# Where can I find a bomb shelter near me in Taiwan?

Taiwan has 98,028 air-raid shelters in 22 cities and counties. How to find yours early, check it offline, act when sirens sound, and where the data is from.

Published: 2026-09-16 · Last updated: 2026-09-29 · Shelter data: September 2026 edition, 98,028 shelters

Taiwan has 98,028 air-raid shelters, often called bomb shelters, across its 22 cities and counties (September 2026 government open data). The fastest way to find the one nearest you is Kuku 防災助手, a free app with an English interface that sorts nearby shelters by distance and works without a connection. Shelter names and addresses stay in Chinese, so they match the signs on the street. If you can’t speak Chinese, a large-text help card says so for you, and your medical card has a “Show to responders” mode in Traditional Chinese. This guide shows you how to find your shelters ahead of time, what to do when the sirens sound, and where the data comes from.

## What is an air-raid shelter in Taiwan?

An air-raid shelter is a place that a city or county government or police department has listed as an “air-raid evacuation shelter facility” (防空疏散避難設施), usually the basement of a building. Each one has an address, a floor, and a capacity, like “B1, holds 66 people”.

Many on the list are the basements of private buildings, which are normally locked and closed to the public. Shelters in public places are in schools, train stations, parking garages, and government offices, and Kuku’s “Public places” filter picks them out for you.

There are 98,028 in all, and Taipei City has the most. For the count in each city and county, see [How many air-raid shelters does each of Taiwan’s 22 cities and counties have?](https://kuku.best/en/shelters-by-county/).

## Where is the nearest air-raid shelter to me?

Open Kuku 防災助手 and allow location, and the nearest shelters jump to the top of the list, sorted by distance. Rather not turn on location? Drag the map to your home or workplace and look around.

Narrow it down with the three filters: “Public places”, “Capacity”, and “Within 500 m”. Tap a shelter to see its address, floor, and capacity, then save it or set it as your family’s meeting point.

Tap a shelter, then tap “Walking route”. The app works out the route offline, in all 22 cities and counties. To navigate with your phone’s map app instead, use the navigation button at the bottom of the place card. That needs a connection.

To cross-check, the National Police Agency’s [air-raid shelter portal](https://adr.npa.gov.tw/) has a nationwide list and map. It needs a connection.

## Can I look up a shelter without internet?

Yes. The data for all 98,028 shelters and a Taiwan overview map are built into the app, so it works in airplane mode too. Your location is calculated on your phone and never uploaded.

Offline road data for all 22 cities and counties is built in as well, so you can plan walking routes offline anywhere in Taiwan.

Networks often jam or go down during a disaster, so open the app once on a normal day and make sure the map and location both work.

## Can I go inside on a normal day?

Usually not. Many shelters are the basements of private buildings, which are normally locked or closed to the public, and the building’s management decides who gets in. Kuku gives you the location, floor, and capacity, but can’t guarantee access.

On a normal day, walk to one or two shelters near your home and workplace and see where the entrance and the signs are. For details, see [Can you go into an air-raid shelter on a normal day?](https://kuku.best/en/shelter-access/).

## What should I do first when the sirens go off?

First, check the Public Warning System message on your phone and follow the police, civil defense volunteers, and building staff on site. Government alerts and instructions come before any app.

Then open Kuku, find the nearest shelter, and walk there. If the closest one is locked, head for the basement or an interior room of the nearest sturdy building.

Kuku can’t receive alerts and won’t call for help on your behalf. For a fire, an injury, or a crime, call 119 or 110 directly. For a fuller set of steps, see the Ministry of National Defense’s [National Public Safety Guide](https://prepare.mnd.gov.tw/), which also comes in English.

## Can I use it if I don’t know Chinese?

Yes. Kuku’s interface comes in Traditional Chinese, English, Japanese, and Korean, and it can follow your device language, or you can switch it yourself. Shelter names and addresses stay in the original Chinese from the government data, so you can match them to the signs and house numbers on the street.

There are seven large-text help cards, including “I don’t speak Chinese”, “Please take me to a shelter”, and “Please call 119 for me”. One tap fills the screen with a single message you can show the people around you. The medical card’s “Show to responders” mode always uses Traditional Chinese alongside your chosen language, so responders can read it.

Kuku has no accounts, so you can use it without entering any personal information.

## Where does the data come from, and how current is it?

The shelter data is compiled from datasets that the 22 city and county governments and police departments publish on Taiwan’s open data platform (data.gov.tw), used under the Open Government Data License v1.0. The current edition is September 2026, with 98,028 shelters.

Each dataset is updated on its own schedule. The oldest dates from August 2022 and the newest from September 2026, and every city and county is listed in [Data sources and licenses](https://kuku.best/legal/en/data-sources.html). AEDs and the 210 hospitals come from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, police stations from the National Police Agency, and fire stations and disaster evacuation shelters from the National Fire Agency. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

New data ships with app updates, and you can see the version under “About” in Settings.

## Please note

Kuku 防災助手 is not a government service. In an emergency, follow government alerts and instructions on site.

Kuku 防災助手 is an independently developed offline lookup tool. It can’t receive or push alerts. The data is for reference only. A shelter may have changed or may not be open, so check conditions on site before you set out. For a fire, an injury, or a crime, call 119 or 110.

## Related reading

- [What is Taiwan’s Urban Resilience Exercise? What should I do when the siren sounds?](https://kuku.best/en/air-raid-drill/)
- [Which emergency apps should you install in Taiwan?](https://kuku.best/en/disaster-apps/)
- [What should go in an emergency go-bag in Taiwan?](https://kuku.best/en/go-bag/)
- [Can you go into an air-raid shelter on a normal day?](https://kuku.best/en/shelter-access/)
- [How many air-raid shelters does each Taiwan city and county have? (September 2026 edition)](https://kuku.best/en/shelters-by-county/)
- [FAQ on the home page](https://kuku.best/en/#faq)

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