Typhoon-hit Chiba asks for volunteers' help amid prolonged power cut

Man,Abe has let these folk down big time.He should have sent in the SDF and portable generators instead he was busy arranging his cabinet of friends and fellow Kaigi members with the exception of one who was just there as eye candy to divert everyone's attention from how old same his new parliament is.Just goes to show how he doesn't give two hoots about the plebs.There he was prancing around in his penguin suit while the typhoon victims were experiencing a living hell with sky high temperatures and no electricity to alleviate it.

After the Kumamoto quake, electricity was out for only a few hours. Our problems were water and gas - the underground lines were all severed and took weeks to restore. Fortunatly, we use propane tanks so were one of the few houses with access to gas. My wife was busy day in and out cooking meals for the local elderly.

Plan not just for yourself but on how you can help others.

When electricity goes, you realise how dependent on it you are. Many houses in Boso use well water with electric pumps, so no electricity means no water. Luckily I have city water and the water company installed a portable generator.

My landline stopped working completely, but I have a cellphone so that was not a great problem. However, the signal got very weak at my home. I suspect that was because the nearest tower had no backup power supply, but it could have been blow out of direction.

My water is heated by gas, but no hot water because the water heater uses electricity. Luckily it wasn't winter because modern oil heaters also seem to require electricity.

Luckily I was not far from an area with electricity, so I could drive to a friend's house for a shower. I could also by petrol nearby but where there is no electricity there is no petrol on sale because the pumps need electricity.

The biggest problem was the freezer. Fortunately, a friend had space in his and I have a car so I could move everything from mine.

In some areas supermarkets and convenience stores closed, probably because there tills didn't work. I suppose ATMs didn't work either. Anyway, let's stop talking about a cashless society as the system is to dependent on electricity.

One positive point in my area is the city sent people round to see if people had problems with water, charging batteries and so on.

As someone others said, the SDF could be useful in such situations.

Do all hospitals have their own generators?

How absolutely pathetic! As if it’s not bad enough it’s going to take two weeks to get powder back, now they have to ask local residents for their time a resources to survive. Abe should have sent the JSDF in there to help these people. There is no reason why people should have to live without power for an extend period of time in a so called ‘modern’ country.

Yes major hospitals have generators! Its a requirement, by law! Smaller clinics have no such requirememt.

I was a facilities manager for 3 large hospitals for nearly 10 years here. You have to have them because of the potential outages from typhoons and earthquakes, and while most equipment has battery backup power, it does not last forever.

100,000 households still without electricity. That hurts.

After the Sylmar earthquake of 1971, we were without electricity, gas, and water for several weeks. Fortunately, the damage was fairly localized, so we could travel a dozen miles and go someplace to take a shower. Tanker trucks brought in drinking water right away. For more than a year trash pickup limitations were suspended, so whatever trash was hauled to the street, it was picked up. It took a long time to clean up and rebuild. The damage to freeway overpasses took many years to rebuild.

It sounds like the damage from the typhoon is much more widespread than the earthquake damage that we went through, so it is more difficult to go someplace to shower. For the really old and those hospitalized, it might be better to relocate them.

Now they ask for volunteers? A week after the storm? You aren't doing your job unless you are prepared BEFORE the storm. Next question, are the volunteers going to be allowed to do anything without government permission? Can they be proactive, clear a road, fix a roof, dig a ditch, buy some food, fuel, supplies, without bureaucratic obstacles? Of course not. OK, so it's too late this time, lets start getting prepared for next time right now. Good luck everyone.

More than 100,000 households remain without electricity nearly a week after the storm hit!

TEPCO Power Grid President Yoshinori Kaneko met with Chiba Gov. Kensaku Morita on Saturday to apologize for the prolonged outage.

Is suggesting that his time might be better spent rolling up his sleeves and doing everything he could to restore electricity regarded as off topic?

Governor Morita really dropped the ball on this one. The army should have been deployed in day1, not day4.

I live in Russia. And we always admired the readiness of the Japanese in disaster. But now I read your news and do not understand what is happening ....

I love being in Japan. Love the culture and the people. I would gladly Be of help if I’m permitted to be a volunteer. I can book a flight any time if you would allow me.

If "volunteers" have to be recruited then they are not "volunteers"

Abe, on September 1st was in uniform for annual disaster drills. Living proof that it was nothing but a photo op!!! Abe san, stand up and be a true leader and put that uniform back on and help the people of Chiba.

I think the SDF can only be sent in if the governor agrees?

The SDF comes in when the prefectural governor calls them in, not when he agrees.

Under the principle of civilian control of the military, the SDF can only be deployed when the prefectural governor requests.