Disaster Survival Guide

7/27/2019 Disaster Survival Guide

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DISASTERSURVIVAL

GUIDETOP DISASTER SURVIVAL SKILLS

RICH JOHNSONAND THE EDITORS OF OUTDOOR LIFE



TOP SKILLS FOR DISASTER PREP

RICH JOHNSON

WITH ROBERT F. JAMES

SURVIVALGUIDE

DISASTER



KNOW WHAT’S HAPPENING Problems can

arise when you’re not paying attention. I youremain cognizant o your surroundings, then you

can respond appropriately.

PRIORITIZE Once you know what kind o fx

you’re in, decide what your most pressing need

is. I your buddy has a bullet in his leg, your

most pressing need isn’t hunting dinner.

DEVISE A PLAN Now that you know what

needs to be done frst (and next, and then next),

decide how to attack the problem. Weigh your

options, then make smart decisions that will

give you the desired result.

GO TO WORK The time has come or the rubber

to meet the road. As you work on resolving each

challenge, continually assess the situation.

Decide i what you’re doing is working, or i you

need to change strategies.

Remember, you’re trying to survive, and that’s aworthy goal i ever there was one. Give it your all

and good luck!

SURVIVAL STRATEGIES



011 Set a Bone

Ifyou’veeverheardthegrimsoundof

abonebreaking,youknowjusthow

direthissituationcanbe.Gettingtoa

hospitalisalwaysthebestrecourse, butifyoucan’t,settingthebonein

placemightbetheonlywaytosave

thearmorleg.Here’showtodoit.

ASSESS THE BREAKManybreaks

don’tneedsetting,butafew,such

astransverse,oblique,orimpacted

fractures,might.Ifaboneisactually

protrudingfromtheskin,don’ttryto

setit.Justimmobilizeit.

CHECK FOR BLOOD FLOWPress

ontheskinbelowthefracturesite.

Theskinshouldturnwhiteandthen

quicklyreturntopink.Paleorbluish

skin,numbness,tingling,orthelack

ofapulseinthelimbindicatealossof

circulation,andyouwillneedtoset

thebonetorestorecirculation.PUT IT IN PLACE Toreduce

swelling,pain,anddamagetotissues

causedbylackofcirculation,realign

Transverse

Hairline

Oblique

Spiral

Greenstick

Segmental

Compression

Comminuted

STEP THREE

Slidetheunfolded

splintmaterial

beneaththe

limb,andpadit

forcomfortand

stability.

STEP FOUR

Foldthesplintaroundtheleg,securingitwithelastic,

gauze,orothermaterial.Thesplint

shouldbejusttightenoughtoprevent

thebonefromshifting,butnotsotight

thelimbintoanormalrestingposition

bypullinginoppositedirectionsonboth

sidesofthebreak.

thatitimpedescirculation.Ifthebreak

involvesajoint,securethesplintboth

aboveandbelowitforextrastability.

Avulsion Torus Impacted Linear



030

Homesweethomeisn’tsosweetwhenit’sfullofmucky

water—especiallywhenyouarelowonsuppliesanddon’t

knowifassistanceisontheway.Sinceyourfurnishingsaren’t

helpingyoumuch(whoneedsahutchfullofchinaplatesif

there’snofoodtoeatoffthem?),getcreativeandturnoneof

themintoaliferaft.Youcansimplyoatawayononeoftheselargeritems,orsecureseveraltogetherwithrope.

CHECKLIST

Make a Life Raft from

Household Items

RICH SAYS

“Unlessyou’reashwholoves

contaminatedlth,you’dbetterget

tohighground.”

� Mattress

� Aircompressiontank

� Diningroomtable

� Lawnchaircushions

� Plastictrashcans

� Icechest

� Children’soattoys

� Plasticswimmingpool

� Fiberglassbathtub

� Sparetire

� Largeplastictub

� Collectionofsmaller

plasticjugsandbottlesheldtogetherundera

platformofboards



043Survive a Wildfre

Duringawildre,themostdangerous

placestobeareuphillordownwind

fromtheames.Speakingofwind,if

it’sblowingtowardthere,runintothe

wind.Butifit’sbehindthere,youneed

tomoveawayevenfaster—thatrewill

becomingonquick.

Iftoldtoevacuate,doso.Butifyou’retrappedathome,stayinsidewherethe

structurewillprotectyou.Movetoa

centralroom,awayfromtheexterior

wallsofyourhouse.Closethedoorsin

ordertocutdownonaircirculation,

whichcanfeedtheames.

Ifyou’recaughtintheopen,movetoan

areathathasalreadyburnedover.Avoid

canyonsandothernaturalchimneys.

Getintoariverorlake,ifpossible.Look

forbreaksinthetrees,whichcould

meanbreaksintherestorm.Ifyou’reneararoad,liefacedownalongthe

roadorinaditchordepressiononthe

uphillside.Coverupwithanythingthat

providesashieldagainsttheheat.



046

047

Volcanicashisn’tsoftanduffy—as

ifthemountainhadbeeninapillow

ght.Nope,ashiscomposedoftiny

jaggedpiecesofrockandglass.It’shard,abrasive,andcorrosive.Becauseit

destroysengineswhenit’ssuckedinto

theintake,volcanicashhaltsairtravel

andhampersgroundtransportationfor

hundredsofmilesaroundaneruption.

Butifyouliveclosetoanactivevolcano,

yourproblemsmightbemuchmore

immediatethantraveldelays.

TAKE COVER Duringanashfall,stayinside—especiallyifyouhave

arespiratoryailment.Closedoors,

windows,vents,andchimneyues.

MonitorradioandTVbroadcastsabout

thesituation.

WEAR LAYERS Ifyouhavetogo

outside,wearlongsleevesandpants.

Breathethroughadustmask,orholda

dampclothoveryournoseandmouth.

Usegogglesorweareyeglassesinstead

ofcontactlensestoavoidtrappingdust

andashbeneaththem.

Copewith Ash

Evenifyou’reprettysureithascooled

andhardened,it’sbettertodetour

aroundalavaeld—becauseifyou’re

wrong,you’retoast.Literally.

TREAD LIGHTLY Ifyoumustcross,

trytoensurethatthelavahastotally

hardened.Youcan’talwaystellfromlooking,becausemoltenlavamight

beowingbelowathincrustthatcan

foolyou.Asyoumoveforward,probe

thegroundaheadofyouwithastick.

DO A SNIFF TEST Payattention

toairquality.Sulfurdioxidegases

indicateowinglavabeneathyou.

Thisgivesyoutworeasonstoget

away:Notonlyisthegroundunstable,

butthatgasistoxicaswell.

HEED YOUR FEET Ifthesolesof yourbootsstarttomelt,theowis

denitelytoohottowalkon.Andif

thegroundfeelsatallmushy,that

meansit’stoounstabletocross.

Assess a Lava Field

START SHOVELING Ashaccumulations

canpiledeeponroofs,requiringshovel

worktopreventthemfromcollapsing.

Makesureyouclearrainguttersaswell.

BE CAREFUL ON THE ROAD Prevent

enginedamagebyavoidingdriving.If

youmust,driveslowlyandbearinmind

thatsomeroadsmaybeimpassable.



052

053

Youprobablyknowthedrill:Ifyou’re

insideabuildingwhenanearthquake

hits,staythere.Ifyou’reoutside,getinto

aclearing.Butwhatifyou’redriving?

STOP FOR THE SHAKINGThereare

twohazardsifanearthquakestrikes

Ride Out a Quake in a Car

Seeaclearpathtosafety?Thengetyourselfout.Butwhen

thewallscomedown,peopleinsideusuallycan’tsave

themselves.Letrescuersknowwhereyouarebytapping

onapipeorwall.Useawhistleifyouhaveone.Toavoid

inhalingdust,coveryourmouthandnosewithacloth,and

useyourvoiceonlyasalastresort.Don’tlightamatchor

lightertoseewhereyouare,astherecouldbeagasleak.

Survive Being TrappedUnder Debris

whenyou’redriving:otherdrivers

andfallingobjects.Pulloverinanarea

freeofthingsthatmightfallonyour

car,suchastelephonepoles,streetlights,and,yes,evenoverpasses.The

moreopenthearea,thesaferitis.

DEAL WITH INFRASTRUCTURE If

you’reonabridge,takethenextexit

offit.Andifyou’restuckunderthat

overpass,getoutofyourcarandlie

atbesideit.Shouldthestructure

collapse,itwillcrushyourcar,butnot

totheground—whichwillhopefully

leaveasafezoneimmediatelyaround

yourvehicle.

HEAD HOMEThereisalwaysa

chanceofaftershocks,sodon’thurry

off.Listentotheradioforupdates

thatmayaffectyourroute,andexpect

accidentsanddamage.



066Ride Out an

Avalanche

Caughtinanavalanche?Well,that’splainbadluck.Useskiing(orevensurng)movestotrytorideontopofthesnow,andattempttomaneuvertowardtheedge

oftheslide.Ifthesnowismovingslowly,trytocatchholdofatreewithoutgetting

creamedbyit.Inafast-movingslidethatknocksyouoffyourfeet,swiminthesnow

andtrytoavoidhittingstationaryobstacles.

RICH SAYS

“Thebestsolutionina

survivalsituationistoattract

theattentionofsomeonewho

canrescueyou.”



079

080

Pick a Safe Seat on a Train

STEP-BY-STEP

Stop a Train

Ifatrainslidesofftherailsorcollides

withsomethingstubborn,thingsare

likelytogoseriouslywrong.Therewon’t

beagreatdealthatyoucandoatthe

instantofimpact,butyoucantakeafew

basicpreemptivemeasuresinorderto

reducetheriskofinjury.

GO FOR THE MIDDLEThecarsinthefrontandreararethemostlikelyto

beinvolvedinaccidents.Ifyouhavea

choice,stayoffthem.

SIT BACKWARDItmightmakeyou

queasy,buttrytakingaseatthat’sfacing

awayfromthedirectionoftravel.Ifthe

traincrashes,you’llbepushedbackinto

theseat—notthrownacrossthecar.

AVOID OVERLOADINGFindaseat

thatdoesn’thavemuchluggageinthe

overheadarea,andstorelargeritemsinracksatthefrontofthecar.Intheevent

ofanaccident,atleastthoseheavyitems

won’tcometumblingdownonyou.

Yourtrainblowsthroughyourstopatlightningspeed,andyourealizeyou’re

notontheexpress—you’reonarunaway

train!(Howdoyoukeepgettingyourself

inthesesituations?)Ifit’suptoyouto

stopthelocomotive,trythis:

STEP ONELocatetheemergencybrake

inyourcarandpullthecord.

STEP TWOIfthetraindoesn’tstop,headtowardtheengineupfront.Asyou

gofromcartocar,activatetheindividual

frictionbrakesineachcar,controlledby

awheelorlever,tohelpslowthetrain.

STEP THREEOnceintheenginecar,pushthebuttonlabeled“E-brake”or

“emergencybrake.”Lowerthethrottle

handletodecreasespeed,thenndthe

dynamicbrakehandleandmoveitto

“setup”—thiswillkillthethrottle.Wait

5secondsandmovethebrakehandle

tothehighestposition.Finally,locate

theair-brakehandleandmoveitto100

percent.STEP FOURAfteryou’veappliedthe

cockpit’svariousbrakes,usetheradioto

callforhelp.



085

084 Contact Air Trafc Control Aquickhoponasmallplaneseems

likeagoodidea—untilthepilotstarts

clawingathischestandturningblue.

CALL FOR HELPMakesuretheradio

isonandplaceyourMaydaycallon

thefrequencythat’salreadyset,since

that’slikelytobetheonethelocaltower

uses.Ifyouneedtoselectafrequency,

try121.5MHzor243.0MHz,whichair

trafccontrolusuallymonitors.

LISTEN CAREFULLYThevastmajorityofsuccessfullandingsbynonpilotsare

assistedbyairtrafccontrollers.Many

arepilotsthemselves,sothey’relikelyto

knowhowtogetyoudownsafely.

STEP-BY-STEP

Jump Out o an AirplaneGravityisadrag,especiallywhenyou’re

fallingoutofanairplanewithouta

parachute.Ifyou’regoingtojump,you

shoulduseachute.

STEP ONEStepintotheharnesssothe

leg-holestrapsencircleyourthighs,then bringthetopstrapsoveryourshoulders

andtightentheharnessacrossyour

chest.Don’ttouchtheripcordbefore

exitingtheplane.

STEP TWOJumpfromtheairplane

anywayyoucan—exceptinfrontofan

engine.Ifyouthinkfallingfromaplane

isbad,youshouldseewhatpassing

throughapropelleroraturbinewilldo

toruinyourday.

STEP THREECounttothree,thenpull

theripcord.

STEP FOURPlanyourlanding.Steer

theparachutebypullingthehandles,

usingtheonesonyourrighttogoright

andthoseonyourlefttoheadleft.

Beforelanding,bendyourknees,tuck

inyourelbows,andloweryourchinto

yourchest.Rollwiththelanding.



087

088

Make It tothe Lifeboat

Soyou’veboardedafancy(ornotsofancy)

bigboatandsomeoneelseisdrivingit.Great,

butdon’trelaxjustyet.Firstnotewherethe

lifeboatsandlifejacketsarestowed,andreadtheemergencycardonthebackofyourstateroom

doortolearnthelocationofthelifeboat-muster

areaforyourcabin.Thengondit.

Ifthere’sanevacuationdrill,attendandpay

attention.Inanemergency,thecaptainwill

soundanalarm,consistingofsevenshortblasts

followedbyonelongone.Ifyourall-you-can-

eatbuffetiseverinterruptedbythisalarm(the

horror!),makeabeelineforthedesignatedlifeboat-musterareaandboardtheboatas

instructedbyshippersonnel.

STEP-BY-STEP

Abandon Ship Safely

Unlessyou’rethecaptain,youdon’twanttogodownwiththeship.Jumping

offisnopicnic,either,butifyoumust

abandonship,exitsafelyandquickly.

STEP ONEAvoidthecrowdtokeep

fromjostlingforposition,andmoveto

therailing.Iftheshipisrolling,moveto

thehighsidesoyouaren’tcrushedby

theboatifitcapsizes.Ifyou’re15feet(5

m)abovethewater,it’stoodangerous.Findalowerpointorwaitfortheshipto

sinkfurther.

STEP TWOLookforaspotinthewater

that’sfreeofdebrisandaimforit.Itwill

takesomecourage,butwhenyou’vepickedyourspot,don’twait.

STEP THREEAsyoujump,crossyourarmsandgrabyourlapels,andcross

yourfeetattheankles—thiswillhelp

preventinjuriesfromtheimpact.Takea

bigbreathjustbeforethesplash.

STEP FOURIfyou’reclosetoasinking

ship,youriskbeinghurtbydebris

fallingfromthedeck,sogetwelloutof

theway.Swimatleast100feet(30m)

fromtheship.Useeitherasidestrokeor

backstroketoconserveenergy,andbe

awareofobstaclesorhazards.



094STEP-BY-STEP

Don a Gas Mask

Fewthingsaremoreterrifyingthanachemicalorbiologicalattack.Learning

howtoquicklydonagasmaskandensureapropersealcouldbethedifference

betweenlifeanddeath.Inanattack,you’lllikelyonlyhavesecondstoreachyour

maskandputiton,sopracticeuntilit’ssecondnature.

STEP ONEWithyourthumbsontheinsideofthemask,holditbythesides.

Insertyourchinrst,thenpullthemaskoveryourfaceandremoveyourthumbs.

STEPTWOHoldingthemaskinplacewithonehand,pullthestrapsoveryour

headasfaraspossible,thentightenthemfromthetopdown.Themaskshouldt

snuglyandnotmovewhenyoushakeyourhead.

STEP THREEPlacethepalmofyourhandoverthelterorairintake,and

breathedeeplyuntilthemasksealstightlytoyourface.

STEP FOURRemoveyourhandfromthelterandbreathenormally.Thenget

tosafetyasquicklyaspossible—thegasmask’scanisterhasalimitedltering

capacity,andtheclockisticking.

KNOW THE NUMBERS

Pandemic

200 to 500 million Most people

killed by a single disease, smallpox,

throughout history.

100 million Most people killed in a

single outbreak o a disease, the fu

pandemic of 1918.

95 percent Highest mortality rate in

a pandemic outbreak—the pneumonic

plague of the 1890s.

33.3 million Number o people

worldwide who are infected with HIV.

150 million Estimated death toll from a

feared H5N1 u pandemic.

2 percent Odds a new tuberculosis

inection will be drug resistant.

2 weeks Time it would take or an

airborne virus to spread throughout theworld’s entire population.



099Whenthelightsgoout,it’sasuresign

theelectronshavegoneonstrike.You

neverknowhowlongapoweroutageis

goingtolast,soit’swisetobreakoutthepackofcardsandprepareyourselffora

longonejustincase.

GO OFF-GRID Turnofforunplugall

unnecessaryorsensitiveelectrical

equipment(electricstove,computers,

TV,soundsystems)soanelectricalsurge

orspikewon’tdamagethemwhenthe

powerisrestored.

BE REACHABLE Keepanold-school

cordedphoneonhand;it’slikelytowork

evenduringapoweroutage.

DEAL WITH LIGHTS Leaveonelight

switchedonsoyou’llknowwhenthe

powercomesbackon.Ifit’snighttime,

provideilluminationwithashlights

andcandles.

GO THE EXTRA MILE Ifsomeone

requireselectric-poweredlifesupport,

provideabackuppowersupplyinyour

emergency-preparednessplan.

Get Througha Power Outage



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Disaster Survival Guide