Taiwan Earthquake: What to Know About Travel and How to Help

04.04.2024 - 22:07 / cntraveler.com

The strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in almost 25 years shook the island of nearly 24 million people at 7:58 a.m. local time on Wednesday, causing buildings to crash, landmarks to crumble, and landslides to topple roadways and train tracks. As of press time, there are 10 reported deaths, as well as 1,099 people injured, 705 trapped, and 11 missing, according to an update from Taiwan’s Fire Agency posted Thursday morning.

While the US Geological Survey measured the quake at 7.4 on the Richter scale, Taiwan’s own monitoring agency clocked it at 7.2. The earthquake’s epicenter was about 11 miles southwest of Hualien City, the gateway to the popular Taroko National Park, which sees over 2 million visitors a year. With a population of about 101,000, the coastal city is around 100 miles southeast of the capital, Taipei.

The initial quake was followed by a series of aftershocks—some as strong as 6.4 and 5.7—that have continued to rock the Hualien County region, which regularly experiences earthquakes. The area sits along seismic fault lines within the Ring of Fire, where most of the planet’s quakes occur. In 2018, a 2018 6.4-magnitude quake in the area killed 17 people, while a larger 7.7-magnitude quake killed 2,400 and injured about 1,000 in 1999.

While there had initially been a tsunami warning on Wednesday reaching as far as Japan and the Philippines, that alert has since been canceled. In many parts of the island, especially in and around the capital, schools, work, and businesses returned to normal quickly—including the high-speed rail and metro systems by the afternoon—much of it being credited to the island’s resilient infrastructure.

In fact, a US State Department spokesperson tells Condé Nast Traveler that there are no changes or updates to the current travel advisory for Taiwan, which remains as a Level 1 “Exercise Normal Precautions.”

“The current tourism environment and facilities in Taiwan remain safe and intact,” Yung-hui Chou, director-general of Taiwan Tourism Administration, said in a statement shared with Traveler. “International tourists are warmly welcomed to visit Taiwan without any concerns.”

However, in the eastern region, closer to the epicenter, rescue operations are still underway, as many people were reported trapped in the region’s tunnels and quarries, unable to get out because of blocked roadways. Among those were about 50 employees of Silks Place Taroko, a popular hotel located near Taroko National Park, who had been traveling in four buses, CNN reported.

Despite the magnitude and devastation the earthquakes caused, travel in and out of Taiwan has remained rather status quo. A United Airlines spokesperson says there was “thankfully no impact” to its operations and that “all