How to Survive a Disaster

[Mark Armstrong]

Time Magazine had an interesting story recently on how to survive a disaster:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1810315,00.html

One interesting quote:

Härstedt began to strategize, tapping into some of the survival skills he had learned in the military. "I started to react very differently from normal. I started to say, 'O.K., there is option one, option two. Decide. Act.' I didn't say, 'Oh, the boat is sinking.' I didn't even think about the wider perspective." Like many survivors, Härstedt experienced the illusion of centrality, a coping mechanism in which the brain fixates on the individual experience. "I just saw my very small world."

[Navajo]

Read "Surviving the Extremes" by Kenneth Kamler, M.D.

He goes into great detail about how the body reacts and fuctions in different enviroments.

Of course you have to over look the constant evolution garbage that he constantly attributes everything too. But his descriptions of how the body fuctions and why and what it is doing in response to differnt events is excellent.

[Caplock50]

Gee, I thought it was my little secret. I call it 'prioritizing'. It's sort of like placing things in a target. I focus on what is immediate and needs taken care of right away; the 'bullseye'. Things that can wait a second are placed in the next circle out. And so on. My mind doesn't 'forget about' them, it's just that "I'll deal with them later; this *has* to be dealt with *now*."

[Tundra Gypsy]

I think a lot of preppers like myself, run 'scenarios' in our heads for different situations. We visualize ourselves taking some kind of action. I think this is a good way to be prepared if and when a situation should come to pass. For myself, I believe I would react right away to a disaster, because I've been training my brain for some time.

I think preppers are more alert to their surroundings too. If there was a fire in a hotel, I think we'd: 1) be aware immediately that something was wrong when smoke was first detected; 2)make a quick exit, not wait for someone to 'herd' us out the door; 3) or assist in some way.

[Seeker]

Good points, TG! Think how many more survivors of the towers would have gotten out if they had immediately headed for the stairs - instead of shutting down PC's, gathering personal effects, waiting for someone to take charge. How many fire drills go on at your workplace that you use to visit with friends from another floor instead of getting as far away from the building as you're allowed to?

[Samurai Jane]

Like many survivors, Härstedt experienced the illusion of centrality, a coping mechanism in which the brain fixates on the individual experience. "I just saw my very small world."
That's a good coping mechanism! It keeps you from being a sheeple.

I was in a classroom once when the tornado sirens went off. I was out in front of the crowd that was headed for the basement because my desk was nearest to the door. At the bottom of the stairs the basement door was closed, and some idiot yelled out "The door is locked!". The entire herd thundered back up the stairs into the hallway that all glass on one side. The door wasn't locked, but everyone was scattered and gone before I got to the door and opened it. It was a false alarm, but thinking about later, I decided I wouldn't risk my life going after terminally stupid people to try to tell them anything.