Typhoon No. 21 hits directly

Typhoon No. 21 hit Japan on September 4. The typhoon was so ferocious. The power went out at our house from 2:00 p.m. on September 4, and it is still going on. And there is still no way to restore the power.(This article was written at 10 AM on September 5, while on the bullet train -> then at 11 AM I was informed that my home power was restored)

This is the first time I have experienced a large-scale, long-term power outage, and I have a thought. It wasIf our car had been electric, it might have been more difficult."That's what I mean.

Preparation for the day before

On September 3, the day before the typhoon hit, JR WestEarly decision to cancel the next day's train serviceThe announcement was made repeatedly on the premises.My daughter's kindergarten was also closed for 4 days as of the morning of the previous dayThe company has decided to Also, Osaka Umeda(In the heart of Osaka)As of the 3rd, even the underground mall inThe museum will be closed on the 4th.He announced.

We have had typhoons come to the Keihanshin area before, and I thought this summer would be especially heavy this year, but there was never a time when the JR companies and large facilities all took precautionary measures in advance.This is going to be a pretty big typhoon, so we have to be prepared."I thought.

But on the other handEven so, typhoons usually veer away from the Kansai region and avoid damage, so I think we'll be okay this time, too."I was taking it easy.

It was the day of the 4th

On the 4th, my husband's company was also working from home and our daughter's kindergarten was closed, so our family of four decided to stay home in preparation for the typhoon in the afternoon. But after a while my eldest daughterI want to play - there's nothing to do."So I went to the supermarket in the morning and went to the store right after it opened, but...

There was already a line of cars in the parking lot and the cashier had the longest line I have ever seen.

I guess we all think the same thing at times like this.

Later, after lunch, the rain and wind gradually intensified. It was a great force, but my husbandNo, no, the last typhoon was worse. The house was shaking.so(I also got the sense that it wasn't as big a deal as I thought it would be.)The girls were watching their ipads, and I was watching a Cayenne special on the Discovery Channel.(I mean, who would bother to watch a Cayenne special at a time like this...)At that time, everyone was having their own way.

Close to homeBoom."With that sound, the lights in the room went out and all the electrical appliances stopped at once.

Whoa! Power outage and ((((ppp))))!

The time is past 14:00.Even so, well, it'll be back up in a minute or two."I was taking it easy, but after 15 minutes, 30 minutes, an hour... nothing happened. I tried to find out what was going on, but the TV was not working, so I gathered information on twitter and facebook, and found out that there were power outages everywhere in the Keihanshin area.

Not only was there a power outage, but there was extensive damage...

moreoverThe Kansai International Airport was flooded, a tanker crashed into the Kansai International Airport bridge, a huge fire burned 100 cars in Nishinomiya, scaffolding collapsed on a building in Osaka City, and the roof of Kyoto Station was torn off.This was the first time I realized the seriousness of the situation. For the first time, I realized the gravity of the situation.

The air conditioner had been off for about 3 hours and I was getting frustrated with the humidity and heat in the room, when my husband"I'd rather stay in the car if I have to do this."He said, "I'm going to go out and play golf," and the whole family got into the golf and decided to go around his house.

I set out with the carefree remark, "It's cool because the air conditioner is on," but I soon noticed something unusual about the city.The traffic lights were dark, the streets were unlit, and convenience stores and supermarkets were all dark.The traffic light in front of the Porsche dealership that serves our family was also heavily distorted, and a police officer was manually guiding the traffic.

We also passed many fire trucks as black smoke was rising from the sea side to the south. We turned around and went to a convenience store far away to buy food.(but there were no more rice balls or lunches)By the time I arrived home, it was dark. And there was still no hope of restoring power.

I pulled out a manual flashlight, opened the window, and was eating a sandwich in the dark, sweating.

If the power doesn't come back on until tomorrow morning, I'll be screwed. We won't be able to recharge our batteries, take showers, connect to the Internet, use the air conditioner, or get food at the convenience store because it will be pitch black. We might as well take shelter in a hotel while we can."

And.

Heavy traffic on the road to the hotel.

Ho, evacuate to a hotel!"

It was an unexpected turn of events. My husband immediately checked and found a hotel in Kobe that had a vacancy, so he quickly made a reservation. With minimal luggage for the next day's work, the children's clothes, and our oldest daughter's kindergarten bag, the whole family got into the Panamera.

On the road.Hanshin Expressway was closed, and JR and private railways were all cancelled.The roads were much busier than usual because of theThe nearby McDonald's was crowded with people seeking to recharge their batteries, there was a 40-minute wait at Sukiya, and cabs were not available.After 40 minutes, we managed to arrive at our hotel in Kobe.

When I arrived at the hotel, the lights were twinkling as if nothing had happened there, and I was greeted kindly by the hotel staff and was able to stay there safely for one night.

I thought again.

I was painfully aware of this time.I was amazed at how much the electricity stops all of our daily functions."And. Although I usually use electricity without thinking about it, I was once again thankful for it, and at the same timeIf our car had been electric, it would have been much worse in a situation like this."I was scared.

Even if you don't park the car with zero charge, you definitely can't move it poorly if the power goes out while the charge is low because all the charging facilities in the apartment are definitely out.

If it were an apartment building again, the mechanical parking system would not work and it would be impossible to even get the car in and out.(There was also a post about a Cayman that was flooded by this typhoon because the mechanical parking in the apartment building was out of control due to a power outage...)

All public transportation was stopped and cabs could not be caught, so the only means of transportation was by car.But if the car didn't have much charge and you couldn't even get in and out...you couldn't get food at a distant convenience store that was open or evacuate your family to a hotel, as you did this time.

Electric cars are environmentally friendly and I think they will increase in number in the future, but I am afraid that when the power goes out, I will be stuck in the middle of nowhere. Well, I think it is more likely that such a thing will not happen... but I would rather drive a gasoline-powered car than an electric car.(At least a hybrid)It's a relief in a situation like this............................

Anyway, I hope that all parts of Kansai will be restored as soon as possible.