Disaster Preparedness / Apartment Management Associations: Instructions on What to Do in the Event of Power Outage

By Ryo Kato / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

12:42 JST, January 3, 2026

Compared to those in houses, apartment and condominium residents face greater inconvenience when disasters such as earthquakes trigger power outages. It is important for condominium management associations to be ready for disasters, for example, by preparing “Action Sheets” that contain simple and concise instructions on what actions to take in the event of a disaster.

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In many condominiums, a management association has established a disaster prevention committee and compiled a disaster response manual. However, some have no members in charge. “Condominium residents tend to feel as if someone else will take charge. So, it is necessary to be prepared so that any residents are equipped to respond to the early stage of a disaster,” said Motohisa Tobe, a licensed condominium manager familiar with condominium disaster prevention.

Action Sheets

One example is an Action Sheet. This is a card that includes instructions such as, “Seek helpers from among residents,” and “Visit each unit to check on the safety of residents and compile information.” With Action Sheets, even residents unfamiliar with what to do can get involved.

Action Sheet templates can be found online and should be prepared by the management association of each condominium. “The number of members should increase as time passes after a disaster occurs, so the content can be limited to initial safety confirmation and relief efforts, which require special attention,” Tobe added.

Once created, Action Sheets are displayed in the superintendent’s office as well as on each floor, with their locations made known to residents.

“Action Sheets are not the end of the process. It is also important to learn how to respond through disaster drills and to reduce or revise the content of Action Sheets,” he said.

Stationary LED lights

Tomoko Ito, president of Kanagawa 311 Network, a nonprofit organization that promotes disaster prevention in condominiums, said, “The convenience of condominium living is based on the assumption of having electricity readily available, so preparation is crucial.”

When the power goes out, residents are left to use the stairs to move between floors while hallways and stairways may be completely dark. Upper floors could be more affected by tremors than lower floors.

Condominium management associations should prepare ropes, cone signs and other tools to alert residences of restricted areas. Walkie-talkies are also needed to communicate with residents on upper floors without relying on smartphones.

Each household should stockpile emergency food and water. However, management associations are recommended to stockpile emergency food and water for their disaster response teams due to the difficulty of returning to units once elevators are not functioning. Portable toilet facilities should also be prepared.

Several stationary LED lights should be installed on each floor in anticipation of power outages at multiple locations, such as hallways and stairway landings.

Other items to prepare include those for safety confirmation, such as magnet sheets and contact slips to be attached to unit doors in the event that residents cannot be confirmed as safe.

“In principle, condominium residents should shelter in their own homes and, if prepared, can feel safer there than in evacuation centers. Condominium management associations are responsible for disaster prevention and need to be well prepared,” Ito stressed.