Car-floating sheets selling well to cope with increasing flood risk in Japan

If you can’t beat them, float on them.

As in many corners of the globe, Japan has been putting up with an increasing number of previously rare weather-related natural disasters. One of the more surprising was the widespread flooding around Chiba after torrential rains fell from a line of squall clouds that inexplicably stopped moving for a while.

▼ Many people were caught while out driving and had to abandon their cars on the street after the water caused them to stall.

In addition to 13 deaths, the amount of damage it caused was massive. Some estimates say over 10,000 vehicles were damaged, many beyond repair, from being completely submerged in filthy water.

With such valuable property at risk of becoming useless at any moment from increasingly unpredictable weather, many people are searching for ways to protect their cars from flooding. One such way appeared in the form of SAM-CS (“Sam Car Sheet”).

SAM-CS works by covering your car in plastic sheets that allow the car to float when flooding occurs. It takes about 10 minutes to set up and involves parking your car on the bottom sheet, which fastens to the sides with suction cups. Then, another sheet goes over top to block rain from entering.

There’s also an optional, but highly recommended, set of straps that prevent the car from floating away or into something else that would cause damage. The product costs 88,000 yen ($560) for a mid-sized car, which seems like a lot for some plastic sheets but is a sound investment compared to the cost of repairing or losing a car.

SAM-CS was originally developed back in 2024, at which time its maker, Onoda Sangyo, was only getting about two inquiries a month. But after the Chiba flooding, they’ve gotten 30 calls in the past two weeks.

When news of the product’s recent demand hit the Internet, there was a surprising number of negative comments. That being said, many critics didn’t seem to have read the explanation fully, while others tended to lack sufficient understanding of how cars, flammable gases, or the law work.

“Won’t it just float away?”
“Looks like a pain to set up.”
“By the time you realize you need it, it’d probably be too late.”
“What happens if it drifts away and damages someone’s house?”
“They should make machines that you drive through to wrap your car like this, like they have with car wash machines.”
“I would just pump air into the car until there’s so much pressure the water can’t get in.”
“We should just fill the tires with hydrogen and make cars float that way.”
“Once the car stops touching the ground, ownership rights transfer to whoever takes it. You could just go around collecting cars.”
“I’d rather spend the money on a Switch 2.”

Most people probably would rather spend the money on a Switch 2 than a car condom, but there often come times in our lives where we have to decide between what we want and what we need. And since GTAVI is still unconfirmed for the Switch 2, it’d probably be more prudent to opt for the protection against debilitating vehicle damage.

Source: TBS News Dig, My Game News Flash
Featured image: Onoda Shogyo
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