Taiwan's government has mailed a new apartment-building disaster guide, nicknamed the "Big Orange Book," to every community management committee in the country, a positive step for residents but also a sign Taipei is preparing the public for crises ranging from earthquakes to war.

• Premier Cho Jung-tai wants "people who know disaster prevention and communities that can save themselves" as part of Taiwan's whole-of-society defense resilience push.
• The guide is built around self-help, mutual help, and outside help, so residents can act before professional rescuers arrive and limit damage in the first minutes.
• It covers earthquakes, heavy rain, strong winds, and fires, and went out in batches to management committees, property managers, and security firms.
• Taiwan has now trained 160,000 certified "disaster prevention officers," including 1,200 apartment building managers, and the Interior Ministry will keep expanding the program.

Outlook: Expect Taipei to keep folding civil defense and disaster training into everyday community life as it builds resilience against both natural disasters and the threat from China.