Usually not. Many of Taiwan’s 98,028 air-raid 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 防災助手 gives you the location, floor, and capacity, but can’t guarantee access. This page explains why, and what you can do on a normal day.
Why can’t I get in on a normal day?
Because many of the listed facilities are private buildings, like the basements of apartment and office buildings, that are run by the building’s own management on a normal day. Being on the list means the place can serve as a shelter when the sirens sound, not that it’s open to the public the rest of the time.
Each city and county updates its data on its own schedule, and some datasets haven’t been updated in years, so a facility may have been demolished, rebuilt, closed, or moved. Check conditions on site before you set out. The data is for reference only.
What if the sirens go off and I can’t get in?
Head for the basement or an interior room of the nearest sturdy building. Follow the police, civil defense volunteers, neighborhood chiefs (里長), and building staff on site. They know better than any app which doors are open right now.
Kuku’s list is sorted by distance, so if the closest one is locked, move on to the next. Government Public Warning System messages and instructions on site always come before anything in the app.
How do I pick shelters I’m more likely to get into?
Use Kuku’s “Public places” filter. It picks out schools, train stations, parking garages, and government offices. These places have someone in charge, so on a normal day you can simply ask which entrance to use when the sirens sound.
The “Capacity” filter narrows the list to large facilities that hold at least 500 or at least 1,000 people. Pick one near your home, one near work, and one near your kids’ school, save them, and set one as your family’s meeting point.
Can I go take a look ahead of time?
You can look from the outside. Don’t enter a private building without permission. Walk to the entrance, note where the signs are and which stairs lead down, and remember how many minutes the walk takes.
Share it with your family from Kuku: the name, address, coordinates, and a map link go out in one go. Walk the route at least once a year, because facilities change.
Does Kuku’s data guarantee I can get in?
No. Kuku 防災助手 is an independently developed offline lookup tool. Its data is compiled from datasets that city and county governments and police departments publish on Taiwan’s open data platform (September 2026 edition), and it is for reference only. A shelter may have changed or may not be open, so check conditions on site before you set out.
If you spot an error in the data, email support@kuku.best and we’ll review it with the next data update. To cross-check, use the National Police Agency’s air-raid shelter portal.