable disaster prevention" in this field further adjusts the traditional disaster prevention concepts through sustainable design and maintenance. With regard to pre-disaster prevention, in addition to strengthening the investigation and analysis of the potential for various disasters, it may also be necessary to analyze the development trend of possible damage caused by various natural disasters from different angles (wide area or disaster frequency or intensity), in order to provide feedback to the rapid response stage of the disaster and reduce further possible disasters. In the post-disaster recovery and review stage, reviewing the response measures to similar situations based on the intensity and damage caused by natural disasters is also necessary to ensure the most efficient disaster prevention and relief effect from the effort and financial resources invested and reduce the risk of danger to areas of human habitation and activity.
In order to achieve certain training results for students in the field of "sustainable disaster prevention," students will take interdisciplinary courses such as civil engineering, environmental engineering, construction management, atmospheric science, and earth science in the planning of this field. They will also be equipped with special research plans in different topics. Relevant teachers will lead students to view the sustainable development of disaster prevention and relief from different perspectives and lay a solid foundation for students' future development. After graduation, in addition to further (1) study of advanced courses and research in the institute, students can (2) participate in disaster prevention and relief work as experts (structural, civil, earth, water conservation, hydraulic technician * note), (3) conduct research in academic institutions or disaster prevention centers, (4) participate in design or analysis work in private enterprises or consulting firms, or (5) join relevant units of central or local government departments to promote sustainable disaster prevention and relief concepts. The development of students after graduation is not limited to the above suggested directions. The courses and topics in the field of "Sustainable Disaster Prevention" in the bachelor's program of the School of Engineering of National Central University focus on interdisciplinary integration, and the training in related fields also enables students to diversify their future development, so that students in the bachelor's degree program of the School of Engineering of National Central University can become either generalists or professionals in interdisciplinary fields and become important assets for national and social disaster prevention and relief efforts.