Reporter Liu Peiyu / Taipei Report
▲ On the 23rd anniversary of the 921 earthquake, Nantou, the most affected area of that year, regained its vitality. The picture shows Zhushan Old Street on the evening of September 20th. (Photo / provided by local residents)
Today marks the 23rd anniversary of the 921 earthquake. At 1:47 am on September 21, 1988, the most severe earthquake of this century occurred in Taiwan, with a magnitude of 7.3 on the Richter scale and the epicenter in the Jiji city, Nantou County. Houses collapsed and more than 2,000 people lost their lives in the rubble. “Sanli News Network” interviewed Miss Zhuang who lived in Zhushan, Nantou. At the time, Zhushan in Nantou was also the most affected area. You remembered the earthquake of 921 “The tremor was so strong that I couldn’t stand or run, not like an earthquake, like the earth was about to explode！ 」
Ms. Zhuang said that when the earthquake happened early in the morning, everyone was asleep and suddenly the earth shook. moment, she didn’t think she was running away, “Shake it. It was so powerful that I couldn’t run and I couldn’t stand. After about 2 minutes of shaking, I lay down on the bed and thought I was dreaming!” Until the second shock , the earthquake was also very strong and I could feel the surrounding environment. When the house collapsed, we started running away with our 60 year old grandmother and 4 year old granddaughter. “But the iron door couldn’t be opened.” Fortunately, there was a back door so we could escape into the open space!
▼ ▲ The 921 earthquake caused tens of thousands of homes to collapse and more than 2,000 people lost their lives in the rubble. (Photo / Excerpt from the book “921 Earthquake Nantou County Earthquake Disaster Album”)
Miss Zhuang recalled that night,“As if the end of the world, not like an earthquake, but the earth was about to explode!”The surrounding houses collapsed and many neighbors and friends sadly died. After the earthquake, Zhushan did not have life for a long time. It was like a ghost town. Not only were many roads broken, there was no sign and no food to eat. We departed. It was a long time before I left Nantou to take a tour to live with my relatives.
And the strong earthquake of 918 a few days ago, will you still have lingering fears? Miss Zhuang said frankly, “I am very afraid now as long as there is an earthquake, and I will finish immediately, it will be like going back to 921.But if you can run, you won’t be that nervous, which means the earthquake isn’t as big as 921!」
▲ The lobby of the Sun Moon Lake Tianlu Hotel and the Sun Moon Lake Teachers’ Club also collapsed. (Photo / Excerpt from the book “921 Earthquake Nantou County Earthquake Disaster Album”)
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