Potty Talk
You can laugh. But Japan’s study of the potential for a toilet crisis in a major urban earthquake zone is serious business. AFP:
A dreaded major earthquake in Tokyo would set off a crisis of “toilet refugees,” with a restroom shortage for nearly 820,000 people, a government study said.
An expert panel of the government’s Central Disaster Prevention Council came to the conclusion this week while studying the potential impact of a 7.3-magnitude earthquake in the tremor-prone metropolis.
According to the study, some 817,000 people would find themselves without toilets two hours after such a big tremor, which would cut off 46 percent of Tokyo’s water supply.
The wait to use a toilet would be four and a half hours in central Chiyoda ward, home to the headquarters of major companies, government buildings and the imperial palace.
“Besides food and water, shortage of toilets is one of the major issues in post-disaster situations,” said Itsuki Nakabayashi, head of the study panel.
The group is advising Tokyo residents always to carry pocket-sized tissue papers or plastic bags for emergency toilet use and urged companies to have portable toilets on standby.
I don’t care to get into too much detail, but a life of grand adventure has brought me to relief in all kinds of unlikely places. Being in a major metropolitan area with the water shut down was a unique challenge. The Japanese authorities are right to be concerned.
Topics: Japan
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 8:50 am on Wednesday, October 29, 2008
2 Responses to “Potty Talk”
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October 29th, 2008 at 9:38 am
Perhaps there will be an immediate black market in toilet paper and pay toilets.
October 29th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Hey, toilet issues are important. Especially to old fogies like me.