SEAL Survival Guide (34 page)

In this alternate method, position yourself next to a sturdy piece of furniture so that if a wall collapses, it will create a crawl space or void space in which you can survive.

Stay put until the shaking has stopped. It will rarely last longer than a minute, although it may feel like an eternity.

Aftermath

If you were at home or in your apartment when the earthquake hit, and you escaped physical injury, then get up and go outside immediately. Aftershocks can occur from minutes to days after the first major shake. The next one could bring the structure down.

If you live in a single-family house, make sure all gas lines are closed at the main, and turn off the electrical breaker; there may be loose and bare wires that can cause fires. You should be able to do both of these from outside your home. You should never attempt to reenter a building after an earthquake unless a structural engineer approves it as safe to do so.

Don’t think that the danger is over because the earthquake has stopped. Aftershocks continue for days following the initial earthquake and frequently do more damage to structures already compromised. Some aftershocks are just as strong as the first tremor.

If you are on the move, be alert and remember that what was once normal landscape is now a very different environment. Postquake dangers are numerous.

• Avoid entering structures without approval, unless for rescue purposes. (See “Search and Rescue,”
page 273
.)

• Sleep outdoors, make a shelter, or go to a designated shelter center. If in a city, try to set up a base in a park or wide-open area.

• If living in a coastal region, get to high ground as quickly as possible because of the possibility of a tidal wave (See “Flash Flood, Flooding, and Tsunami,”
page 167
.)

• Avoid bridges, overpasses, and elevated walkways.

• Watch out for downed power lines.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU’RE BURIED IN RUBBLE

1. Try to cover your nose and mouth with a cloth or part of your shirt. There will be a ton of dust and particles and you want to protect your airway. Concrete dust—and there will be plenty of it—can actually reharden in your lungs and throat and choke you to death.

2. Call out to let someone know you are there, but don’t waste too much time or energy doing this, especially during the first hours of the aftermath.

3. If you can move, look for light and
slowly
crawl toward it. You don’t want to start moving too many obstacles, as these could be keeping more deadly debris from tumbling down on you. As you are crawling, make sure you move only items in front of you that are non-weight-bearing or easily movable. Don’t start yanking or tugging at debris. If you attempt to move even a small item like a piece of two-by-four wall stud, in this scenario, the thin wood might be serving as a weight-bearing beam, and moving it could cause the small area you are in to collapse.

4. If you can’t move, again, don’t waste too much of your energy yelling. The best thing to do is find something that you can tap or bang on. The vibrations from this will travel much farther than your voice. Make sure your tapping is inconsistent or rhythmic so it sounds out of place and will be more easily noticed. When in doubt, you can always tap “SOS”: three short taps, three long taps, three short taps. Continue doing so until help arrives.

ELEVATOR EMERGENCY

There are more than 200 billion trips made annually in elevators. Considering that elevators account for only approximately 150 deaths and 18,000 injuries each year, they are a safe means of transportation, at least statistically. However, many of those fatalities could have been avoided. By following SEAL survival techniques, even during the most
mundane daily activity, such as riding an elevator, you are retraining your mindset. This is how you should handle an elevator emergency.

Situational Awareness

Normally, you push the button, the door opens, and you get in. How the elevator works, what the flooring and cables are made of, or when the elevator was last inspected are of no concern. Understanding the basic operation of many of the common technological advancements you use frequently, such as elevators and escalators, is part of being aware and prepared, and will give you an advantage in the event of an emergency. In the military, for example, we know the mechanics of a parachute, the design of tanks, and certainly the detailed components of weapons before we use them.

Many serious injuries and deaths caused by elevators are due to door malfunctions. The door opens and there is no car there; those who died falling down the shaft did so because they simply stepped forward when the door opened, totally unaware of their situation or surroundings. Other times, the door signal malfunctions and a car begins to move before everyone has entered or exited. Do not place blind faith in technology, especially in something that can malfunction and kill you. Be alert. It’s important to know not only how to properly ride elevators but also what to do if the elevator becomes stalled.