HOW TO SURVIVE A DISASTER - AVALANCHE

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Skier Caught in Avalanche in British Columbia TRT, Fusion TV, Inc. (CC BY 3.0).https://vimeo.com/65061960 

Getting caught in an avalanche is every backcountry skier’s nightmare. Technically, an avalanche is any amount of snow sliding down a mountainside. An avalanche can be composed of many different kinds of snow depending on the region, temperature and weather. These moving masses can reach speeds of 80 miles (130 kilometers) per hour within about five seconds. 

BEFORE AN AVALANCHE

• The most simplistic way of avoiding getting caught in an avalanche is to recognize where one is most likely to occur.

• Don't venture onto any slopes covered with snow without checking the weather forecast.

• Be extra careful if there has been a recent storm or snowfall.

• Any slope capable of producing an avalanche eventually will. Cracks and whooping sounds are good warnings of a pending avalanche. Look out for warning signs.

• Be aware of the tracks of any  avalanche that has occured recently. Most avalanche paths are obvious, appearing as an open slope, bowl or gully shape.  Other common give-aways are bent or damaged trees. 

• Always move in a group. Let others know of your whereabouts.

• Buy and wear an avalanche beacon, a small radio that will transmit your location to rescue crews.

• Carry avalanche survival gear like a shovel, a helmet, and Skier's air bags 

• Do a snow pack test. Depth of each footstep, cornice build up and wind patterns show how well the snow is packed together. If snow breaks up when you step on it avoid steep areas for an avalanche danger is very high. To do a snow pack test is very simple. Cut out a square slab of snow. Check the pack on the layers using a shovel, fist or pick depending on the hardness you are dealing with. By figuring out the pack of the snow you can assess the risk of avalanches.

WHEN THE AVALANCHE BEGINS

• JUMP UPSLOPE. Most avalanche victims trigger the avalanche themselves, and sometimes the avalanche will start right beneath their feet. If this happens, try to jump up slope, beyond the fracture line. 

• MOVE SIDEWAYS. The cen­ter of an avalanche is where the snow moves the fastest, mak­ing it the most dan­ger­ous place for you to be.The best strat­egy to avoid get­ting caught is to move side­ways. It’s impor­tant to begin mov­ing imme­di­ately after you notice the signs of an avalanche, because the quicker you get out of the way the higher your chances of sur­vival. 

• GRAB SOMETHING. While major avalanches have the strength to rip trees and rocks from the ground, grab­bing onto them dur­ing a smaller slide can keep you in a sta­tic loca­tion and not get dis­ori­ented as the snow com­pacts around you.

• DEPLOY AIRBAGS. If you have an avalanche air bag, deploy it if you can — it keeps you near the surface, decreasing your chances of being buried. 

• LET GO OF HEAVY EQUIPMENT.Abandon ski equipment. It can drag you down and provide more torque on your extremities, leading to broken bones. If your pack is light and has emergency equipment inside, keep it with you.

• GET AWAY FROM HEAVY MACHINES. If you are thrown from your snowmobile, try to get away from the machine.

Backcountry Avalanche Awareness from Backcountry Magazine (CC BY 3.0)  https://vimeo.com/35955211

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE AVALANCHE

• SWIM HARD. This is essential to helping you stay near the surface of the snow. The human body is much denser than snow, so you'll tend to sink as you get carried downhill. Try to stay afloat by kicking your feet and thrashing your arms in a swimming motion.

• PUT YOUR ARM UP. Thrust your arm or any part of your body through the snow as it comes to a stop so rescuers can see you.

• CRE­ATE AN AIR POCKET. Cup­ping your mouth when you are being thrown around by the snow will cre­ate a small pocket of air for you to sur­vive on for up to 30 min­utes. Once you’ve come to a stop, dig out a hole around your face. Another strat­egy is to expand your chest by fill­ing your lungs with air so that you have more room to breath once the snow has settled.

• SPIT. Spit in the space in front of your mouth. Note where gravity carries your spit, then dig in the opposite direction.

• SHOUT. If you hear people nearby, try to call them, but don't keep it up if they don't seem to hear you. Shouting just wastes your limited air supply.

• REMAIN CALM. If you can keep your head, you can stay alive. In most cases, victims have a 15-minute window in which they can carve out areas to breathe under the snow. Don't waste precious breath by struggling against the snow. Remain calm and wait to be rescued.

Always remember

It is easy to avoid a disaster but difficult to survive one. 

Never try to test the forces of nature. 

Stay safe.

HOW TO SURVIVE A DISASTER - FLOODS

Flooding in Brimstage lane, Wirral from merseypics, CC attribution 3.0, https://vimeo.com/50203644

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The change in climate pattern due to global warming is a leading cause for extreme weather all over the world. Such weather can turn into a major disaster in a very short time.

One of the most common hazards and disasters are floods. Not all floods are alike. Some floods develop slowly over time while some such as flash floods can develop in just a few minutes. Sometimes, there may not even be a single sign of rain and the flood me caused by rain in other areas or a breach in a canal.

Flooding and Flash Floods are a very real danger. Every year, people are injured. Some people lose their lives because they are taken off guard by storms or rushing floodwaters.

Here's What you need to know to survive in a flood!

PREPARE FOR SURVIVAL BEFORE A FLOOD

• Be aware of stream, drainage channels, canyons and other areas known to flood suddenly. Flash floods can occur in these areas with or without typical warnings such as rain clouds or heavy rain.
• Listen to the radio or television for information.
• If there is any possibility of a flash flood, move to higher ground right away. Do not wait for instructions to move.
• Keep insurance policies, documents, and other valuables in a safe-deposit box, that is located up high and out of harm's way.
• Assemble a Disaster Supplies Kit. The kit should contain:
• First aid kit and essential medications.
• Canned food and can opener
• At least three gallons of water per person
• Protective clothing, rainwear, and bedding or sleeping bags
• Battery-powered radio, flashlight, and extra batteries.
• Identification, such as a passport, driver's license, etc.
• Special items for infants, elderly, or disabled family members, such as diapers, toys, etc.
• Written instructions for how to turn off electricity, gas and water if authorities advise you to do so. (Remember, you'll need a professional to turn them back on.

EVACUATION

• Secure your home. If you have time, bring in outdoor furniture. Move essential items to an upper floor.
• Turn off utilities at the main switches or valves if instructed to do so. Disconnect electrical appliances. Do not touch electrical equipment if you are wet or standing in water.
• Do not walk through moving water. Six inches of moving water can make you fall. If you have to walk in water, walk where the water is not moving. Use a stick to check the firmness of the ground in front of you.

• Driving in Floods

• Do not drive into flooded areas. If floodwaters rise around your car, abandon the car and move to higher ground if you can do so safely. You and the vehicle can be quickly swept away.
• Six inches of water will reach the bottom of most passenger cars causing loss of control and possible stalling.
• A foot of water will float many vehicles.
• Two feet of rushing water can carry away most vehicles including sport utility vehicles (SUV’s) and pick-up trucks.

Irene Aftermath (Delaware)from Lou Angeli , CC attribution 3.0,  https://vimeo.com/28274907

AFTER A FLOOD

• Listen for news reports to learn whether the community’s water supply is safe to drink. Avoid floodwaters; water may be contaminated by oil, gasoline, or raw sewage. Water may also be electrically charged from underground or downed power lines.
• Avoid moving water. Be aware of areas where floodwaters have receded. Roads may have weakened and could collapse under the weight of a car.
• Stay away from downed power lines, and report them to the power company.
• Stay away from damaged areas unless your assistance has been specifically requested by police, fire, or relief organization.
• Emergency workers will be assisting people in flooded areas. You can help them by staying off the roads and out of the way.
• Return home only when authorities indicate it is safe. Stay out of any building if it is surrounded by floodwaters. There may be hidden damage, particularly in foundations.
• Clean and disinfect everything that got wet. Mud left from floodwater can contain sewage and chemicals.
• Look out for animals, especially snakes. Use a pole or stick to poke and turn things over and scare away small animals.

PROTECTION FOR THE FUTURE

There are some tips you can learn before the next storm. These tips will help to keep you and your family safe from flash floods:

• Do not build in a floodplain unless you elevate and reinforce your home.
• Elevate the furnace, water heater, and electric panel if susceptible to flooding.
• Install "check valves" in sewer traps to prevent floodwater from drain back-ups.
• Construct barriers (levees, beams, floodwalls) to stop floodwater from entering the building.
• Seal walls in basements with waterproofing compounds to avoid seepage.
• Be alert for gas leaks. Use a flashlight to inspect for damage. Don't smoke or use candles, lanterns, or open flames unless you know the gas has been turned off and the area has been ventilated.

We cannot prevent all disasters but we can minimize the losses caused by them if we are well prepared. After all, FOREWARNED IS FOREARMED!

HOW TO SURVIVE A DISASTER - EARTHQUAKES

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Earthquake-protective-foundation.gif

(By Shustov (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)

Earthquakes, also called temblors, can be so tremendously destructive, it’s hard to imagine they occur by the thousands every day around the world, usually in the form of small tremors.
Almost 60 percent of the people killed by natural disasters between 2000 and 2009 perished in earthquakes.

Most earthquakes occur at fault zones, where tectonic plates—giant rock slabs that make up the Earth's upper layer—collide or slide against each other. Immense stress can build up between plates, that when released quickly, sends massive vibrations called seismic waves up to the surface of the earth.

Quakes can also occur far from faults zones when plates are stretched or squeezed.
Scientists assign a magnitude rating to earthquakes based on the strength of their seismic waves. A quake measuring 3 to 5 is considered minor or light; 5 to 7 is moderate to strong; 7 to 8 is major; and 8 or more is great.

On average, a magnitude 8 quake strikes somewhere every year and some 10,000 people die in earthquakes annually. Collapsing buildings claim by far the majority of lives, but the destruction is often compounded by mud slides, fires, floods, or tsunamis. Smaller temblors that usually occur in the days following a large earthquake can complicate rescue efforts and cause further death and destruction.

Eight of the world's 10 most populous cities lie on tectonic fault-lines: Japan's capital, Tokyo; Mexico's capital, Mexico City; New York in the US, Shanghai in China, Jakarta in Indonesia, and three cities in India - Mumbai, Kolkata, and the capital, Delhi. 


Most earthquakes are over in seconds so knowing what to do instinctively is very important.

WHAT YOU CAN DO BEFORE AN EARTHQUAKE STRIKES

Make sure your house doesn't move from its foundation during the earthquake's resulting ground motion.A seismic retrofit generally involves bolting the house to the foundation. The foundation itself might need some work.These efforts, when done properly, can help to shift the earthquake's force. Instead of damaging the structure of the house or knocking it off its foundation, the foundation itself absorbs the brunt of the shaking.

Arrange your home for safety: Store heavy objects on lower shelves and store breakable objects in cabinets with latched doors. Don't hang heavy mirrors or pictures above where people frequently sit or sleep.

A supply of food and water is essential for anyone in earthquake country.These provisions should be ready to eat or require minimal or no preparation. 

A first-aid kit is very important to have in case anyone suffers an injury.You should also have a backup supply of any prescriptions, as well as a variety of nonprescription drugs, such as pain relievers, antacids and medications for abdominal/intestinal problems. 

Your supplies should also include blankets, flashlights (with fresh batteries), tape, a wrench or other tool to turn off the gas, cash, a fire extinguisher and a battery- or hand-operated radio. 

Learn where the main turn-offs are for your water, gas and electricity. Know how to turn them off 

Documents like passports, identification, family records, bank account information, wills and other essential items should be stored in a safe or somewhere else secure.

WHAT YOU CAN DO WHEN AN EARTHQUAKE STRIKES

If you're outside during an earthquake, it's best not to move too much. You should avoid buildings and objects or structures that could fall.

If you're driving and it's possible to continue moving, drive slowly to a safe place, but don't stop on or under overpasses, bridges or other potentially unstable areas. Turn off the car, use its emergency flasher lights and keep the parking break engaged. Keep an eye out for objects that might fall, like power lines or trees.

If you're in bed, it might be best to stay there and use a pillow to protect your head and neck. Of course, if you haven't secured objects that could fall on your bed, then that's not a safe area.

If you are indoors, stay there. Practice DROP, COVER and HOLD

• DROP down to the floor.
• Take COVER under a sturdy piece of furniture. If that is not possible, seek COVER against an interior wall and protect your head and neck with your arms. Avoid danger spots near windows, hanging objects, mirrors, or tall furniture.
• HOLD the position until the ground stops shaking and it is safe to move

As with a fire, elevators should be avoided.

If you are COOKING, turn off the stove and take cover.

If you’re in a CROWDED STORE, do not rush for exits. Move away from display shelves containing objects that could fall.

If you’re in a STADIUM or THEATER, stay in your seat and protect your head with your arms. Do not try to leave until the shaking is over. Then leave in a calm, orderly manner.

WHAT YOU CAN DO AFTER AN EARTHQUAKE STRIKES

Keep in mind that aftershocks -- smaller tremors -- can occur for months after the initial earthquake, though the strongest ones will likely occur in the first few hours or days.

Check for injuries, attend to injuries if needed, help ensure the safety of people around you.

Check for damage. If your building is badly damaged you should leave it until it has been inspected by a safety professional.

If you smell or hear a gas leak, get everyone outside and open windows and doors. If you can do it safely, turn off the gas at the meter. Report the leak to the gas company and fire department. Do not use any electrical appliances because a tiny spark could ignite the gas.

If the power is out, unplug major appliances to prevent possible damage when the power is turned back on. If you see sparks, frayed wires, or smell hot insulation turn off electricity at the main fuse box or breaker. If you will have to step in water to turn off the electricity you should call a professional to turn it off for you.

EARTHQUAKE MYTHS DEBUNKED

Myth 1: "Go for the doorway when an earthquake strikes."

Modern homes are built so that doorways are no safer than any other part of the house. You are much safer under a table.

Myth 2: "Big earthquakes always happen in the early morning."

Earthquakes strike at all times throughout the day. Several recent damaging earthquakes have occurred in the early morning, so people tend to believe all big earthquakes happen then.

Myth 3: "Earthquake faults can open wide enough to swallow people and buildings."

Gaping faults exist only in fiction. During an earthquake, the ground moves across a fault, not away from it. If the fault could open, there would be no friction. If there were no friction, there would be no earthquakes.

Myth 4: "Earthquake can cause volcanic eruptions."

No, there are different earth processes responsible for volcanoes. Earthquakes may occur as a result of the eruption, but are not the cause of volcanic activity.

Myth 5: "We can predict earthquakes."

Earthquake prediction is the holy grail for earthquake scientists, but there currently is no accepted method to accomplish the goal of predicting the time, place and magnitude of an impending quake.

Myth 6: "Animals can predict earthquakes."

Because of their finely tuned senses, animals can often feel the earthquake at its earliest stages before the humans around it can. This feeds the myth that the animal knew the earthquake was coming. But animals also change their behavior for many reasons and cannot be used to predict earthquakes.

Myth 7: "It's Hot and Dry - Earthquake Weather."

Many people believe that earthquakes are more common in certain kinds of weather. In fact, no correlation with weather has been found. Earthquakes begin many kilometers (miles) below the earth's surface and are not affected by surface weather.

Myth 8: "Earthquakes only occur on the West Coast."

Earthquakes can strike any location at any time. But history shows they occur in the same general patterns over time, principally in three large zones of the earth. 

The world's greatest earthquake zone, the circum-Pacific seismic belt, is found along the rim of the Pacific Ocean, where about 81 percent of the world's largest earthquakes occur. 

The second important belt, the Alpide, extends from Java to Sumatra through the Himalayas, the Mediterranean, and out into the Atlantic. This belt accounts for about 17 percent of the world's largest earthquakes.

The third prominent belt follows the submerged mid-Atlantic ridge.

Earthquakes in these prominent seismic zones are taken for granted, but damaging shocks occur occasionally outside these areas.

HOW TO SURVIVE A DISASTER -TORNADOES

When disaster strikes who lives and who dies is not purely a matter of luck.
In every disaster, from those people face once in a lifetime, to those they face every day, there are things that can be done to increase the chances of getting out alive. 
In this series on disaster survival, we look at the ways we can survive various common disasters.

TORNADO-A SURVIVAL GUIDE

A tornado is a narrow, violently rotating column of air that extends from the base of a thunderstorm to the ground. Because wind is invisible, it is hard to see a tornado unless it forms a condensation funnel made up of water droplets, dust and debris. 

Of all the destructive powers in our world, none resembles the ferocity and form of tornadoes. 

If you've ever watched a whirlpool form in your bathtub or sink while draining the water, then you've witnessed the fundamentals of a tornado at work.In a tornado, the same sort of thing happens except with air instead of water.

Tornadoes develop out of thunderstorms, where there's already a steady, upward flow of warm, low-pressure moist air that cools to form clouds.If the conditions are right, the updraft becomes strong enough to create a vortex like in a sink and eventually becomes a tornado.Some tornadoes consist of a single vortex, but other times multiple suction vortices revolve around a tornado's center. 

TORNADO FACTS 

Tornado winds may exceed 300 miles (480 kilometers) per hour.

Tornadoes can lift cars, mobile homes, and animals into the air.

Tornadoes are sometimes called "twisters."

The damage path of a tornado is usually less than 1,600 feet wide.

Most tornadoes move at less than 35 miles per hour.

Most tornadoes last only a few minutes.

A tornado over a body of water is called a "waterspout."

The United States has the highest number of tornado occurrences in the world with an average of 1,000 tornadoes reported each year.

HOW TO IDENTIFY A TORNADO

To identify a tornado, look for the following danger signs:

• Dark, often greenish sky
• Large hail
• A large, dark, low-lying cloud (particularly if rotating)
• Loud roar, similar to a freight train.

TIPS TO SURVIVE A TORNADO

Never try to outrun a tornado. You can however try to get out of its path by driving 90 degrees to the right or 90 degrees to the left, he said. The goal is to have the tornado in your rearview mirror.

Vehicles are extremely risky in a tornado. Get out of your vehicle and lie down flat in a ditch away from the vehicle. (Hiding below an underpass isn't safe).

If you are caught by extreme winds or flying debris, park the car quickly. Stay in the car with the seat belt on. Put your head down below the windows; cover your head with your hands and a blanket, coat, or other cushion if possible.

In a building reach for a basement or the lowest floor available.Look for an inside hallway, or a small closet or bathroom (with no windows).The more walls between you and the outside, the better.

Even if you find a basement, don't stay in the open. Look for an inner, small, windowless room and get under some kind of sturdy protection (heavy table or work bench or a stairwell), or cover yourself with a mattress or sleeping bag to protect yourself from flying debris. 

If you live in a tornado prone area, consider making a strong tornado shelter in your house.

AFTER A TORNADO...

• Wait for authorities to give the all-clear.
• Check for structural damage before going inside.
• If dark, use a flashlight – not matches, a candle or a lighter. An open flame can ignite leaking gas.
• Listen for reports to see when drinking water is safe.
• Don’t turn your power on until an electrician has inspected your system.

Next week, a look at survival tips on another disaster! Till then keep safe....