Across the Tokyo area, the trains had stopped. The JR Keiyo Line, the main rail link to the resort, would not run again until the next day.
About 20,000 guests had no way to leave. They would spend the night in the parks.
It was around 45°F (7°C), with rain and wind. While staff checked which buildings were safe to bring people into, cast members handed out what they had: blankets, rain jackets, plastic bags, hand warmers.
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Where the blankets ran out, they handed out cardboard.
At the resort, that broke a rule. Cardboard is never supposed to be seen by guests, because it does not belong in the world the parks are built to show. That night, the rule was set aside.