What Earthquakes Teach Us: From 311, the Indian Ocean Tsunami to the Cebu Quake, the Shaking Memories Taiwanese Can't Forget

Everyone probably felt that shaking in the middle of the night, right? Even though it only lasted a few seconds, that sinking feeling in your gut can stick with you all night. Living in Taiwan, earthquakes are like an old mate to us—except this mate has a bit of a temper, dropping by every now and then just to remind us it's there. Over the years, some shakes have been so powerful, you just can't forget them.

That Night, Hualien's Big Shake

I remember back in , that earthquake in Hualien, a magnitude 5.7 with a intensity of in some areas, and you could even feel it strongly in Taipei and New Taipei. I was watching TV in the living room when suddenly everything started spinning. The pendant lights were swinging like playground swings, and water sloshed half out of my cup onto the table. Looking at the data later, it wasn't the strongest one, but the sheer suddenness of it gave a lot of my Taipei friends their first real taste of 'So this is what people in Hualien deal with regularly.' Later, chatting with locals from Hualien, I found they've developed this incredible calm. The ground shakes, but life goes on—though they never let their guard down.

Japan's 311, A Pain That Lingers

Speaking of earthquakes, you can't go past the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake off the Pacific coast of Japan. I was in the office that afternoon when a news flash popped up—a massive 9.0 magnitude quake had struck off the coast of northeastern Japan. Over the next few hours, TV screens globally were filled with images of those tsunami waves swallowing entire towns. Even though Taiwan is a fair way away, everyone's heart was in their throat. Watching those familiar-looking streets turn into oceans, that feeling of helplessness is still hard to shake. That earthquake really woke a lot of Taiwanese people up: we're all on the Pacific Ring of Fire, and a disaster on that scale? No one can say it could never happen here.

The Indian Ocean Tsunami, A Catastrophe of the Century

Go back a bit further, and you've got the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, a staggering 9.1 magnitude. The Boxing Day tsunami it triggered claimed over 200,000 lives. The internet wasn't as instant back then, but TV news played the footage over and over—the waves hitting Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka. Happy holiday beaches turned into hellscapes in an instant. I remember my office organised a fundraiser, and everyone dug deep without a second thought, because the shock of it hit you right in the chest. Even now, watching a documentary about it, my stomach still knots up.

The Cebu Earthquake, A Wake-Up Call on Our Doorstep

Bringing it closer to home, the 2025 Cebu earthquake happened in the Philippines, but through social media, the damage was out there for the whole world to see in real-time. Seeing those centuries-old churches collapse, the sheer panic on people's faces, it really drives home that earthquakes don't care about borders. Taiwan and the Philippines are on the same tectonic plate boundary. What happened in Cebu today? That could easily be us tomorrow. For a while after that, a lot of mates started properly checking their emergency kits. Some even organised groups to learn first aid. That feeling of 'this could actually happen' was more real than ever before.

A Few Things Earthquakes Have Taught Us

After all these times the earth has moved under our feet, we've picked up a few lessons. It's pretty obvious to anyone that panic gets you nowhere, but being prepared does. Here are a few basic bits of earthquake know-how I reckon are essential, just to share:

• Secure your furniture: Big wardrobes, bookshelves, TVs—bolt them to the wall with L-brackets. In a quake, they can turn into deadly missiles.
• Get an emergency kit sorted: Keep it somewhere handy near the door. At a minimum, it should have water, non-perishable food, a torch, a radio, spare batteries, copies of ID, and a bit of cash.
• Drop, Cover, and Hold On: Protect your head first and foremost. Don't rush to open doors or run outside.
• Check gas and mains: If you smell gas after the shaking stops, shut off the main valve straight away and open windows. For God's sake, don't light any matches or flick any switches.
• Stick to official info: Download the Central Weather Administration's earthquake alert app to get accurate warnings straight away. Don't get spooked by unconfirmed rumours.

Earthquakes are part of the deal living on this land. We can't change that, but we can choose how we deal with it. Hopefully, every tremor makes us more alert and brings us closer together. Next time the ground starts to roll, I hope we can all ride it out, steady, and then ask each other, 'You right, mate?'