SEAL Survival Guide (42 page)
Read SEAL Survival Guide Online
Authors: Cade Courtley
• If at home, turn off electrical power at the circuit breaker. Close windows and doors and get to the highest level. If you have an attic, bring a ladder to the upper levels and a tool that could help you escape through the roof in the event floodwaters rise to exceptional heights.
• If in a vehicle, do not attempt to drive through water. The rule is, turn around and find another route for evacuation. If water rises suddenly around your car, get out immediately. The threat of drowning from being trapped is very real. Note, however, that you will
not
be electrocuted if your car battery becomes wet.
• Except when unavoidable, do not try to walk or swim across floodwaters deeper than one foot. The water during a flash flood is filled with fast-moving debris of all types, as well as irregular currents that can change swiftly. In addition, the waters are likely carrying many other unseen hazardous objects, such as timbers or even cars, which, if they hit you, can render you unconscious, or worse.
• If outdoors, always head to high ground, and if you must walk, test waters with a stick as you go to avoid hidden deep spots, and be observant of downed power lines.
• If you find shelter on a roof or on an upper branch of a tree, for example, tie yourself to it, using a belt or whatever is at hand, in the event of a passing flood surge.
Even for SEALs, for whom the water is a second home, river crossings were always a challenge. If we wanted to make a rendezvous point, we would trek at least a quarter mile upriver to account for strong currents and the weight of our gear knocking us off-course. This way we could reach the other side, more or less, at where we planned to be. That’s how unpredictable rushing waters can be even to expert swimmers.
Aftermath
If the floodwater was due to a flash flood, the volume will usually recede quickly. You must be mentally tough and physically prepared to ride out the initial surge, which usually lasts no more than thirty minutes. If it is a prolonged flood, such as those caused by breached dams or continued rains, assess the place where you are sheltered and determine if it is structurally sound enough to wait there for rescue. If not, try to get to the nearest roof or tree by latching on to and riding anything that floats. You want to avoid getting into the floodwaters, as they will be highly contaminated with everything from fuel to sewage. Additionally, public drinking water will be contaminated. Drink only bottled water until advised otherwise. If you have prepared and stocked up on water and nonperishable foods, your shelter, if reasonably secured, is the best place to be until a safe means of evacuation arrives.
Tsunami
“Tsunami” is the Japanese word for “harbor wave.” It is a giant wave caused by earthquakes or underwater volcanic eruptions. These colossal tides cause massive destruction to coastal regions and often give short notice of their approach. These rogue waves can reach heights
of more than two hundred feet. It wasn’t until recently that some areas prone to this occurrence began to install tsunameters, monitoring devices anchored to the ocean floor that send signals to buoys and satellites, attempting to offer some warning of a tsunami’s approach.
SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
If you live in or are visiting a coastal area, be alert to any known earthquake activity that happens anywhere in the world. One recorded tsunami stemmed from an earthquake in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands and sent giant waves a distance of 2,300 miles toward Hawaii. The only warning people had before it hit the small village of Hilo Bay was an unusual receding of the ocean’s level before it struck. The bay water suddenly receded two hundred feet from the normal tide line. This lasted for more than thirty minutes, causing schools of fish to flop about without water. People rushed out with baskets to harvest the bounty, believing it was their lucky day to reap such an abundant catch without effort. However, shortly afterward, a 115-foot-high wave surged, moving at 150 mph, and eventually drowned 159 people. This was nothing compared to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, to which more than 250,000 deaths were attributed. Against such odds, evacuation to the highest ground is the best chance of survival. Be alert to anomalies of nature, because its power is unpredictable and lethal.
• As part of your vacation and sightseeing excursions, get maps of coastal areas you are visiting and find possible evacuation routes. Know which roads lead to high ground.
• If you see water leaving or draining from a coastal area, don’t watch it in amazement—haul ass to high ground.
ANIMAL BEHAVIOR AND SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
Natural environments have baselines of normal activity just as urban or suburban regions do. Animals, in particular, have historically predicted natural disasters up to two weeks in advance. In 1975, Chinese officials observed hibernating snakes unexpectedly emerging from their burrows, so they immediately ordered the evacuation of the city of Haicheng. Several hours later an earthquake of 7.3 magnitude struck. In Indonesia, local fishermen discovered an unusual pattern of fish migration two weeks prior to the tsunami. They tried to warn officials but were ignored. In addition, flocks of shore birds were seen abandoning their seaside nests days before the incident. Hours before the tsunami struck, elephants were seen actually sprinting up into the hills. In general, many animals’ sensory perceptions can pick up on environmental disturbances even ahead of modern technology. Dogs, cats, and livestock often seem unduly agitated before a disaster strikes. Be alert to changes in animal behavior as part of your situational awareness when in rural or more natural environments.
FOOT PURSUIT AND BEING CHASED
There will be situations when escape is the best option for survival. In any number of life-threatening scenarios, moving off the X will require you to flee. After you have performed your threat assessment and your body’s fight-flight-freeze response is screaming
flight,
then you must do so without hesitation. In many cases, the attacker or predator will follow you.
If you find yourself in a situation where you are being chased on foot and the outcome of getting caught is potentially lethal, there are methods to follow that will increase your chances of success. Here is a time when the physical toughness you have been working on to improve yourself will play a significant role, and could in fact be the deciding factor in whether you live or die. This is trigger time—because getting caught is simply
not
an option. When fleeing an attacker:
1. Adjust your mindset to change your goal priority. By this, I mean tell yourself that you are
running to safety
. This has a positive impact and allows you to be far less crippled by fear than merely telling yourself you are running from danger.
My team was in a foreign country watching an area where we were not supposed to be. Unfortunately, we were discovered by a group of kids. There is always the dilemma of what to do when a recon goes bad because of someone that you can’t necessarily “neutralize.” The one cold, hard fact is that when you are “rolled up” (discovered), the op is over, period. So within minutes, the three of us were on foot, putting as much distance between us and the hide site as we could. Even more regrettably, the best and fastest way out meant booking through an area that was known to have land mines. I told my boys to stay in single file behind me and keep up. Won the lottery that day.