No.95 Response to Typhoon Disasters

In recent years, typhoons have been getting larger and slower, tending to bring prolonged rainfall to the same area. This year, significant damage has also occurred.
Typhoon No. 15, which made landfall near Chiba City before 5 AM on September 9, 2019, is said to be the strongest on record to have made landfall in the Kanto region. The city opened voluntary evacuation shelters the night before, established a disaster response headquarters at 9 PM, and continued to respond until 7 AM the following morning.
This typhoon had strong winds, causing numerous fallen trees in the city and significant damage to agricultural products. The drop in pears during the harvest season was reported to be 15,160 kilograms based on inquiries conducted by the City Hall and the agricultural cooperative, with an estimated damage amount of about 12 million yen. Although the amount is unclear, 16 vegetable farms also suffered damage, along with other agricultural facilities being damaged.
Chiba Prefecture suffered particularly severe damage, with approximately 640,000 households experiencing large-scale power outages at the peak, marking the largest blackout since the Great East Japan Earthquake. Recovery took more than two weeks, and there were also significant water supply disruptions due to the stoppage of pumps at water purification facilities.
The city loaded two dump trucks with blue sheets, sandbags, and bottled drinking water, and sent them as support supplies to Kisarazu City. Additionally, we dispatched staff to Kimitsu City for nine days to assist with damage assessment of houses and the issuance of disaster certificates.
It was found that prolonged power outages during Typhoon No. 15 could lead to water shortages. The city has been strengthening the securing of drinking water and water for daily use in line with the expansion of damage estimates each time a large-scale disaster occurs, and we would like to take this situation as a lesson as well.

Typhoon No. 19, which made landfall on the Izu Peninsula just before 7 PM on October 12, 2019, caused record heavy rainfall and significant damage in the Kanto, Koshin, and Tohoku regions. The city established a disaster response headquarters at 10:30 AM, completed the opening of all 21 evacuation shelters for wind and flood damage by 11 AM, and issued an evacuation advisory by 2 PM. Around 4 PM, the Tama River exceeded the flood danger level, and I received a report from staff on site that there was a possibility of overflow from the Omaru Kasayato River. If this tributary of the Tama River caused internal flooding, there was a risk of widespread flooding damage, particularly in the Oshitate area. Therefore, I requested the dispatch of a large drainage pump truck from the Keihin River Office of the Kanto Regional Development Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. This was the heavy machinery that participated in the regional disaster prevention drill held on October 6, 2019, and many of you may have seen it. It departed from Chiba Prefecture and arrived in Inagi just after 10 PM, and thanks to the drainage work carried out until around 3 AM on the 13th, we were able to prevent flooding.
In this typhoon, landslides occurred in several locations within the city, but there were no human casualties. However, in Tokyo, six rivers including the Tama River and Asakawa River flooded, causing water damage in Hachioji City, Ome City, Akiruno City, Chofu City, Kodaira City, and Setagaya Ward. As of the 16th, it was reported that levees broke at 90 locations across 59 rivers in seven prefectures, including the Chikuma River in Nagano Prefecture and the Abukuma River in Fukushima Prefecture, with flooding occurring in 24 rivers managed by the national government and 229 rivers managed by 16 prefectures.
In Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture, water supply facilities were damaged, resulting in a large-scale water outage. After receiving a request for the dispatch of water supply vehicles from the mayor of Soma City in the afternoon of the 13th, we departed from the fire station at 8:30 PM that day and delivered them to City Hall in Soma City shortly after 2 AM on the 14th.
Typhoon No. 19 resulted in the first large-scale evacuation in the city, with a peak of 1,375 households and 3,481 evacuees, and unprecedented flooding occurred across a wide area of eastern Japan. We will continue to provide support and aim to apply this lesson to Inagi City's flood and wind disaster measures.
We pray for the souls of those who lost their lives in the repeated typhoon disasters, and we extend our condolences to all those affected, wishing for a swift recovery.