Earthquakes are an inevitable natural phenomenon. In order to strengthen earthquake research and to promote the education of disaster prevention, the Directorate General of Posts has chosen "earthquake prevention," "earthquake relief" and "earthquake education" as the topics for a set of three stamps. Eighty percent of the world's earthquakes occur along the zone of seismic activity known as the "Pacific Rim of Fire." Taiwan, situated on the western edge of this rim, is the site of frequent deadly earthquakes. The big quake of September 21, 1999 was responsible for great loss of life and property. Since current technology is unable to predict earthquakes, fatalities can only be lowered by increasing the speed of rescue response. Brief descriptions of the stamps follow:(1) The network of seismographs that covers the whole island of Taiwan: To reduce the damage caused by earthquakes, seismographic stations have been set up across Taiwan. These gather seismic information and release it to the various rescue units in the shortest time possible. The rupture in the surface of the earth shown in the background conveys the idea that the earthquake damage in Taiwan must not be overlooked. Transposed over this is a topographic map of Taiwan with red dots representing the island's seismic stations. Taiwan's major fault lines are also noted on the map. On the upper left is an analog accelerograph, which provides a clear record of the big quake's magnitude. (2) National mobilization for emergency rescue: After the September 21 quake, many people lay buried under the rubble waiting for rescue. The stamp shows the highly efficient performance of those working to save lives under difficult circumstances. Private and government rescue squads made use of every resource possible, and foreign rescue specialists used life detectors as well as search dogs that had undergone special training. The Red Cross in upper left side of the stamp conveys the international spirit of the rescue efforts. (3) Earthquake preparedness and injury prevention: One can not avoid natural disasters such as earthquakes. By taking precautions and acting appropriately in an earthquake, however, damages can be reduced to a minimum. Earthquake preparedness should be taught beginning in elementary school, so that eventually everyone in society will have an understanding about how to prepare for and behave during earthquakes. The stamp shows outdoor and indoor earthquake drills, with people observing basic injury prevention principles.