CHIBA, (Japan): Over 1,000 vehicles that became submerged in flood waters and are unable to move are causing issues, following torrential rain that hit Japan’s Chiba prefecture late on Thursday (Aug 13).
Efforts to move these abandoned vehicles continued in various parts of the prefecture on Aug 15, but the progress has been sluggish as businesses accepting these vehicles were closed for the Bon holiday season.
“We have never received so many requests before. We are working around the clock to handle them,” said a 50-year-old man who works for the Japan Automobile Federation’s (JAF) Chiba branch.
He has worked for the JAF for more than 30 years, and he looked exhausted as he made the remarks on Aug 15.
According to the JAF, it received about 2,000 tow requests from the evening of Aug 13 to midday on Aug 15.
The JAF continues to respond with about 70 tow trucks, including special support teams dispatched from other JAF branches across the country.
On Aug 15, submerged vehicles that were still wet were brought to the parking area at the Chiba Port Park in Chiba City.
The prefectural government had designated the area as a temporary storage site for such vehicles.
The prefectural and Chiba municipal governments have been moving abandoned vehicles since Aug 14 under the Basic Law on Disaster Management, citing that they are obstructing emergency vehicles. However, numerous vehicles still remain along the roadsides.
According to the JAF, since repair shops that would normally accept these vehicles were closed for the Bon holidays, they sometimes had to tow the vehicles to the person who made the request, resulting in a longer than usual response time.
Early on the morning of Aug 15, a man in his 60s rear-ended a vehicle abandoned on National Highway Route 16 in Chiba City.
This led to a multi-car pileup that included two other abandoned vehicles. The man sustained minor chest injuries.
The lanes were narrowed because numerous vehicles that had yet to be towed lined the roadsides, causing traffic congestion in various areas.
A 50-year-old man from the city said he had requested the JAF to have his car towed on Aug 14. “I was told there are many vehicles waiting,” he said.
“I’m nervous as my car is obstructing pedestrians and cyclists. I want it removed as soon as possible.”
Takayuki Kobayashi, chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party’s Policy Research Council, visited flood-damaged areas in Sakura in the prefecture on Aug 15.
“Tow trucks are clearly in short supply,” he said. “I will urge the central government to send as many tow trucks from across the country to the prefecture as possible.”
Japan Automobile Federation roadside assistance members use a tow truck to move an abandoned vehicle in Chiba City on Aug 15. - The Japan News/ANN
