道路冠水で交通混乱･･･追われる復旧作業、週末は各地で大雨「避難指示」も【新潟】スーパーJにいがた7月27日OA

A short burst of torrential rain flooded the city. This weekend, unstable atmospheric conditions caused heavy rain throughout the prefecture, resulting in Level 4 danger warnings being issued in various locations. The central business district of Niigata City's Chuo Ward was also severely affected, with roads flooded and traffic disrupted. Restoration efforts continued into the 27th, the day after the flooding. Niigata City's Chuo Ward, afternoon of the 26th. ■Reporter Tetsuya Narase "This is the Ryuto Bridge. The road ahead is closed, and police are directing traffic." Cars are stuck on the bridge, unable to move... ■Driver "(Q. How long have you been waiting?) I've been waiting for about 30 minutes. The water at the (bridge) exit is knee-deep, and one car is stuck in the floodwaters." Beyond the traffic jam— ■Reporter Yosuke Kimura "At the foot of the Ryuto Ohashi Bridge in Chuo Ward, Niigata City, the water is quite deep, and it's questionable whether cars can even get through." The roads were flooded by the sudden downpour. Cars were moving through the surging water, but some vehicles were stuck. In Chuo Ward, Niigata City, more than 70mm of rain was observed in the three hours from 2 PM on the 26th. The central business district around JR Niigata Station was also temporarily flooded in many places. In Bandai, a bustling shopping district on weekends, shops in commercial facilities hastily piled up sandbags to cope, but they couldn't cope with the sudden increase in water... People were seen busy shoveling water out. ■Resident "It was raining quite heavily. It was terrible. I had somewhere I needed to go, so it was a problem." On the 26th, a Level 4 Heavy Rain Warning was issued for Niigata City, Nagaoka City, and Agano City. In addition, a Level 4 Landslide Warning was issued for nine other municipalities: Niigata City, Nagaoka City, Agano City, Kashiwazaki City, Shibata City, Murakami City, Aga Town, Sekikawa Village, and Kariwa Village. Consequently, evacuation orders were issued for parts of Kita Ward and Konan Ward in Niigata City, Shibata City, Sekikawa Village, and the entirety of Agano City. However, so far, no casualties have been confirmed in the prefecture. This is Itoigawa City on the morning of the 27th. Approximately 100mm of torrential rain fell in one hour until midnight on the 27th, and a weather disaster warning for record-breaking short-term heavy rainfall was issued. A Level 4 heavy rain and landslide warning was issued, but because the area was uninhabited, only voluntary evacuation centers were opened, and no one evacuated. --- Rain since the 24th has caused damage to homes throughout the prefecture. According to the prefecture's summary, 5 homes in Niigata City and Shibata City experienced flooding above floor level, and 22 homes in three cities experienced flooding below floor level. Agano City is currently under investigation. ◆Housing Damage Situation (as of 2:30 PM on the 24th) 【Flooding above floor level】 Niigata City: 3 homes Shibata City: 2 homes 【Flooding below floor level】 Niigata City: 13 homes Shibata City: 7 homes Itoigawa City: 2 homes *Agano City is under investigation --- The next morning, the area in front of JR Niigata Station, lined with restaurants and other establishments, still bore the scars of the heavy rain. ■A restaurant owner with over 50 years of experience "The water reached up to around here. When I came (to the restaurant), I was in tears." At a coin-operated parking lot... ■A coin-operated parking lot management company "The machine broke down in yesterday's rain, and the ticket machine was also damaged, so water got inside, and quite a few things broke." The ticket machine malfunctioned, making it impossible to use the hourly parking lot. This company has experienced the same problem at another coin-operated parking lot in the city, and they have requested repairs from a contractor, but are waiting for a response. ■A coin-operated parking lot management company "We are having trouble because we are not getting customers, so we want to restore service as soon as possible." This is the restaurant "Oriental Spice," which was scheduled to open on August 1st (Saturday). The restaurant was flooded by the heavy rain on the 26th. ■ Shota Honma, Owner of Oriental Spice "When I arrived, the water level on the restaurant floor was already 32cm high. It's receded a bit, so it's now about 50cm deep, and all the kitchen equipment is broken." They've been trying to drain the water since Sunday evening, the 26th, but the power outage is hindering their progress. ■ Shota Honma, Owner of Oriental Spice "All the ingredients will spoil, so we'll have to throw everything away." They already had group reservations, but there's no prospect of reopening. ■ Shota Honma, Owner of Oriental Spice "My wife and children have been encouraging me, and I've received warm messages from friends. It's like turning a crisis into an opportunity." --- Why di...