Residents in Hualien faced a lengthy clean up on Thursday as teams worked to clear debris and assess buildings for structural damage.
Hualien resident Deng Huimei, 63, told CNN his house “was a mess” following the quake and though it was still standing, huge cracks had appeared along the side of the staircase and “chunks of wall that had fallen off were all over the ground.”
He was putting groceries away when the quake hit.
“I had put everything in the fridge, and then the earth started shaking violently. At first, it was up and down, but later it was shaking very violently in the north-south direction. I had to hold onto things to stay steady, otherwise, I would have been knocked down by the shaking. So I was very scared,” the retiree said.
Deng said he has lived through multiple earthquakes and before fleeing his house, grabbed a bicycle helmet and sturdy shoes to protect himself from broken glass and debris.
“I had to protect my feet from getting cut, a lot of glass was broken,” he said.
“I took my safety helmet, changed my shoes, and I wanted to see if there was anyone outside who needed help.”
Hualien Mayor Wei Jia-Yan told CNN the damage in the city is mainly confined to buildings that have partially collapsed and that structural engineers are assessing how hazardous they are. Some, he said, “can only be demolished and rebuilt.”
He said children there are taught from a young age that “Hualien is a place with frequent earthquakes.”
“We must hold our heads, hide well, and run out quickly when it’s not shaking. So as long as you take care of yourself, it should be very safe,” he said.