On the day of the earthquake, my husband was on a business trip and there were just two of us, myself and my child. I was so terrified by the seemingly never-ending after-shocks that we went to take shelter in our next-door neighbor`s house.
Because I was under such stress, I had an upset stomach and went to use the toilet. There, something happened that I had never dreamed of. I could not flush the toilet. I did not know what to do. My neighbor`s wife brought me a bucketful of water from the bathtub.
In their household, they always used to leave their bath water in the tub undrained so that they could use it for washing or in case there was a fire. I was saved from great embarrassment because of this.
(Female,aged 24, NadaWard)

I always used bath water for doing my washing,so after the earthquake, it was useful for flushing the toilet. Also, the day before the earthquake, I had taken some spring water from a neighbor`s well, so this came in very handy. I now always have a kettle full of drinking water ready.
(Female,aged 74,Higashinada Ward)

Fire Deperment Advice
The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake taught us clearly that our lifeline services will be cut in the event of an earthquake. Above all, many people seemed to have experienced a lot of difficulty due to the lack of running water. Leaving the bath water without draining it after use is one form of home crisis management.
As one method of obtaining drinking water, the toilet cistern can become a source of supply. Because the water in the cistern is constantly changed, it may be possible to use it temporarily as drinking water. Bath water. Bath water, on the other hand, can be used for washing and toilets, or for firefighting, and is very useful indeed.