Kaohsiung Urban Resilience (Air Defense) Drill Successfully Completed with Coordinated Evacuation of People and Vehicles

The Kaohsiung 2026 Urban Resilience (Air Defense) Drill commenced at 10:00 a.m. today (7th), with citywide traffic control and personnel evacuation initiated simultaneously as air raid sirens sounded. Citizens cooperated with guidance from police and civil defense personnel, resulting in orderly evacuation of both pedestrians and vehicles, marking a successful conclusion to the exercise and showcasing Kaohsiung’s collective defense resilience and inter-agency emergency response capabilities.

During the drill, high-speed rail, Taiwan Railways, and Kaohsiung MRT trains maintained normal operations. However, upon disembarking, passengers followed on-site staff instructions to proceed with air defense evacuation procedures. Vehicles on expressways and rapid roads exited at interchanges and pulled over to the side of the road, with drivers and passengers exiting vehicles and complying with evacuation protocols. Overall order was maintained throughout the process.

Key inspection sites during the drill included the Ecopark Station of the Kaohsiung MRT, the PUYIUN Welfare Center’s Bo'ai 3rd Branch, and the Zuoying District Office. These locations were selected to evaluate the operational readiness of protection units and civil defense teams at public transportation hubs, daily life consumption points, and government facilities, as well as the effectiveness of air defense evacuation execution. Inspection teams also monitored traffic control and public evacuation conditions throughout Zuoying District. Facility management units promptly guided the public into air defense shelters or to designated safe zones, demonstrating successful inter-agency coordination.

The Kaohsiung City Government emphasized that the drill aims to familiarize citizens with air defense evacuation procedures and enhance disaster preparedness awareness. In addition to pre-drill public outreach, residents are encouraged to use the city’s official website, official LINE account, and police service app to locate nearby air defense shelters, thereby improving their emergency response capabilities during actual disasters.

The city government reiterated its commitment to continuously refining air defense evacuation mechanisms through regular drills and post-exercise evaluations. By promoting the principle of 'everyone prepared, everywhere responsive,' Kaohsiung aims to strengthen urban resilience and safeguard the lives, physical safety, and property of its citizens.