Despite the constant threat of an earthquake, there are still risks of getting stuck in an elevator in Japan

Firefighters and others try to rescue hotel guests who are trapped in an elevator that has stopped due to a power outage due to an earthquake, in Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture, in April 2011 (Mainichi/Yusuke Komatsu)

TOKYO – Japan has long experienced the anxiety and danger of earthquakes. Despite this, and more specific concerns about a major earthquake in the Nankai Basin or just below Tokyo, people are still at risk of falling into elevators when the earthquake strikes, because not much effort has been done to prevent it. So, what should you do if you are stuck in an elevator during an earthquake?

According to the Japan Elevator Association, there were 772,715 elevators nationwide as of March this year. People tend to get trapped when a strong earthquake hits an urban area with many apartments and other high-rise buildings. When a strong earthquake hit northern Osaka Prefecture in 2018, about 63,000 elevators were closed in 11 prefectures including Osaka. Of these, people were trapped in 346 elevators in five provinces.

An earthquake measuring 5 on the 7-point Japanese seismic intensity scale struck Tokyo in October, the first time the Japanese capital was hit by a strong earthquake in 10 and a half years since the Great East Japan Earthquake. It caused about 78,000 elevators to stop. People were trapped in only 25 of them, as the earthquake occurred at night.

However, the government’s Central Disaster Management Board announced in 2013 that it expected the number of people trapped in elevators to reach 17,400 in the event of a major earthquake under Tokyo.

A person can get stuck in an elevator if the earthquake causes the car to derail between floors, or if the emergency brake is applied. To avoid this, an “earthquake control actuator” that automatically stops the vehicle at the nearest floor to allow passengers to escape when vibration is detected was required under a 2009 Building Standards Act Enforcement Order. According to the Japan Elevator Association, this device has been installed in about 590,000 of the nation’s elevators.

Residents are seen learning how to open an elevator door during training to rescue people stuck in an apartment elevator, in Inagi City, Tokyo, on November 14, 2021 (Mainichi/Takuya Yoshida)

Recently, there are also elevators that start moving again when no abnormalities are detected, so that passengers can escape on the nearest floor.

However, being trapped is inevitable in some cases. In an earthquake, the primary wave (P wave), which consists of vibrations of small amplitude, is followed by the most vibrating wave and thus damages the secondary wave (S wave). The elevator detects the P wave and stops at the nearest floor so that anyone can get out.

However, if the elevator is near the epicenter, the car will stop if the S wave hits before the car reaches the nearest floor. Also, regardless of the nature of the earthquake, a power outage can cause people to become trapped if an elevator does not have a backup power source.

Anyone can get stuck in an elevator at any time in an earthquake-prone country, but no greater countermeasures have been taken, especially for apartment elevators.

Rescue of trapped people is mainly left to the employees of the elevator maintenance company and rescue services. However, depending on the condition of the damage, maintenance personnel and rescue workers may not be able to reach the scene quickly.

Participants are seen learning how to use a telephone receiver during training to rescue people stuck in an apartment elevator, in Inagi City, Tokyo, on November 14, 2021. (Mainichi / Takuya Yoshida)

Toru Kamaishi, Secretary General of the Special Disaster Prevention Measures Group “Saigai Taisaku Kinkyukai”, recommended that “population management unions discuss the risks and the need to conduct evacuation drills, and actually implement them.”

What should you do if you are stuck in an elevator due to a major earthquake?

Shuhei Yoshimura, managing director of Tokyo-based elevator maintenance company i-tec24, explained, “As soon as the vibration is felt, the buttons should be pressed for each floor.” There is a high probability that the car will open its doors on one of them. If the car stops in the right place, passengers can open the door by pressing the “Unlock” button inside the elevator. However, the buttons in the elevator lobby will not open the doors.

If a passenger is unable to exit, it is important for them to tell others outside about the situation as soon as possible. In the apartment, an individual can call the manager’s office, maintenance company, or other relevant party by pressing the elevator’s intercom button. If they can’t reach anyone using the intercom, they can call someone through the mobile phone.

“You might be worried about being indoors, but it’s rare for someone to get trapped (in an elevator), and you don’t have to worry about running out of oxygen,” Yoshimura said.

If a family member or acquaintance is trapped, and you can contact them by phone or intercom, tell them that “the place is safe from within” and have them describe the situation. Then call the maintenance company or the fire department’s rescue team for assistance. This can lead to a smoother salvage process.

(Japanese original by Takuya Yoshida, Science and Environment News Division)

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