Lucky To Be Alive

Mark Shaver and his seven children are lucky to be alive today. Leaving his wife home so she could enjoy some alone time, Mark volunteered to take the kids (ages 3 to 14) camping a few hours from their home in southern Oregon. He checked the weather, and conditions looked favorable, so off they went in the family minivan.

Then the storm hit, dumping snow and trapping the family. In an attempt to escape, Mark drove a ways down the road, pushing snow ahead of the van. But the farther he went, the deeper the snow got, until they were finally unable to go any farther. There they sat overnight while another 24 inches of snow buried the van. For the next two days, they were stranded, living on a little bit of peanut butter.

Unfortunately, Mark had not brought a cell phone nor any other means of communications. Fortunately, he stuck to his prearranged plan and actually went where he said he was going. That made it easier when, after they became overdue, authorities were notified. Knowing where to look made all the difference and resulted in a speedy rescue, as a searcher on a snowmobile located the van.

The lesson from all this? Never trust your life (and especially not the lives of your children) to a single weather report. This time of year it's necessary to maintain a constant vigil on the weather by listening to NOAA Weather Radio stations and by personally observing changing conditions of cloud cover, wind, precipitation, and temperature. This is called maintaining situational awareness — not letting things sneak up on you without your awareness.

A second lesson — prepare your vehicle as if you knew you were going to have to spend several days trapped by the weather. Have more than a jar of peanut butter onboard. Think what you would need in the very worst possible conditions, and prepare for that. Sleeping bags, tents, fire starting materials, signal devices, extra clothing, extra food and water, a medical kit … the list goes on. Failure to do that is nothing short of negligence. It might be innocent negligence, but the grim reaper doesn't weigh your ignorance when he comes calling.

Another lesson is to always carry a communication system or two — cell phone, CB radio, handheld HAM radio, personal locator beacon (PLB), or the personal satellite messaging system known as SPOT (www.findmespot.com). A PLB or a SPOT is particularly useful because, with the push of a button, it sends via satellite your GPS coordinates so rescuers know exactly where to come and find you.

In a television interview with the Shaver family after everyone was home safe, Mr. Shaver took a very casual attitude about the whole incident, claiming that he was okay with what happened because he had grown up in the woods when his father worked for the Forest Service. I hate to be critical, but he needs to understand that he dodged a huge and deadly bullet this time. And the bullet wasn't just aimed at him, it was aimed at seven children. The newspaper morgues are full of stories about people caught in nearly identical situations who didn't make it.

Mr. Shaver, I'm happy to be able to say this — you and your kids are lucky to be alive.

Too Much Water

Hurricane Ida is taking aim at the Gulf Coast as I write this. As hurricanes go, this one is not particularly strong, being ranked as a Category 1 and expected to dwindle to a mere tropical storm before making landfall. I say "mere" but there is nothing benign about tropical storms. They still pack powerful winds, but even worst than that is the rain.

The fact that Ida is forecast to weaken may actually result in unnecessary tragedy. When people get it in their heads that this storm isn't going to be much of anything, they are likely to sit on their complacency and wait to see what happens. I don't know how many different ways I can say this, but it isn't the weather or the earthquake or any other kind of "event" that causes a crisis — it's the people who get caught in the "event" that turns it into a crisis. If there were no people in the path, there would be no disaster.

One of the problems is that when most folks hear the word hurricane, they think wind. And, to be sure, there's plenty of wind. So folks think, "well, I'll just hunker down and stay out of the wind, and everything will be hunky dory." But statistically, it isn't the wind that creates most survival situations on land (at sea we can argue about the wind being a large component of the overall threat because of the wind-generated waves that wreak havoc against boats). It's the water. It's the rain — too much of it, falling too quickly.

Or, in low-lying coastal areas, it's the water in the form of storm surge that roars ashore almost like a liquid freight train, destroying everything for miles inland.

Sure, the wind will tear up some homes, push trees over on them, lift off roofs, blow away carports, knock down billboards, and break windows. And the wind sends debris flying like shrapnel, injuring those who get hit. But look at the numbers, and you'll see that it's the water that causes the lion's share of the death and destruction.

A recent example is this very hurricane that we're watching now. Ida swept El Salvador, killing (as of the latest count) 124 and displacing thousands. What caused these deaths? Too much water. Heavy rains in the wake of Ida triggered flooding and landslides. One mudslide wiped out the town of Verapaz in the pre-dawn hours on a Sunday morning, while many residents were still asleep.

And this morning, Ida is zeroing in on the U.S. Gulf Coast, and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials are warning residents in some areas to evacuate because of the impending threat of high winds, flooding and storm surge that could bring water ashore two to three feet deep.

Anybody with a memory of past storm disasters should already be loading their 72-hour kits in their car and heading away from the storm.

If you choose to ignore the warnings and evacuation orders, I don't want to hear any whining by those who stayed behind and got thumped.

Emergency Food Supply

In an urban crisis situation, you might not be able to obtain food on a daily basis from grocery stores, restaurants, or fast food outlets. All of those places might be closed or the food supply interrupted by a shut down of the transportation system. When that happens, having your own supply of food and other daily-use items (like toilet paper, soap, toothpaste, etc.) stored away at home is the best solution. But what should you store?

There are at least a couple schools of thought regarding home food storage. One option is to buy pre-packed emergency rations that are designed to have a shelf life of 20 years or so. The upside of this strategy is that you don't have to think about it — just buy it and you're done. Put it away and it'll be there when you need it. The downside is that it's expensive and you are spending a substantial amount of money all at once. Another downside is that you really have no idea what's in those canisters unless you open some of them and experiment with the food. What if you discover that nobody in the family will eat that stuff?

Another option is to prepare a place to store additional cans or packages of regular food that you already use on a daily basis. Then you simply buy an extra couple of cans each time you go shopping and, before you know it, your storage shelves are full. The upside is that it costs very little extra every week as you go shopping and you are build your emergency food supply at the same time. Another plus is that you already know you like those food items and you're already familiar with recipes. The downside is that this food doesn't have a 20-year shelf life, so you'll need to use it before it expires. But, the good thing about that is you can simply cycle these storage items into your regular daily diet and nobody will notice that they're eating out of the "emergency food supply." When you go shopping, buy replacements, mark the can or package with the date and put it at the back of the shelf, so you're always using the oldest stuff first. Nothing ever reaches the expiration date, and you build up your food storage system almost invisibly from a financial standpoint.

Yes, this system does require that you take inventory once in a while to see what you're running out of. It is most economical if you buy cases-lots of replacement food, rather than one can at a time. And always buy when the items are on sale. I recommend that you buy normal-sized cans and packages rather than the enormous commercial package sizes that you can find at places like Costco, even though the larger quantities are less expensive. The reason is that once you open one of those huge cans, you're pretty committed to eating more than you might really need, or suffer spoilage and waste. With smaller cans you have the option of using small quantities, and open more cans if you need more of the same ingredient.

Mark the date on every can or package. Rotate. Build your supply until you could survive without going to the store for a month, if necessary.

Don't forget the toiletries and toilet paper.

The final option I want to talk about is a hybrid of the two already mentioned. Load up on regular food, but also have some of the 20-year stuff available, in case the crisis lasts a truly long time. Don't wait until all the regular food has run out before learning to use the long-term storage items. Experiment in advance, so you'll know what you're doing when the time comes.

There is much more to this topic, and we'll discuss it again in the future.

Stay or Go — Part 2

Let's take up where we left off yesterday.

You're stranded in the backcountry. Your vehicle has run out of gas or something broke, leaving you unable to drive. The type of vehicle doesn't matter, except that larger vehicles can carry more survival supplies. But what matters now is that you're way back in the hinterlands, miles from civilization, and the vehicle that got you there is out of action. You're stuck.

It's decision time.  Do you stay or go? Do you stick with the failed vehicle or do you attempt to hike back to civilization?

I've been in search helicopters looking for folks in exactly this situation, and I can tell you from personal experience that if you decide to leave your vehicle and try to hoof it out, rescue teams in the air and on the ground will have more difficulty finding you.  They may find the truck, but entirely miss seeing you.  This is especially true if you were to hike crosscountry rather than following the road or trail.

In favor of staying with the vehicle and awaiting rescue are the following:

• The vehicle is a ready-made shelter.
• All your supplies are at the vehicle site.
• By staying, you conserve energy, meaning you need less food and water.
• The vehicle is more visible than a lone hiker to search and rescuers teams.
• The vehicle serves as a psychological attachment to civilization, helping ward off feelings of panic.
• By staying, the entire party (if there are others in your group) can work together to improve the camp, maintain signal fires, gather firewood, water and food as well as bolstering each other's spirit.
• Sticking to camp is less risky from an injury standpoint than hiking crosscountry.
• Staying with the vehicle allows you to exploit all the resources of the locale, whereas a hiker can never take full advantage of the natural resources for survival because he is constantly moving.

If you decide to stay and make camp at the vehicle site, exert every effort to make the place visible to aircraft and people on the ground.

• If removing the hood of the truck and placing it in a clearing will make it more visible, do it.  
• Have signal fires ready to ignite (smoke by day, flames by night).  
• Clear brush away from the vehicle.  
• Arrange brightly colored items on the ground to attract attention.  
• Remove sideview mirrors and use them for signaling.

The decision to leave the vehicle and attempt to hike out for help should be made only if every item in the following list can honestly be met:

• You are absolutely certain that nobody is going to come looking for you at this location.
• Your health and fitness level (and that of your party) will permit the rigorous journey.
• You are positive of the direction and distance to reach help, and know you can overcome every terrain obstacle along the route.
• After taking inventory of your supplies, you determine that you have everything necessary to successfully make the hike.

If you decide to leave the vehicle, it is important to leave a note in a highly visible place notifying rescuers of the following:

• Your name, address, phone number, next of kin — and the same for every member of the party.
• Your age, state of health and condition of fitness — same for everyone else.
• A detailed description of your clothing and equipment.
• A detailed hike plan including the time and date you left the vehicle, your intended destination, direction of travel, and intended campsites along the way.

The decision to leave a disabled vehicle and hike out is a difficult one.  The wrong decision can sometimes mean the difference between simply an unexpected stay in the wilderness and a true survival situation.

        

Unless there are compelling reasons to abandon the camp, the safest policy is to stay with the vehicle until help arrives.  In the end, the cursed vehicle that broke down in the first place may well be the very thing that attracts the attention of search teams.  All things considered, even a disabled vehicle can be a blessing in the backcountry.

Surviving a Submerged Vehicle

Three young women died last night when they apparently drove their Jeep Cherokee into a pond on a North Dakota farm during a stargazing expedition. According to reports, two separate phone calls were received from the occupants of the Jeep after it began to submerge, as the girls were trying to call for help. Two friends received the calls from cell phones, but the calls quickly went dead.

The unfortunate thing is that these girls could probably have survived if they had known how to safely get out of a vehicle that has gone underwater. It takes some quick planning and a cool head to do the right things at the right time, but it is possible. The important thing is to try to remain calm. I know that sounds almost impossible, but it is absolutely essential. If you panic, you probably won't survive.

As soon as you realize that the vehicle is in deep water and is going to sink, get your seatbelt off and try to open the door and get out. For this to succeed, you must open the door before the water level gets higher than a few inches on the outside of the door. Otherwise, the pressure of the water against the door will not allow you to open it. If you try to shove the door open, but cannot, don't waste your energy on that avenue of escape.

The next best thing is to open the window before the water level reaches the glass, and climb out. If you cannot open the window, perhaps because the power window mechanism is no longer operating, break the window and crawl out.

The window glass will shatter into small fragments, so you don't need to worry about impaling yourself on a sharp blade of glass. You cannot break the glass by pounding on it with your fists. You can try kicking it, but that also might not work. The best way to shatter the window is to use a heavy piece of metal (hammer, hefty wrench, etc.) or a special spring-loaded glass-breaking punch. The punch takes almost no effort to break the window and you can find them available online for about $10.

If you are unable to escape before water reaches the level of the windows and begins to pour inside, you'll have to wait. Don't panic. You must allow the flow of water coming in through the windows to fill the interior enough to slow the flow and let you escape. The interior of the vehicle will need to be almost completely filled with water before you can get out. This is the most difficult time to remain calm, but it is vital that you do so. If other people are in the vehicle, do your best to calm everyone else and tell them what to do.

• get seatbelts off
• work to get windows or doors open
• wait until the vehicle fills with water
• talk about who will go first, second, third, etc.
• follow the air pocket and breathe

Take deep breaths of air as the vehicle fills, pressing your face up against the headliner to get the last of the air before escaping. The vehicle will probably sink nose-down because of the weight of the engine, and that might produce an air pocket in the back where you can breathe while you work out your survival plan with others who are in the car.

By the time the vehicle is full of water, you might be able to shove the doors open because the pressure will be equal on both sides of the door. Depending on the physical size of the occupants, that might be the only way out. If you can get the doors open while you're still breathing from the air pocket, so much the better.

When you're ready to go, take a last deep breath and hold it. Keep your eyes open so you can see your escape route. Then go.

Stay or Go — Part 1

Worst case scenario: You have driven so far back in the mountains that civilization is only a vague memory.  Without warning, your vehicle breathes its last, leaving you stranded.  This is the stuff of which headlines in tomorrow's newspaper are made.

Regardless of the kind of vehicle we use for mobility in the backcountry, it can be both a blessing and a curse.  On the benefit side, our wheels make it possible to cover a lot more ground in less time, be rested when we arrive at our destination, haul supplies and take passengers along for the ride.

But at the same time, the ability to cover a lot of ground means that we can get ourselves deeper into trouble, faster, than if we were left to foot travel alone.  Not only that, but most of us become almost totally dependent upon the vehicle, complacently expecting it to always work perfectly.  When the vehicle breaks down, it can become an ugly situation if the driver and passengers aren't prepared to face the possibility of either a long-term stay in the wilderness awaiting rescue, or a long hike home.  Preparation is the key to survival in the wilderness, but when it relates to a vehicle breakdown there are a lot of things that need to be considered before any final decisions are made about hiking out for help.

If you have prepared well for the trip, somebody knows exactly where you are and when you are expected to be back home.  If you have failed to notify friends, relatives and local authorities about where you're going and when you expect to be back, shame on you.  Of, if you have violated your "flight plan," double shame.

But we all do, don't we?  Something unexpected comes up and attracts us off in another direction, and Murphy's Law demands that if a breakdown is to occur it must occur in the most unlikely, inaccessible spot, miles from where we're supposed to be.

So, you have things to do and decisions to make.  In our worst case scenario, you are stranded and you aren't going to be able to get the vehicle back in running condition.         

Step One: Take a deep breath, relax and evaluate the situation.  It probably isn't as bad as you think.  Is anyone in your party dead?  Is there an immediate threat to anyone's life? (I'm talking immediate, as in the jaws of a famished grizzly snapped firmly on the tail pockets of your companion who is scrambling up the nearest tree).  In all likelihood, none of these conditions exist, and you should count this as a major blessing.

Step Two: Realize a couple of facts.  The fact that you drove there means that other people can also drive there, and you may end up being accidentally rescued by another passerby.  Also, your vehicle is much more visible than you are.

What this means is that if your decide to leave your vehicle and try to hoof it out, rescue teams in the air and on the ground will have more difficulty finding you.  They may find the truck, but miss seeing you.  This is especially true if you were to hike crosscountry rather than following the road.

        

Now it's decision time.  Do you stay or go? 

We'll explore the ramifications to answering that question tomorrow.

Teach The Children #2

A Guide for Parents

Keep Children Safe Among Strangers

There is no doubt that children are vulnerable. They are innocent, and trusting. By nature they don’t expect adults to do bad things, and this can leave them exposed to risk. Their innocence is one of the most delightful characteristics of children, and we don’t want to disengage them from that wonderful aspect of their life. But at the same time, in order to protect them, they must be taught how to remain safe when approached by strangers.

Hardly a day goes by in this country that there are not reports of children being abducted by strangers. Amber Alerts were developed to help catch the perpetrators after a child has been taken, but it is far better to prevent the abduction in the first place.

• Teach children that they should never go anywhere alone and they should never become separated from their friends while playing, because this leaves them in the most vulnerable position possible. Child predators always try to separate their victims from the company of friends or other children that are playing together in a group.
• Instruct your child that if a stranger approaches and tries to engage in conversation, the child is to run away as fast as possible before the stranger can get close.
• Teach your children to not be enticed by strangers who are trying to show them a puppy, offering them treats, or saying that the stranger is supposed to drive the child home. Tell your children that if anyone ever tries any of these tricks, they are to report the incident immediately to a teacher or some other trusted adult.
• Make a game of teaching your children to escape and evade by playing “keep away.” Train your child to take advantage of whatever obstacles are available that will slow a pursuer — such as running through a jungle gym or other playground equipment.
• Teach your child to run toward other people who are known to be safe, such as a teacher or a group of friends.
• Teach that the child should scream and yell for help while running away from the stranger. This will often turn the situation around and cause the perpetrator to leave the scene before he can be caught.
• Encourage your child to be very observant of details — color of clothing, height, skin color, hair color, color and type of vehicle, license plate numbers, etc. so a good description can be given to authorities. Make a game with your child of learning to quickly pick out details. Go to a park and observe people, asking your child to identify several specific details. Do the same with vehicles in a parking lot.

EXCEPTIONS

With all this training about avoiding strangers, there are situations in which children actually DO need to seek the help of strangers, and your children must understand how to recognize those conditions and what to do.

• If the child is lost, and people are searching for him or her, the searchers will be calling the child’s name. That indicates they the searchers are safe.
• But just because someone knows a child’s name does not mean they are a safe stranger — a schoolyard predator might learn a child’s name by simply asking another child.
• In an urban or suburban situation, a lost child (perhaps at the mall) will not hear search teams calling his/her name. When the child realizes he/she is lost, the proper thing to do is to find someone who is wearing a name badge or someone who is working behind a counter (store employee) and ask for help finding the parents. The child should not approach random adults.