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Living in a tower condominium

Emergency Supplies for Tower Condominiums: Planning to Spend 7 Days at Home

Published/updated: · TOWERS.SELECT

Illustration of a tower-condominium home stocked with water, food, emergency toilets, lighting, and other supplies for 7 days
This is a generated image and does not depict an actual product or residence.

Disaster preparedness in a tower condominium is not finished when you buy one evacuation bag. Even if the building has no major damage and residents can shelter at home, interruption of elevators, water supply or drainage, electricity, or communications makes everyday life and the movement of supplies more difficult on higher floors.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government advises that residents may shelter at home in a condominium when damage is minor, but both each household and the condominium as a whole need preparations. This guide starts by calculating quantities rather than choosing brand names, then narrows purchase candidates only after checking building rules and systems.Tokyo Metropolitan Government: Condominium Disaster Preparedness

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government leaflet also provides a checklist for both households and the condominium as a whole.Tokyo Metropolitan Government Condominium Disaster Preparedness leaflet

First, confirm whether it is safe to remain in the home

Sheltering at home is an option only when the building and home face no danger such as collapse or fire and neither authorities nor the condominium association has ordered residents to leave. Having supplies does not itself make staying safe. After a disaster, check building notices, announcements, and information from local authorities.

Before an emergency, use the building rules and disaster manual to check which systems have emergency generation, how water will be supplied, what is in shared stockpiles, how residents' safety will be confirmed, and what happens when elevators stop. Shared supplies may not replace household supplies, so do not count them toward your own stock unless you know who receives them and in what quantities.

Calculate water and food from the number of people times 7 days

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency recommends storing at least 3 days and preferably 1 week of water and food. At a drinking-water allowance of 3 L per person per day, that is 21 L for 1 person over 7 days, 42 L for 2 people, and 84 L for 4 people. Water for washing and other daily needs is separate.Fire and Disaster Management Agency: Protecting Lives in a Major Earthquake

Drinking water for 7 days (calculated at 3 L per 1 person per 1 day)
People Required amount Equivalent 2 L bottles
1 person 21L About 11 bottles
2 people 42L 21 bottles
4 people 84L 42 bottles

Distribute water and food around the home because supplies stacked in one place may become inaccessible. Keep a little extra of the canned food, shelf-stable meals, and drinks you normally consume, and use older items first in a rotating stock to reduce expiration and replacement. Count supplies for infants, medical conditions, allergies, and pets separately from general items.

In a condominium, check toilet arrangements before water supplies

Even when water is still running, residents may be told not to flush toilets until drainage pipes and sewer systems have been checked. Wastewater from an upper floor could overflow below. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government likewise warns condominium residents sheltering at home not to flush toilets until conditions are confirmed.Tokyo Metropolitan Government: Condominium Disaster Preparedness

Count an emergency toilet as a set comprising a liner for the bowl, a solidifying agent, and an odor-control storage bag. Measure how often the household uses the toilet in one day, multiply by people and days, and add a reserve. Assemble one set after purchase to check bag size and the disposal and storage procedure.

Separate lighting, communication, and information in outage planning

A room lantern, a hands-free light for moving around, backup power for a smartphone, and a battery radio serve different purposes. Do not combine every role in one multifunction device. Splitting power sources between dry cells and rechargeable batteries helps prevent one failure or depleted battery from disabling everything.

For a power bank, check the PSE mark where applicable, capacity, and ports, and record charging dates. Do not leave it unattended for long periods, and stop using it if it swells, deforms, or overheats. Appliances with open flames, such as cassette stoves, cannot be recommended without first checking building rules, ventilation, and the manufacturer's conditions of use.

After buying, continue with inspections 2 times a year

Supplies are complete not when they are purchased, but when they are ready to use. Check 2 times a year, such as in spring and fall, the food and water expiration dates, battery levels, household composition, medication, pet supplies, contacts, and the condominium association's emergency procedures. Replace what was used and make sure everyone knows where supplies are stored.

In a high-rise condominium example presented by the Cabinet Office, residents plan for elevator outages and the time required to restore utilities by keeping supplies for 5 to 7 days and distributing shared stockpiles by floor. Understand household and common-area supplies separately and do not depend on only one of them.Cabinet Office: Stockpiles for Disasters in High-Rise Condominiums