When It Hits the Fan/Personal Strategies and Know-how

Going adventuring The simplest and well proven strategy to get oneself out of trouble, is to announce to people that depend on you (coworkers, your boss, family, landlord, etc) where you are going and for how long. In the event that something happens, there will be a chance that someone will start questioning what happened to you as soon as the delay is detected, since they will not only have a vested interest on your wellbeing and safe return, but also in remembering the details of what you told them. Leaving behind copy of any plans made for the trip and a list of people that will be participating in the event and their contacts will also increase the chances of a successful rescue. Even if one gets into trouble outside of where one had planed to be, there will be some benefit in the knowledge where any rescue efforts will first be deployed, this may help or not, but will permit to make better choices regarding the situation. right|noframe|444px Keep in mind that the weather can change suddenly though. Just because it is warm when you begin your outing does not mean it will be warm the whole time. If there is a chance that the weather will turn cold, take along some cold weather gear as well. Check an almanac to see how cold it can get during the time you are planning to be out. As we have covered planning what to pack and predicting what will need is a basic to ensure that you will be able to not only enjoy your projected outing but offers a greater chance of success in the face of the unpredictable. Clothing Warm Weather Clothing Here is a list of clothing appropriate for a warm-weather outing, with extras included just in case the weather turns nasty, which you should never underestimate the chance of happening, anytime! Thick socks Shorts Polypropylene long-johns/woolen trousers, NEVER JEANS, remember cotton kills Polypropylene long sleeve top Light Shirt (short sleeve) Wind Stopper Hat with a wide brim Woolen hat, just in case Sturdy boots Rain Jacket, just in case Sunscreen (not technically clothing but essential) Cold Weather Clothing Remember to dress in layers. This will allow you to control your temperature better. When dressing in layers put lightest layers closest to you. This will make them easier to remove without losing a lot of heat. In cold weather, you do not want to sweat, because that will soak your clothing and chill you. If you find yourself working up a sweat, remove a layer of clothing, or open a zipper. Rely on wool or polypropylene rather than on cotton as these stay warm even when wet. There is a popular saying among experienced outdoorsmen that "Cotton kills." This is because when cotton gets wet, it steals the body's heat which can lead to hypothermia and death. Your outer layer should be wind-proof, as this greatly increases the warmth of your clothing. This includes: Thermal Underwear Light shirts Heavy Shirts Wool Sweater Wind Breaker Fleece Pants Nylon Pants or snow pants Overcoat Wool Socks Boots Warm Hat Sleepwear For comfortable sleeping and for modesty on overnight trips, bring pajamas or a sweat suit. In many places where it is warm during the day it gets cold at night, so be prepared. Miscellaneous Gear Foil Blanket An emergency foil blanket (also known as a Space blanket, Mylar blanket, first aid blanket, thermal blanket or weather blanket) is a blanket used in emergencies to reduce heat losses in a person's body caused by thermal radiation, water evaporation and convection. This is a very low-cost, light-weight and compact addition to your kit. It has so many uses besides exposure prevention, in the rain it could be used to repel water or used for clean water collection. Also makes for a big signaling device. Dealing with extreme temperatures Cold Extreme cold snaps are hazardous to humans and their livestock. In a 2003 Mongolian cold snap, almost 30,000 livestock animals perished due to excessive snow and cold. When the temperature drops, caloric intake must increase to maintain body heat or for shivering . Cold, especially in combination with other inclement weather is especially deadly . Avoid wind, water and direct contact with heat sapping surfaces (rock, ice). Oil/Grease as a barrier for cold. Heat A heat wave is a disaster characterized by heat which is considered extreme and unusual in the area in which it occurs. Heat waves are rare and require specific combinations of weather events to take place, and may include temperature inversions, katabatic winds, or other phenomena. The worst heat wave in recent history was the European Heat Wave of 2003. Restrict the use of using unknown oils/grease for protection, importance of hydration, avoid drinking alcohol and physical exertion, seek shade, create sun shelters, consideration about the sun. Avalanches, mudslides and landslides Avalanche An avalanche is a slippage of built-up snow down an incline, possibly mixed with ice, rock, soil or plant life in what is called a debris avalanche. Avalanches are categorized as either a slab or powder avalanche. Avalanches are a major danger in the mountains during the winter as a large one can run for miles, and can create massive destruction of the lower forest and anything else in its path. For example, in Montroc, France, in 1999 300,000 cubic meters of snow slid on a 30 degree slope, achieving a speed of 100 km/h. It killed 12 people in their chalets under 100,000 tons of snow, 5 meters deep. The Mayor of Chamonix was charged with manslaughter. (See http://www.pistehors.com/articles/avalanche/montroc.htm). Possibly mine and add link to Avalanche survival strategies for different parts of a flowing avalanche Mudslide A mudslide is a slippage of mud because of poor drainage of rainfall through soil. An underlying cause is often deforestation or lack of vegetation. Some mudslides are massive and can decimate large areas. On January 10, 2005 at 1:20pm in La Conchita, a massive mudslide buried four blocks of the town in over 30 feet of earth. Ten people were killed by the slide and 14 were injured. Of the 166 homes in the community, fifteen were destroyed and 16 more were tagged by the county as uninhabitable. Landslide A landslide is a disaster closely related to an avalanche, but instead of occurring with snow, it occurs involving actual elements of the ground, including rocks, trees, parts of houses, and anything else which may happen to be swept up. Landslides can be caused by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, or general instability in the surrounding land. Mudslides, or mud flows, are a special case of landslides, in which heavy rainfall causes loose soil on steep terrain to collapse and slide downwards (see also Lahar); these occur with some regularity in parts of California after periods of heavy rain. Sink hole A localized depression in the surface topography, usually caused by the collapse of a subterranean structure, such as a cave. Although rare, large sinkholes that develop suddenly in populated areas can lead to the collapse of buildings and other structures. Civil disorder Civil disorder is a broad term that is typically used by law enforcement to describe one or more forms of disturbance. Examples of disastrous civil disorder include, but are not necessarily limited to: riots; sabotage; and other forms of crime. Although civil disorder does not necessarily escalate to a disaster in all cases the event may escalate into general chaos. Power outage A power outage is not immediately a disaster, however, an extended power outage can strain a community and cause sufficient hardship to cause deaths in a community. A power outage may also jeopardize company's ability to stay solvent by preventing normal business activities. For this reason, business continuity planning normally addresses the possibility of an outage on the organizations core functions. A power outage at the same time as another disaster may exacerbate the severity of the incident by hampering disaster response teams. Radiation Contamination Related article: Chernobyl accident Related article: Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki When nuclear weapons are detonated or nuclear containment systems are otherwise compromised, airborne radioactive particles (fallout) can scatter and irradiate large areas. Ionizing radiation is hazardous to living things, and in such a case much of the affected area could be unsafe for human habitation. The former Soviet republic of Belarus was part of a scenario like this in 1986 after a reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant suffered a meltdown. Crash (plane or other fast moving vehicle) w:Brace position Shipwreck A shipwreck is what remains of a ship that has wrecked, either sunk or beached. Whatever the cause, a sunken ship or a wrecked ship is a physical example of the event: this explains why the two concepts are often overlapping in English 1904 General Slocum disaster Related article: MV Wilhelm Gustloff (~9000 dead) Related article: RMS Titanic (1,517 dead) Related article: USS Indianapolis (CA-35) (~800 dead) Telecommunication outage A telecommunications outage is not immediately a disaster, however, an extended telecommunications outage can strain a company's ability to stay solvent by cutting them off from their clients, vendors and business partners. For this reason, business continuity planning normally addresses the possibility of an outage on the organization's core functions. A telecommunication outage at the same time as another disaster may exacerbate the severity of the incident by hampering disaster response teams. Supplies strategies Managing your scarce resources, that are not limited to food or water, is a prioritizing task. What can you spare, what will last longer and what can be replaced, substituted or traded. All this will depend on the emergency situation you find yourself in, and what resources you got or can forage for. What to eat first If the electricity is gone, or you can't rely on it, your fridge and freezer isn't going to be working. It'll keep the food cold for a day or two though, depending on the outside temperature and how often you open the doors. So, eat this stuff, and any other soon-to-go-off food, like cream cakes or whatever, first. Leave tinned and dried food till as late as possible. Food and water rationing The requirement for water varies dramatically, depending on temperature, age and workload. 2 Litres per day is usually recommended as the minimum amount, but this can be more in hot weather or with a high workload, and people have been known to survive on a lot less. Likewise, you can probably survive three or more weeks without food, but after three days you'll feel sick and tired. People's calorific requirements vary, so some people can do a days work fine on 1000 calories or less, but other people will find it impossible to live on less than 2000 calories even if they're not doing anything. Caching Be careful not to show off your vast stockpiles of food, warm clothing, toilet paper etc. Otherwise people will either begin congregating and asking to share your resources. Or they might come around in the night with guns and sticks and not be so polite in obtaining what they want.