Post-typhoon blackout raises disaster readiness questions in Japan
Experts accuse the Japanese government and utility companies of being unprepared as tens of thousands of homes were still without power nearly two weeks after Typhoon Faxai hit.
Excerpts:
A lengthy post-typhoon blackout in Chiba Prefecture that has left tens of thousands of people without power for more than a week is raising questions about preparedness in disaster-prone Japan.
“It’s worse than we thought,” an official from Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) told AFP, as authorities confirmed 45,000 homes were still without electricity 12 days after the powerful Typhoon Faxai barreled through the Tokyo region.
Part of the problem lies in the fact that power lines in Japan are largely above ground.
But experts also accuse the government and utility companies of being unprepared.
“The state wasn’t aware of the gravity of the disaster, it was too optimistic, as the reassuring comments of the government spokesman showed,” he charged.
Local officials said Wednesday that the storm damaged at least 20,000 homes in Chiba, a sharp upward revision of an initial estimate of 4,000.
“Many homes are still without power, and their roofs have been washed away. People are living on the ground floors as best they can, but with the rain, and it gets dark early, it’s hard,” said Miyuki Ishii, a resident of the Kyonan-machi area, where many homes were damaged by the storm.
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