If the roads are out or overcrowded, the best way to make it to a safe position may be by water.

While land travel can be an efficient way to transport people and supplies, roads and trails are subject to degradation and damage over time. For some people, a body of water can be the optimal way of travel. However, aquatic travel can be incredibly dangerous, and proper precautions must be taken to avoid injury and death in the event of something going wrong. In this article, we’ll discuss planning a water escape. In part two, we’ll go over the types of watercraft you can use and where those craft excel.

Have a Plan
If you live near a body of water, check to see if it provides a path to your desired destination in the event of a disaster. Have maps of the area that detail your route and hazards you may encounter.

Remember that conditions can change in a heartbeat on the water. Gather as much knowledge as you can about flows and tides on your body of water. Rivers will have different flows for different seasons, which can pose new hazards as the depths rise and fall.

Start troubleshooting after planning your route. Are there points where things could fail? Are there alternate routes to dangerous areas? Keep in mind that on some rivers, there may be areas that you won’t be able to navigate on the water. In these cases, mark portages on your maps.

Prepare Your Equipment
Your first priority in preparing a water escape after planning should be to make sure you have the necessary safety equipment. A properly fitting life jacket is essential and will be instrumental to your survival should your watercraft capsize or if you are forced to evacuate. If possible, try to find one that has pockets on the front. Be sure that you keep a signal whistle, light source and cutting tool on your life vest. A white water helmet may also be necessary for your route.

Keep sensitive items in waterproof containers or bags. Keep your maps in waterproof sheets that you can secure to yourself.

Make sure you have the tools and materials to repair your watercraft should it be damaged. Dents, scrapes and holes are especially prevalent in river travel, where craft can hit rocks and other hazards while traveling over rapids.

The type of watercraft you choose will also make a difference in how you travel across a body of water. We’ll go over these in part two.

Physical Fitness
Anyone traveling by water should be capable of swimming to shore.  Be sure you can swim at least 500 yards using breaststroke or sidestroke as well as tread water for five minutes. Although you should always wear a life jacket, keeping yourself fit will help ensure your ability to survive out on the water.

Rehearse
Take your watercraft and travel your route to your desired destination. If you have a GPS, use tracking to show your route in relation to your maps. When traveling, remember to take your time. Too much haste can lead to mistakes, which can lead to injury or worse.

After your run through, troubleshoot again. Check where your plan failed or encountered difficulties. Travel your route again and continue to troubleshoot until you feel comfortable. When in an actual escape, having the muscle memory and familiarity with your route will help you overcome stress and ultimately ensure that you arrive at your destination safely.

Don’t go Alone
Water escapes should not be done alone. Having a partner or team will help you cross water quickly and will also be able to assist you in case of emergencies.

 

 

This is your body under pressure.
Hormones rocket like flaming ping pong balls all around your brain. Your breathing turns fast and erratic. Your heart pounds mercilessly but your blood vessels have constricted, choking off the flow of vital oxygen. Your muscles are at DEFCON 1. Maximum readiness.

There are two results that can come from pressure. It can be what inspires us to complete fantastic feats or it can make us falter under our own weight, dropping the ball when our performance means everything.

It can set in over a period of a few days or hours. Work slowly piles up. Orders build up in the kitchen of our minds, the dinner rush soon growing unstable and furious. Confusion leads to stress. Stress leads to panic. At the office, on a family camping trip, or in a small beach down with a tsunami bearing down on you, you must manage your stress levels or face the consequences.

Fearless first responders, flame singed chefs, and world famous elite athletes each have something to teach us all about how to stay calm when life cranks up the pressure.

1:Prioritize problems by working triage. 
The train smashed into a semi struck loaded with steel at 9:47pm. On that night in March of  1999, the citizens of Bourbonnais, Illinois experienced one of the biggest accidents in US history.  An Amtrak train collided with the truck that was blocking the crossing, resulting in 11 deaths and over 122 injuries.

When first responders arrive on the scene like this one, they’re overwhelmed with tasks almost instantaneously. All of a sudden, every move they make and every second they spend pondering a choice could mean the difference between the life or death of a total stranger. The situation is chaotic, filled with noise and disturbing scenes. From the very first moments, they use a system called START, or “simple triage and rapid treatment”.

They immediately begin organizing and evaluating victims based on their condition. They quickly and confidently place the injured into one of four categories: Immediate (red), Delayed (yellow), Walking Wounded/Minor (green), and Deceased/Expectant (black). Responders are instructed to follow practiced protocols and evaluate each victim in only a minute or two. They instruct anyone who can wait for delayed treatment to move away to a specific area, leaving those who need more urgent care identified and accessible.

First responders are well-trained and practice frequently for situations just like this. The START triage process requires confidence and education. But that doesn’t mean you can’t use something like it to manage yourself in your own stressful situations.

When you have a 10 car pileup of important tasks crashing in your brain, stop and work triage on the list. Move the tasks that can be delayed away from the tasks that need urgent attention. If the situation is confusing and uncomfortable, get a bead on what you do know and focus on that. Being able to discern the differences between what’s essential and what can wait can earn you precocious seconds when time is short.

2:Stay organized to avoid confusion.
Keeping your various projects organized can help you stay calm while others are in the weeds.  Unpredictability ramps up stress and pressure to unmanageable levels. Staying organized keeps life predictable, and that can do wonders for scaling down the stress.

Popular restaurants are able to keep large rushes of customers happy and full with a kitchen crew that is fast and, above all, meticulously organized. By staying organized, chefs and cooks handle the stress and chaos of flying orders while wielding razor sharp knives and flaming hot pans.

By dividing up the work into organized stations, successful kitchens manage to handle thousands of meals every week. A trained cook at the saute, grill, fry, and salad stations can field hundreds of orders each night with the confidence that the others are also doing their part. The stations are organized to work together and create a finalized order that would be impossible for only one cook to prepare.

How does a restaurant kitchen relate to your survival? In more ways than you think, it turns out.

Clutter and chaos is hazardous to your health. Research shows that people who are surrounded by clutter and unfinished projects have increased depression and stress levels. These affect your sleep, your eating  habits, and ultimately your ability to handle tasks effectively. Unorganized people often feel ashamed of the appearance their office or home, and in turn may avoid more investing in deeper relationships.

Keep your supplies and gear in the same easily accessible location for quick access. Divide complex projects up into more manageable sections and assign tasks to others based on their skills. Fight against the negative effects of unpredictable situations by planning well. Look ahead and learn about what supplies or skills you may need well in advance.

3:Make pressure work for you.
Pressure has a negative effect on just about every part of our movement and our ability to plan and solve problems. Stress hurts our bodies and inhibits our success. It would all seem to result in pressure causing worse performance, not better. But you can take the pressure and turn it around. You can actually make high stakes moments work for you, not against you.

How? Looking at athletes who consistently perform at high levels can illustrate just how it can work.

For elite athletes, exceedingly high expectations and a fear of failure can pile up and drastically inhibit performance. It’s vital that they learn to block out the millions of eyes that they know are watching their every move and act on instinct and training. How do they move past fans’ expectations of near flawless play night after night, often under punishing physical circumstances? They fail. And they do it frequently.

They’ve learned to make pressure work for them by understanding the inevitability of mistakes. They, very unlike their fans, understand their limits and accept imperfections. They expect success and work insanely hard to achieve it, but they know that on any night they may win or they may lose. The outcome of the contest may even rest upon their shoulders and they could very well fumble the opportunity. All they can do is put in every single ounce of effort they can muster and hope that they are in a place that makes success inevitable.

Don’t let a fear of mistakes and missteps stop you from doing your absolute best to handle a high pressure situation. Every hand is needed in a crisis. Emergencies don’t wait to happen to people who are prepared, they happen to anyone and everyone regardless of ability and preparation. No, you may not execute every task with perfect skill, but you fearlessly did your best to make the situation better. An that’s what counts in the end.

You can’t avoid pressure. You can’t live a life with no stress. The best you can do is prepare. Learning what it takes to lead, study what it takes to handle yourself in the face of chaos, and practice what it takes to survive.

 

It’s the seemingly small skills that can mean the difference between surviving and thriving. They’re easy to master and cheap to practice. The summer is a great time to spend some time outside working on some manual skills that we should all at least have some idea how to do. We’ve chosen some basic skills that don’t take too much time or money to practice and that can be done in a small backyard. They’re perfect for including your family and friends and are fun ways to be active outdoors.

1.Stack Firewood
Whether grown at home or purchased, stacking firewood is the best way to ensure that it’s dry and efficient to burn. Dry wood burns best, so the key to a quality stack is exposing the ends of each piece so that the sun and breezes can dry it out over six months or so. If you can, use the Hammock method and stack between two trees about 15 feet apart and use them as end posts. If such trees aren’t available, you can support the ends of the pile with anything stable, such as a fence post.

The style of your stack is your individual choice as long as you don’t stack too tightly, allowing space for air to circulate through the pile. Alternating your pieces in a north-south then east-west fashion can increase stability and air flow. Use pallets, cement blocks, or stones to keep the wood up off of the ground and any moisture that accumulates.

Stack the wood with some irregularities and split logs in certain spots to avoid any long vertical seams that can make the pile unsteady. Protect against rain by overlapping split pieces along the top with the bark side up like roof shingles or by covering with a tarp. Just be sure that the stack stays open to let air and heat circulate. Don’t forget the need for quarter-split logs and kindling, which can be kept nearby.

What You’ll Need: a purchased or self-cut cord (128 cubic feet of wood that ends up as a stack 4ft. high, 8ft. long, and 4ft. deep) of wood, gardening gloves, a location that gets sun and breezes, dark colored tarp (optional).

2.Build a Campfire
There are many ways to build a campfire, but the one you should practice making is a Log Cabin style campfire. It’s easy to build, stable, and very hot. Start by creating a clean and clear circle in which to build your fire. Either dig a small pit about 6-8 inches deep if the ground is soft enough or create a ring of large stones. Be sure that the area is clear and far away any danger of starting unintended fires.

The key to a Log Cabin style campfire is a strong and hot core with plenty of fuel. The dry and organized wood from your stack that’s been seasoning all summer long will work nicely. Assemble a nice amount of kindling material. Soft and dry grasses and leaves that catch fire quickly will form the bottom layer and pencil thin sticks that snap easily will be the kindling level.

Start with a flat and dry spot on the ground. Dig a small ditch about one inch deep in the soil. This will hold an initial bundle of kindling and will be at the center of your Log Cabin structure. Around your small ditch place three wrist-sized pieces of wood, leaving the open end facing away from any breeze. keep this small ditch accessible at all times as you build the structure, since you’ll ignite the fire by placing a bundle of kindling (or match, lighter, or fire-starter) in the trench.

Build your structure up by alternating perpendicular logs on one level and small dry kindling above it. This ensures that the core of the structure burns nice and hot right from the start. Any larger wood pieces should be on the outside of each perpendicular level to keep the structure stable. Each layer should be made up of pieces and kindling slightly larger than the last. Ignite your structure through the trench at the base and each level will catch the next above it, resulting in a hot and stable campfire.

What You’ll Need: 15-20 dry pieces of wrist-sized wood, plenty of pencil-sized and dry kindling material, and a clear and dry place to build a fire.

3.Cook a Fish on Hot Coals
As your campfire dies down you’ll be left with a glowing bed of hot coals. After some practice you’ll be able to manipulate a bed of coals to create delicious meals equal to anything you could cook up on a grill or stove-top. To start, use a longer piece of wood to arrange the coals into a flat surface. When the coals are glowing red and you can’t hold your hand over them for more than a few seconds, they’re hot enough to cook on.

For adventure’s sake, head to the grocery store and choose a whole fish with the head, tail, and scales still intact. A trout or red snapper is an excellent choice. A fully thawed fish will cook best. Unless it’s a freshly caught fish, the cleaning has been done for you. If you’ve been keeping a small herb garden this is the perfect chance to use them by stuffing the inside of the fish with herbs and slices of lemon or any fruit for flavor.

You can place your fish in a nice bed of aluminum foil, but if you’re more adventurous and actually prepping for a time when no foil is handy, use large moistened leaves such as banana or oak to wrap up your fish. Secure the little package with moistened twine. Just be sure you’re using a leaf that’s safe to cook with. In the case of fish, you can place the fish directly on the coals without any foil or leaves, but it will take practice to cook it with minimal ash or dirt getting on the meat.

After 6 or so minutes on each side, your fish should be ready. Depending on the size of the fish and the heat, it may take longer. Double check that you can easily pierce the skin with a knife or fork and that the meat is firm and flakes away easily. Let your fish cool a little and then pick it apart, keeping watch for any bones.

What You’ll Need: A flat and hot bed of coals, sturdy aluminum foil or large edible leaves and twine for wrapping, freshly caught or fully thawed fish

Now that the weather is warm get outside and start experimenting with these skills. Prepping doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom. Practicing these skills is a great way to get your family and friends involved and make practical survival skills into regular events.

 

 

Carl Sagan, the famous astrophysicist and astronomer, once said, “Extinction is the rule. Survival is the exception.” As survivalists, we all know that extinction is inevitable. We can’t know when and we can’t know where, but we do know that eventually, we will have to rely on our knowledge and training in order to keep ourselves alive.

Ultimately, it’s up to us to decide if we are to be part of the rule or part of the exception to which Mr. Sagan so wisely alluded. If you’re reading this, you’re probably part of the growing number of Americans who will take it upon themselves to ensure their survival when a disaster or imminent threat of some kind puts us and our society at risk of collapse.

Prepping for this type of event takes significant time, energy, and training. If you plan on being the exception to the rule, if you plan on making it out alive, there are some questions that you should ask yourself.

Are you ready for armed or unarmed combat?
There are a few theories out there about the effectiveness of firearms in the wake of a disaster. Some argue that relying on guns for survival is the best way to protect themselves. There is no match against their power in self-defense, that’s for sure. Choosing to carry a firearm, knife, pepper spray, or other weapon is a personal decision (in most places in America at least), and opinions vary as to if it’s really necessary.

No matter what side you’re on, you’ll still need to ask yourself if you are ready to protect yourself, with a weapon or without. Self-defense may not be at the forefront of your mind right now, but when the law enforcement agencies you depend on for safety have been rendered helpless an attack or other event, the ability to protect yourself becomes paramount.

Take the time to sign up for and complete a basic self-defense class. Even if you don’t want to own one, at least learn how to respect and use a firearm if your life depended on it. These skills could one day make extinction not so inevitable after all.

How sustainable are your resources?
We all know that we won’t survive for long without clean water and food. Without hydration and adequate nutrition, we’re useless. Extinction is inevitable. But notice that this question isn’t about whether you have stockpiles of food and water. The question is if your resources are sustainable over time.

Those cans of Beefaroni and giant glass jugs of water are going to run out, and will probably do so much faster that you think. Sustainable resources for yourself mean the same thing as for our planet. Sustainability is the ability to continue to feed ourselves long after the supplies are gone. You can’t go to the store and buy resource sustainability like you would a stove or tent. It’s a skill that must be mastered.

Sustainable resources for human survival center around a source of clean, dependable water and the ability to grow and hunt food. Practice gathering rainwater at home and discover the many ways it can be used. Even if you choose to grow just some small herbs in your kitchen, you’re learning about how to plant and cultivate a sustainable resource. Self-reliance means that you are the one in control of feeding yourself, and that takes practice and knowledge.

Are you prepared for physical and emotional stress?
If there’s a theme here, it’s that if you want to be the exception rather than the rule, you’re going to have to work at it. Survival can’t be purchased at Cabella’s or entrusted to a shotgun. Let’s tackle the issue of physical stress first. The amount of work your body will need to accomplish in order to stay alive is probably unfathomable right now. For example, if it’s a natural disaster, you’ll need to move yourself and your gear over a number of miles to get to a safe place, all under dangerous weather conditions.

Consider what your mind and brain will go through when you come to the realization that every part of society that was put in place for your protection is now worthless. Could that be a little tough to handle? If loved ones are killed or injured in an attack or disaster your entire emotional foundation could be rocked. It’s essential to have a leadership and problem-solving skills that will keep you focused.

Fortunately, it’s doesn’t have to be doom and gloom. There are tons of opportunities out there for building these skills while still having fun with your family. Hiking and backpacking trips are great ways to practice teamwork and communication skills. If you have trouble getting motivated to exercise, consider how crucial physical strength is to your survival. Lifting some weights might not seem important, but if that strength might one day be used to carry a child away from a fire it suddenly takes on a whole new meaning.

Anyone who isn’t able to confidently answer any of these questions will hopefully start training and learning with more focus. There is no doubt that some kind of traumatic event can ruin all of what we’ve come to depend on, so any extra preparations can do nothing but help. Keep stopping by ShadowFoxHQ and we’ll share our knowledge and tips for making the most of your training.

When Carrie Mattingly lost control of her SUV on an icy road, she and her daughter went headlong into a nearby pond. The Washington state residents crashed through a fence and had precious seconds to get out with their lives. Continue reading “How to Escape a Sinking Car” »

Skiers love taking on whatever the mountain can dish out. There is nothing better than hitting fresh powder in the backcountry with friends. Canada’s CBC news reported that sales of backcountry ski equipment were up 40 percent at the start of the 2012-13 season and backcountry is no longer a fringe sector.  Ski big, ski fearless, but keep your head on straight. Don’t be the one that needs to be rescued in the backcountry.

Skiing Apparel Crucial to Safety
You have to wear the right gear if you’re spending all day outside in the winter wilderness. The right clothing and equipment will make sure you come home with some legendary tales of skiing the backcountry .

Dress in three layers when carving up the backcountry. A base layer closest to your skin should be form fitting and comfortable. Cotton materials get too wet when you sweat, so choose a wicking and fast drying set of long underwear. The second layer should be clothing items that trap warm air and keep it close to you. Fleece vests or jackets are great options for a second layer. The third layer for skiing is a pair of ski pants and a sturdy ski jacket. They should be waterproof to prevent melting snow from weighing you down. Since skiing requires lots of movement, a ski jacket should fit closely but not restrict movement.

You’ll be much better off using skiing equipment that fits you correctly. Buy backcountry gear at a store that has staff that will help you find the right equipment in the right size. Ask them about freeride gear that can adapt to any type of skiing. Sometimes you really have to spend the extra money to rent any gear that you need instead of borrowing someone else’s equipment.

The Best Way to Stay Safe While Skiing in the Backcountry
There is no way around it; Skiing alone can be very dangerous. Snow, cold wind, and injury are all things that can ruin a day on the mountain. Take a friend out into the backcountry and you’ll both enjoy the fresh powder even more.

Someone else should know where you’ll be skiing and what runs you’re taking. If something happens, they will know where to find you and bring help. Stay in touch with a set of outdoor walkie-talkies while you’re in the backcountry with a group. Getting separated in the wilderness can mean serious problems and you don’t want your friends risking their necks to search for you.

New skiers always want to go big. Be smart. Definitely know what types of slopes and runs you belong on. A backcountry run that scares you probably isn’t a good choice. Live to challenge another day. A green circle, blue square, black diamond will indicate the skill levels required to safely enjoy the slope. Test yourself, but do it with a skilled partner who knows what they’re doing.

Take breaks to catch your breath and get some food. Because of the colder winter temperatures, many skiers can’t tell they are sweating and tired. Take time between each run to stay hydrated with water or sports drink and fueled up with food that serves up big calories.

Cold Weather Survival
If you want to check out the wilderness and push the limits of the mountain, there is no better way than backcountry skiing. The runs are fast and the skies are clear but even then skiers can overlook crucial danger signs.

Know the signs of a possible avalanche. IF you’re buried in an avalanche, you have no more than 5 minutes before serious danger sets in. Recent avalanches in the area, recent heavy snow or rain, and windblown snow drifts could mean that an avalanche may happen in the area. Avoid trails or runs that seem like they have unsteady snow.

Slow speech, slurred words, sleepiness, and unstable emotions could be signs of Hypothermia. This can happen because of extended exposure to the cold. If this happens, get the person indoors if possible.  Restore warmth slowly. Remove any wet clothing and replace it with blankets and dry clothes. Give the person warm liquids to increase their body temperature.

Skiing is the best way to soak up all that fresh snowfall. Keep pushing limits and crushing snow. The mountain awaits.

No water. Are you ready? The human body can make it about three days before dying of crippling thirst. Our bodies are mostly made of water, so when we are without it our bodies can no longer function. Read below and you’ll know ways to bring precious water to your body.

Gather Rainwater with a Simple Tarp and Bucket
When rain falls you need to have a trap that has plenty of surface area. A traditional plastic tarp is a great way to gather a maximum amount of water in a short amount of time. The set up takes very little effort but the results can quench a desperate thirst.

  • Find two tree branches 4-5 feet in length. Drive one end of each into the ground so they stand solidly about 3 feet apart. Tie one end of the tarp to the top of each stick using some paracord, long grasses, or bark from a willow tree.
  • A bucket, bowl, or other container will do just fine for a water trap. At the place where the other ends of the tarp lay upon the ground, dig a hole that fits your container. Use your remaining paracord, tall grasses, or tough tree bark to tie the other two ends of the tarp together.
  • As the rain falls, the tarp will gather the water and it will flow downwards into the container.

How to Gather Rainwater from the Roof
The roof of your home or shelter is a natural rainwater trap. Take advantage of this to bring gallons of water every time it rains. Be sure to filter this water, as it will contain whatever nasty particles that may have gathered on your roof tiles.

  • Depending on the style of your gutters, you can extend the spout to divert rainwater into a large container like a barrel or large container.
  • Keep cleanliness in mind. The runoff container should have a lid that is secure and that will keep out leaves, dirt, and animals.
  • Be aware that your container may fill to the top with water. To stop flooding and overflow, divert the path of the water back to the gutter spout or into a second container.

Use an Umbrella to Gather Rain Water
Sure, it’s a stretch. But when things get desperate you need to be ready to take advantage of any materials you find. An umbrella is usually for keeping rainwater away in everyday circumstances. When you’re desperate for a drink, getting soaked by the rain is of little concern.

  • Take an umbrella that is broken or has been discarded and flip it over.
  • Poke a few small holes in the umbrella so that it can drain as it gathers rain.
  • Place the upside down umbrella on a 5-gallon bucket or container to gather the rain the drips through.

Humans cannot make it for long without water. Without food and shelter, your odds are a bit better. Use these tactics to start gathering a supply of rainwater as soon as you can for the best results.

A lost hiker should be found as soon as possible. You must know these tips for tracking a person in the wilderness. If not, the lost person faces an increased risk of harm. Local and national authorities search for thousands of missing people every year. There are many dangers around and finding them as quickly as possible is the first priority.

When a person you know goes missing in the wilderness, there are strategies to follow to make sure you stay on their trail and locate them quickly.

What to Look for When Tracking a Lost Hiker 
There are a few things to keep watch for when tracking a human in the wilderness. Signs are everywhere if you can train your eye to look for them. There are a number of ways to tell if a person was recently in the area.

  • Torn clothing can be a giveaway. If a person is struggling or hiking quickly, they might leave clothing behind or get it snagged on tree branches.
  • Small pieces of trash and food wrappers are signs that a person recently rested or made camp in the area. Most people just out exploring don’t leave garbage, but a person who is desperate won’t worry about littering.

How to Find A Hiker’s Footprints and Tracks
Footprints aren’t always easy to see due to the variety of surfaces in the wilderness. A hiker’s footprints will also change depending on the surface and weather.

  • Look for small impressions on beds of small plants or moss.
  • When going uphill, toes dig into the soil for traction. On a downhill, people’s heels tend to land first and make impressions.
  • Is the lost hiker a tall person or short? This changes the distance in stride and where the next print is likely to be found.
  • Watch for changes in surfaces. For example, sand and snow will stick to boots and will transfer onto pavement.

When You Look for a Lost Hiker, Form a Team for the Best Results
The best way to track down a person is by forming a search team. More eyes are always better than just two.

  • One person should work as the point person and two others should stay behind as the search takes place. Those in the back should not be directly behind, but should be at the right or left rear of the point searcher.
  • A search team can also have roles so that each person is dedicated to a certain aspect. One can keep eyes trained on the ground while the other scans low-lying trees and shrubs for signs.

Every year, thousands of hikers go missing in the wilderness. It doesn’t take much to get turned around among the trees and trails. If panic and danger is added in the results can be disastrous. Timing is the key to finding a lost person. Follow these steps and work quickly for the best results.

“It was like a slap from a giant.”
This is how a survivor of the 2004 tsunami that struck 12 countries bordering the Indian Ocean described the first wave. An otherwise peaceful morning with crisp blue skies turned to a muddy brown nightmare in the blink of an eye. In an area of the world dominated by pristine beaches and putting scooters skimming along small streets, towering ocean waves brought destruction and snatched the lives of around 300,000 people in a single morning.

On December 26, the day after Christmas, locals and tourists in Khao Lak Thailand were forever changed by a few swift strokes from the mighty Indian Ocean. This area was one of the hardest hit, with a tourist mortality rate of 50% and local residents of around 70%. Because of the poor housing conditions in some areas, the statistics concerning those missing and injured will be forever unknown.

What to Expect in a Tsunami
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a tsunami is a series of waves, or a “wave train”, resulting from shifts in the sea floor that happen after an earthquake, volcano, or other types of natural events that alter the sea’s geography. Tsunami waves can regularly reach heights of 50 feet and can repeat themselves for several hours.

There are many stories to come out of this horrific event, but that of American John Thompson stands to teach us much about survival in such lightening fast scenarios. John arrived in Khao Lak a one day earlier and had spent the time exploring the area around his hotel and enjoying a Christmas dinner and dessert at some local spots. The next morning, while lying in bed, he felt some vibrations in the building that lasted maybe two minutes. Not thinking too much of it, he continued enjoying his day by riding a rented scooter around the area.

After heading down to the beach to snap some photos of a small boat and a bay that he thought seemed a bit strange, he realized just what was happening around him. John and others down on the beach began sprinting away from the oncoming wave. He ran beside other locals and beachgoers, desperately taking shots with his camera over his shoulder of what he considered to just be a “big wave” that was obviously not stopping at the sand like any other. The wave that ultimately tackled the peaceful coast that morning averaged a towering height of 24 feet.

Be Prepared to Make Split-Second Choices
During his life-saving sprint away from the rushing water, John was confronted with a choice that would eventually save his life. To continue running up the street meant putting distance between himself and the wave, but diving into a nearby hotel could offer crucial protection. John chose the sturdy building and sprinted to its highest point. This split-second decision was what most likely left him alive to tell the tale. It only demonstrates that survival situations demand quick thinking and reward wise decisions.

Perhaps the best way to honor the causalities and displaced survivors of the 2004 tsunami is to learn from what happened and carry those lessons with us in future excursions. Overall, the catastrophe teaches us that we could be separated from our friends, loved ones, and belongings in an instant. It may seem strange, but when you arrive in an area where tsunami’s might occur, become familiar with the local buildings and streets as they relate to the beachfront.

The Correct Way to Prepare for a Tsunami
Your familiarity with these routes and buildings could be what save you should disaster strike. As you do this, make a plan with loved ones so that if you are separated you will all know where to find each other. Pick a local landmark that everyone can find and designate a meeting spot or two so that no matter what happens a central location is set. Disaster does not wait for you to pack up your suitcase.  Be sure to have a small backpack with some necessities should you only have precious seconds to grab and go.

Understanding how rushing waves and water work can work in your favor. Water moves along the path of least resistance. This usually means waves hit hardest the streets and alleyways that offer little in the way of buildings or boundaries. A sturdy building that offers high stories or a path that heads uphill could be your best bet when given just quick moments to decide which way to go for safety. Since tsunamis often follow earthquakes, heed nature’s warning by moving to higher ground should you feel an earthquake. Concerning the water, a last chance effort can be made to grab onto some item that floats and is big enough to support your weight.

John Thompson’s story of survival shows us that disaster doesn’t wait or discriminate. What matters in situations like these is preparation and quick decisions that ensure survival. A tsunami is a devastating threat from the natural world, but you can still enjoy the beauty of nature while being prepared to survive.