Residents line up at a water station in the parking lot of the Shimizu Ward government building in Shizuoka on Sept. 25. Jun Nakamura SHIZUOKA - Authorities said 63,000 households in central Japan remained without running water on Sept. 25 after Typhoon No. 15 brought pounding rain to the region and driftwood blocked a water inlet from a river.
Residents formed a long line at the Miho Lifelong Learning Meeting Place in Shizuoka s Shimizu Ward to get water after three water tank trucks deployed earlier in the day ran dry by the afternoon.
A woman in her 70s who lives nearby waited patiently for a substitute vehicle in the line.
She said I had to wait for five and a half hours. The possibility of a Tokai earthquake has been discussed for a long time, but what is the city's stockpile in case of emergency? On September 25 at Shimizu Ward, 28 water stations were opened at community centers and schools from 7 a.m. to 7 a.m. The residents made sure to get to the venues early so that they wouldn't be disappointed.
The 63,000 affected homes are responsible for 60 percent of the households in Shimizu Ward.
On Sept. 25th, Shizuoka Mayor Nobuhiro Tanabe told reporters that they hope to restore water supply within a week.
The same day, Tanabe visited the facility where the water inlet from the Okitsugawa River was thrown out of action.
Work was under way to remove the sand, rocks and driftwood at the facility, but progress was slow because it was being done by hand. The facility said it was impossible to bring in heavy machinery there.
The city officials are considering expanding the number of water stations in the ward.
They plan to extend water supply hours from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The board of education of the city decided to temporarily close 42 elementary and junior high schools, which accounted for most of the schools in those categories starting Sept. 26.
Typhoon No caused heavy rains. 15 over the weekend caused considerable damage to the prefecture and left two people dead. According to prefectural authorities, 1,376 homes were flooded above floor level and 1,351 were flooded below floor level as of 2 p.m. on Sept. 25.
The Shizuoka prefectural government asked the Ground Self-Defense Force to send a disaster relief operation team.