Chiba Governor Toshihito Kumagai described the severe flooding and transport gridlock as an "extremely unusual situation" unlike any disaster he had previously managed.

Flooding disrupts infrastructure

The severe weather paralyzed local infrastructure, submerging roads, shutting down major highways, and suspending several rail links while troops were deployed to assist with rescue operations. Among the eight fatalities was a person trapped in a submerged vehicle. Additionally, a flooded substation left more than 20,000 households without electricity and temporarily cut gas supplies to nearly 13,000 homes. Hundreds of displaced residents sought shelter at makeshift evacuation centers in government buildings, sleeping under foil blankets.

Thousands stranded at Narita Airport

At Narita airport, where transport disruptions had stranded roughly 7,000 people and created chaotic scenes, staff distributed sleeping bags, water, and snacks to passengers forced to bed down overnight. While some stranded travelers faced agonizing multi-hour delays trying to secure taxis and unbooked hotels, airport officials reported that most flights were expected to resume normal operations as Friday progressed and select rail links back to Tokyo began to reopen.