KAOHSIUNG (TVBS News) — Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) announced Tuesday (July 22) that the city government will award two days of "honorary leave" to its employees who help with post-typhoon recovery in other cities. This gesture is a token of appreciation for their spirit of mutual assistance, following their extensive support in the aftermath of Typhoon Danas, which devastated Tainan and Chiayi. The unprecedented reward recognizes cross-city disaster relief cooperation in Taiwan's municipal governance system, highlighting innovative approaches to incentivizing public service dedication. The policy reflects growing emphasis on inter-city collaboration during natural disaster response efforts across Taiwan.
The Kaohsiung city government mobilized 1,807 personnel, 425 vehicles, and 563 equipment to aid in disaster relief efforts across affected regions. Employees cleaned up 180 roads, 18 parks, seven greenways, one track and field stadium, one sports complex, 19 schools, and 82 damaged rooftops with tarps over 14 days. The massive deployment demonstrates the scale of inter-city disaster response coordination in Taiwan's municipal emergency management system. This comprehensive relief operation showcases the logistical capabilities and organizational efficiency of Taiwan's local government disaster response mechanisms.
Mayor Chen highlighted the reciprocal nature of this support, noting that other counties had previously aided Kaohsiung during typhoon disasters last year. Chen stated that this time, the Kaohsiung city government employees demonstrated a spirit of mutual assistance by rushing to aid Tainan and Chiayi. The mayor thanked the Fire Bureau (消防局), Environmental Protection Bureau (環保局), Public Works Bureau (工務局), and Transportation Bureau (交通局) personnel for their dedicated efforts before a city council meeting. This recognition ceremony underscored the collaborative relationships between Taiwan's municipal departments during emergency response operations.
Kaohsiung reflects on its successful relief efforts as Mayor Chen's announcement underscores the importance of collaboration and support between regions in times of crisis. The honorary leave serves as a reminder of the strength of unity and the shared responsibility of communities to assist one another in adversity. This policy innovation may influence other Taiwan municipalities to adopt similar recognition programs for disaster relief participation across the island. The initiative demonstrates evolving approaches to public sector employee recognition in Taiwan's disaster management framework. ◼