Civil Defense in Taiwan—It’s Not Just One or Two Groups

I am often asked about the state of civil defense in Taiwan, yet friends who know me well understand that it’s difficult to highlight just one or two specific groups to capture the full picture. Most emerging “civil defense organizations" are oriented toward education and outreach, yet they rarely possess substantial organizational or mobilization frameworks. Taiwan has a range of established disaster response organizations, but in the eyes of Western media, few—aside from Tzu Chi—have garnered adequate research or recognition. These fragmented portrayals hinder a comprehensive understanding of Taiwan’s civil defense landscape. To aid further discussion and help direct the right resources to the most fitting organizations, I’ve created this chart as a reference point.

The idea is based on the “Cluster Approach."