Thousands out of range of air-raid sirens: reportEDUCATION KEY: The affected areas have been told to rectify the situation, but one lawmaker said that people do not know where to find safety during an emergencyBy Aaron Tu and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerAbout 350,000 people live in areas out of audible range of air-raid sirens, a National Audit Office report has found. The alarms are crucial for ensuring public safety in the event of an air attack or major natural disaster, it added. Photo: Tsai Tseng-hien, Taipei TimesThe National Police Agency’s Civil Defense Office completed a survey on Nov. 20 last year that used QGIS, an open-source geographic information system, to analyze the reach of the country’s 1,435 air-raid sirens. The office found that in 38 communities across Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung, Taoyuan, Taichung, Kaohsiung and Hsinchu County, people were unable to hear air-raid sirens due to their distance from the nearest siren or other geographical factors. Before more sirens are installed, communities could rely on police sirens, school public address systems and community offices to assist in alerting community members, it said.

Source: Taipei Times August 17, 2021 15:56 UTC