Taiwan is located within a complex zone of convergence between the Philippine Sea Plate and Eurasian Plate and it is in an active seismic zone. In the past 50 years, there have been seven strong earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.0 or above. On 3 April 2024, at 07:58:09 local time, a 7.2 earthquake with a focal depth of 15.5 km struck offshore Hualien. The Central Weather Administration also observed an earthquake with a maximum magnitude of 6 in Xiulin Township, Hualien County. At least 18 people were killed and over 1,100 were injured in the earthquake. It is the strongest earthquake in Taiwan since the 1999 Jiji earthquake. I happened to be in Taipei that day. Although the distance from Taipei to Hualien is about 78 miles (125 kilometers), I received an earthquake warning message on my phone. Before I had time to figure out what the message was about, I felt the ground shake. Living in an old apartment on the 12th floor, I could feel the intensity of the shaking even more. I quickly sat up from the bed, crawled to the bedroom door, and held the door frame tightly with both hands, praying that it was strong enough to withstand the violent shaking. I heard the sound of pots and pans colliding in the kitchen, as if they were being smashed to the ground. Afterward, I checked everything and found that most items were fine, except for a small piece of decorative tile that had been broken. The collision of pots and pans sounded like something out of a horror movie, heightening my fear. Although the earthquake lasted only one or two minutes, it felt endless. According to data from the Seismological Center of the Central Weather Administration, there were 386 aftershocks after the main earthquake by 4 p.m. on April 4th. While the disaster in Taipei was far less severe than in Hualien, I can only describe the experience as frightening. For future reference, I’ve included news links from both the Chinese and English versions of the BBC. The severity of the earthquake can be seen from the videos and pictures in them.
台灣位於菲律賓海板塊和歐亞板塊的複雜聚合區域之間，屬活躍地震帶，在過去50年間一共發生過 7 次規模達 7.0 以上的強烈地震。2024 年台灣時間 4 月 3 日上午 7 時 58 分 09 秒地震發生於台灣花蓮縣近海，芮氏規模達到 7.2，震源深度為 15.5 公里，中央氣象署並在花蓮縣秀林鄉觀測到最大震度 6 強的地震。地震已造成至少18人死亡，1,100多人受傷。這是台灣自 1999 年 921 (集集)地震以來最強烈的地震。這一天我剛好住在台北，雖然台北到花蓮的距離大概是 78 英哩 (125 公里)，當時手機便收到地震警告的通知，我還沒來得及搞清楚這簡訊是怎麼一回事，便覺得天搖地動，我住在第12層樓的老公寓，更加能感受到這種搖動的程度，我趕緊從床上坐起，爬到臥房門口，兩手緊抓著門框，心裏不斷禱告，希望門框夠堅固能支撐得住這劇烈的晃動，耳中聽著吊在廚房裏鍋子碰撞的聲音，感覺鍋碗瓢盆都噼哩啪啦的砸碎在地上，事後看看大都沒事，僅有一小塊擺飾的瓷磚砸碎了，但當時這些碰撞的聲響，好像恐怖片中的音效，更增強了我的恐懼感。雖然這前後也不過一、兩分鐘或兩、三分鐘的時間，但感覺似乎這地震的搖晃是沒完沒了。據中央氣象署地震測報中心統計，截至4日下午近4時，此次地震後的餘震達386起。雖然台北的災情遠不及花蓮，但是我身在其中，只能用驚魂失魄來形容這個體驗。僅放上 BBC 中文版及英文版的新聞連結，以供以後回顧，從裡面的影片和圖片可看到地震的嚴重程度。
From the graph provided by the Central News Agency, we can observe that between the magnitude 7.2 earthquake on April 3 and April 30, there were over 1,300 aftershocks, with the most significant one occurring on April 23. Starting from the evening of the 22nd, there was a subtle swaying sensation. However, it was during the early morning hours of the 23rd that I was abruptly awakened by the shaking. Subsequent aftershocks continued intermittently throughout the day, leaving me feeling perpetually unsettled and dizzy. I found myself nervously checking the Seismological Center of the Central Weather Administration’s website repeatedly. Uncertain whether the tremors were real or merely a result of my heightened anxiety, I grappled with fear. Interestingly, my classmates from elementary school, high school, and college appeared accustomed to these aftershocks, expressing no particular concern. It seemed that I was the only one caught in a state of apprehension and spending that day in constant unease.
從下面的中央通訊社圖表，可以看到自 4 月 3 日規模 7.2 地震之後至 4 月 30 日，餘震逾 1300 次，其中以 4 月 23 日最嚴重，從 22 日傍晚就小小的晃盪，到 23 日凌晨在睡夢中被搖醒之後，又有好幾個餘震，時搖時不搖，成天被晃得頭暈暈的，讓我緊張兮兮疑神疑鬼的不停查看中央氣象署地震測報中心網站，搞不清是真的有地震還是自己神經過敏。有趣的是，我的小學、高中以及大學的同學群組，似乎對這些餘震習以為常，沒人發表任何感想，好像只有我一個人，大驚小怪，膽戰心驚的過那一天。
Not long ago, I read a poignant article about a resident of a precarious building in Hualien following the earthquake. His account left a deep impression on me. During the earthquake, everyone fled their homes hastily, leaving behind their belongings. Subsequently, the building tilted and was condemned for demolition. Initially, the building was briefly accessible three times, granting each floor a mere 10 minutes for residents to retrieve their most essential items. Unfortunately, the author’s apartment door was jammed, preventing access. More than ten days later, the demolition team reinforced the building with steel columns, allowing residents to re-enter and salvage their belongings. The author described the subsequent process: “This time, we had three days to retrieve our possessions. Each floor was limited to three people per household. We had only one hour each day. Quilts and clothes that weren’t afraid of falling were packed and thrown down from the 6th-floor window. However, some items couldn’t withstand the fall and had to be carried down the severely damaged and cracked stairs. The photo album was particularly heavy, so I packed it up and tossed it down. One hour wasn’t enough to retrieve everything. The refrigerator, TV, air conditioner, washing machine, wardrobe, bookcase, sofa, bed set—all had to be discarded.”With the assistance of volunteers and fire rescue personnel, the family managed to salvage some belongings. Then, on April 23, another violent earthquake struck, causing the building to collapse. The third floor became the new ground level. The author reflected, “After this earthquake, I realized that life itself is paramount. When our time comes, we can take nothing with us.”Reading this article evoked a mix of emotions. Life is unpredictable, and we never truly know what lies ahead. It serves as a reminder to cherish every moment and prioritize our loved ones. When life faces critical dangers, the magnitude of events—whether big or small—loses significance. Old worries and new grudges fade away, rendering even treasures and valuables insignificant.
前一陣子讀到一個花蓮地震危樓住戶的文章，令人不勝唏噓。他提到地震之時，大家匆忙逃離家中，什麼家當都沒帶，地震之後，這個大樓傾斜變成面臨拆除的危樓，起先大樓曾短暫開放三次，每次讓每層樓有 10 分鐘的時間進去取最重要的東西，但這個作者的家門被卡住了，無法開開，只好做罷。十餘天後，拆樓的工班幫忙支撐了好多根鋼柱在樓房外，讓住戶能再一次進去拿東西，作者如此形容：「這次開放三天，每層樓住戶一家限 3 人，一天只有一小時可進入取物，不怕摔的棉被衣服就直接打包從 6 樓窗戶往下丟，怕摔的就只能走破損龜裂嚴重的樓梯，一步步舉歩維艱的扛下來，書及相簿很重，就直接打包裝箱往下丟，一屋子的東西一小時根本不夠，冰箱、電視、冷氣、洗衣機、衣櫥、書櫃、沙發、床組……，全部被迫斷捨離。」在義工及消防救災員的協助下，他們家總算救出一些東西。這個大樓在 4 月 23 日再一次受到狂震後，倒塌了，三樓直接變一樓。作者說：「經過這次大地震的體悟，活着最重要，當生命到了盡頭，什麼也帶不走的。」讀了這篇文章後，感觸很多，在生命的過程中，我們真不知道下一刻會發生什麼事，真該珍惜當下每一刻，及周遭的親朋好友們。而且當生命面臨危急的險境時，什麼舊愁新怨、大小事都無關緊要，什麼寶貝或貴重東西都微不足道了。
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