Ahead of National Disaster Prevention Day this coming Sunday, schools and kindergartens across Taiwan conducted three-step earthquake drills at 9:21 a.m. on Friday. President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) visited National Lan-Yang Girls' Senior High School to observe and speak about the importance of regular drills.

The Central Weather Administration issued a simulated earthquake drill alert Friday morning. Schools throughout the country initiated disaster preparedness drills, including the “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” protocol for protecting oneself during an earthquake.

After observing the drill at National Lan-Yang Girls' Senior High School, the president spoke to the student body about the devastating 1999 Jiji earthquake that struck central Taiwan. September 21, the day the disaster occurred, was thereafter designated National Disaster Prevention Day. 

Lai commended the school for conducting such a comprehensive and realistic drill and urged the public to review the link to Taiwan’s national safety guidelines which was issued alongside the earthquake drill alert.