SEAL Survival Guide (51 page)

It may be useful to make some friends, because others might not be as likely to start a fight if you have people willing to stick up for you. However, even if you’d like to think it is not so, prejudice and racial division exist more in jails than in the outside world. If you are in a jail and frequently grouped with many inmates in large areas, you need to size up who is who and what gangs or groups are dominating. The reality is that you may need to consider aligning yourself with people of your own background. Understand, however, that by joining this group, you are also putting yourself at higher risk for violence. This is of greater importance if you have a longer sentence. If you are going to be in for only a short time, then by keeping to yourself and using mental toughness as your tool, you should fare well.

Be Good

Your goal in jail is to pass the time as quickly as possible, incident-free, and move on with your life. Almost all jails will reduce your sentence in what is known as “time off for good behavior.” Actually, it is difficult to lose this status. Los Angeles county jail inmates generally serve only 10 percent of the time to which they were sentenced. Just ask Paris Hilton. So unless you are fighting guards or get caught with drugs, your time should be reduced.

Once you find yourself in jail, remember:

• Don’t do anything illegal—unlike in the movies, all will not be forgiven when the authorities finally figure out you were innocent of the charge that got you arrested to begin with. You will only make things worse.

• Be good.

• Be a ghost.

Released

You made it—now stay out! Be part of the 15 percent who don’t return.

LIGHTNING

Lightning is the sniper of natural disasters. It strikes from a distance, it usually kills one at a time, and you never know when you are in its crosshairs. Its kill record is fairly impressive: It causes approximately 2,000 deaths per year. Right now, there are 1,800 thunderstorms happening somewhere on the planet, which produce more than 600,000 lightning strikes per day. One in four of the people who actually get hit by lightning die, but fortunately there are survival techniques to employ that will minimize your chances of becoming a target of these random shots fired from above.

Know the Enemy

As it is when sizing up any adversary, be it human or natural, acquiring “intelligence” on lightning’s means and methods is an essential part
of planning and preparedness that always gives you an advantage. Scientifically, it is not completely certain how lightning forms in the atmosphere, but what is known is that it is a charged electrical current that is hotter than the surface of the sun. It travels at a speed of 3,700 miles per second, or at “lightning speed”; that’s faster than a bullet from an M4 assault rifle, which travels at 3,000 feet per second, or 30 feet per one-hundredth of a second. Lightning can strike as far as ten miles from where it’s raining; people have been killed by a bolt of lightning while standing in the sunshine. A lightning strike seeks to balance its either negative or positive electrical charge by seeking out an item below it, which could be a tree or a human. The idea is to make yourself insulated and not an attractive conduit or target.

Targets

Those who have been killed by lightning were usually taking cover under a tree or standing next to a telephone pole. Some were talking on their cell phones while leaning against a metal signpost, or walking on top of a metal sidewalk grate, or touching a metal fence. Lightning generally hits the tallest object within its general striking range, but it also seeks out metal and electrical conduits. People have been hit while inside their homes, washing dishes in a metal sink or talking on a corded, landline phone near a window. Unlike hurricanes or floods, which are prone to devastate particular areas, lightning is less discriminatory. While Rwanda, Africa, is the lightning capital of the world, and Florida is the state with most strikes in the U.S., lightning occurs everywhere.

The 30/30 Rule

Victims of lightning can be grouped into two categories: (1) those oblivious to their surroundings, who ignore the dangers of lightning and make no attempt to seek shelter in a storm, and (2) the truly unlucky. However, you can increase your “luck” by following some basic safety tips. There is truth to the well-known phrase “Where there is thunder, there’s lightning,” since lighting creates the sound of thunder by forming a sonic shock wave. Thunder is the warning shot fired across the bow; if you hear it, then you are close enough for lightning to hit you. When SEALs hear the crack of gunfire somewhere up ahead, we don’t ignore it; we pay closer attention. Do the same when hearing thunder.

The National Weather Service (NWS) tries to educate the public about the fact that alertness and quick action can save most from getting struck. The NWS’s
30/30 Rule
urges you to measure and count what is called “flash-to-bang time.” If you see a flash of lightning, begin counting to thirty. If you don’t hear a thunderclap before you reach thirty, then make for shelter immediately. If do hear one before you reach thirty, you need to hit the ground where you are. A good way to estimate how far away lightning is from you is to count out the seconds from the time when you see the flash of lightning to when you hear thunder. For example, if you see lightning, begin to count, “One thousand one, one thousand two . . . ,” until you hear the boom. If you hear thunder on “two,” you can assume that the lightning struck the ground approximately two miles from where you are.

ACTION CHECKLIST

 Seek shelter in a permanent structure and move to the interior. Neither a beach hut nor under a picnic table is safe.

 If indoors, stay away from windows. Do not use electrical appliances or computers, or position yourself near plumbing or pipes.

 If outdoors and no permanent structures are present, get inside a vehicle, but keep your hands and other body parts from touching any metal
parts inside the car. The tires of the car somewhat insulate the vehicle, but the vehicle’s metal frame is still a conduit.

 Do not stand near trees or tall objects.