Earthquake Causes Elevator Issues in Japan Condo Buildings

The earthquake that struck Japan’s Chiba Prefecture on May 11 caused a variety of elevator issues in condominiums, NHK World Japan reports. Residents told the source that the earthquake stopped elevators in at least five condominiums in the area. In four buildings, the elevators began working again between 5 min and 2 h later, but in a 52-story condominium, all four elevators for residents on the upper floors were still out of operation 5 h later, and only the reserve elevator was working. Some residents had to walk down more than 10 floors using the emergency stairway before getting on an elevator for the lower floors. The earthquake struck around 4 a.m. All the elevators in the condominium were working normally again by 10 a.m.