At 7:02 pm, 31 October 2013, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake occurred 45 km (28 miles) south-southwest of the coastal city of Hualian. The shallow depth of 12 km (7.5 mi) exacerbated the ground shaking. Buildings over a wide area, including Taipei, the capital city, were shaken. A note from the past: A magnitude 7.6 earthquake in central Taiwan in 1999 killed 2,416 people. Each earthquake is an opportunity to add to the “global book of knowledge” on occurrences, consequences, and disaster risk reduction measures