15/12/2011 – Earthquake, 6.3 Mag , South of the Kermadec Island

14/12/2011 – Earthquake, 7.1 Mag, Eastern New Guinea Region

See below for content details or print one out with our downloadable pdf version here.  

The most useful survival tool is knowledge. Preparation is the key to success. The information here is intended to be treated as general knowledge, it is essential to use our advice in conjunction with medical advice from a qualified doctor. It is no substitute to learning and practicing these survival skills first hand in professional training courses.

Many of us are fortunate enough not to have encountered a major accident or disaster. We imagine we would not know how to cope. Awareness of common human reactions will help you to stay calm and to make the best decision for your situation. The best disaster-planning needs to take into account how most people will think, and not only those reactions that we see on our news channels.

Many websites, books and movies sensationalize human reactions to disaster and show that people are only capable of acting irrationally and selfishly in the face of adversity. These views do not recognize the resilience and endurance of individuals and communities, which have been exhibited in innumerable instances of disaster.

On the other hand, others also under-play events and deny the seriousness of threats, leading to a failure to recognize and meet the requirements necessary to deal with the situation at hand.

The key to surviving a disaster is mostly mental aptitude. It is about your will-power. A will to survive. It is essential to remain calm and to maintain a positive attitude during and more importantly, after the disaster. Survival is not only about staying alive during a disaster but to be mentally strong enough to rebuild your life and to help those around you. Recovery is not, as we imagine, putting things back together as they once were. Things will never be the same again. Recovery is rebuilding lives and communities, so life can be lived normally again.

The mental will to survive is the determination to overcome seemingly insurmountable physical and emotional obstacles. Mental attitude is the deciding factor in many survival cases. This is your most power tool in your survival kit!

It is essential to stay positive and to believe that even the most devastating situation can be and has been survived. The ability to overcome stress and hardship when faced with little prospect of survival is what determines between life and death; the choice between going on or giving up.

Survivors must endure physical and emotional stress and resist impulsive behaviour, not giving in to frustration and anger. Instead, survivors must maintain a balanced mind, in order to monitor and assess their environment objectively, to make the most rational decisions. They must stay in control of their mind and not let their mind control them.

Some people will panic and behave unthinkingly. They might even act selfishly with complete disregard for other people. Most people, however, react to danger by doing the best they can for themselves and those around them. Panic happens when people do not have adequate information about what is happening or when there is an immediate threat of serious injury or death. Even in these situations, most people strive to remain calm and to take steps to protect and comfort themselves.

Authorities are often guilty of thinking that people are unable to deal with information of forthcoming threats. They assume that people would panic and overreact. This is true when the information is vague, inaccurate or incomplete. Being given partial information is not only unhelpful but often leads to inappropriate, life-threatening action. In the case of life-threatening inaction, when given partial information people are often reluctant to believe in the reality of the threat and refuse to evacuate danger areas.

In disasters which occur without warning, survivors are often dazed and are in a less able state to respond rationally. In the case of prolonged threat, such as in the unpredictable aftershocks of earthquakes, extended psychological stress can be a problem. Disasters which can be prepared for have less of a confusing effect on people and instead cause fear and anxiety in the time leading up to the event and exhaustion in the aftermath. Survivors can also face the grief of losing loved ones, often feeling a sense of guilt for surviving, as well as the emotional struggle of dealing with the damage or destruction of homes and property.

Priority to your survival in this environment is to secure shelter and food on lower altitude. Move to the valleys where food and shelter are available. Travel should only be attempted in rough terrain or snow during daylight when visibility is good. At night or in poor weather, your priority is to seek shelter. Away from wind and exposed rocks. Cover yourself as much as possible. Groups should stay close together to keep warm by sharing body heat. Try to rest and conserve energy in preparation for the window of opportunity to travel to lower ground.

It is a good idea to wait a few hours for the snow to settle before setting off on plans to travel. Travel in shaded areas in the morning. Keep away from areas exposed to the sun, as melting can increase chances of sliding snow. Slopes with rough surfaces are safest . Areas where there are trees tends to be more stable.

Stick to walking on ridges and above the avalanche paths. Although it is more likely to trigger an avalanche but if you do, it is better to stay on top of the debris than being carried downhill or buried under its enormous suffocating weight.

See below for content details or print one out with our downloadable pdf version here.  

The most useful survival tool is knowledge. Preparation is the key to success. The information here is intended to be treated as general knowledge, it is essential to use our advice in conjunction with medical advice from a qualified doctor. It is no substitute to learning and practicing these survival skills first hand in professional training courses.

Many of us are fortunate enough not to have encountered a major accident or disaster. We imagine we would not know how to cope. Awareness of common human reactions will help you to stay calm and to make the best decision for your situation. The best disaster-planning needs to take into account how most people will think, and not only those reactions that we see on our news channels.

Many websites, books and movies sensationalize human reactions to disaster and show that people are only capable of acting irrationally and selfishly in the face of adversity. These views do not recognize the resilience and endurance of individuals and communities, which have been exhibited in innumerable instances of disaster.

On the other hand, others also under-play events and deny the seriousness of threats, leading to a failure to recognize and meet the requirements necessary to deal with the situation at hand.

The key to surviving a disaster is mostly mental aptitude. It is about your will-power. A will to survive. It is essential to remain calm and to maintain a positive attitude during and more importantly, after the disaster. Survival is not only about staying alive during a disaster but to be mentally strong enough to rebuild your life and to help those around you. Recovery is not, as we imagine, putting things back together as they once were. Things will never be the same again. Recovery is rebuilding lives and communities, so life can be lived normally again.

The mental will to survive is the determination to overcome seemingly insurmountable physical and emotional obstacles. Mental attitude is the deciding factor in many survival cases. This is your most power tool in your survival kit!

It is essential to stay positive and to believe that even the most devastating situation can be and has been survived. The ability to overcome stress and hardship when faced with little prospect of survival is what determines between life and death; the choice between going on or giving up.

Survivors must endure physical and emotional stress and resist impulsive behaviour, not giving in to frustration and anger. Instead, survivors must maintain a balanced mind, in order to monitor and assess their environment objectively, to make the most rational decisions. They must stay in control of their mind and not let their mind control them.

Some people will panic and behave unthinkingly. They might even act selfishly with complete disregard for other people. Most people, however, react to danger by doing the best they can for themselves and those around them. Panic happens when people do not have adequate information about what is happening or when there is an immediate threat of serious injury or death. Even in these situations, most people strive to remain calm and to take steps to protect and comfort themselves.

Authorities are often guilty of thinking that people are unable to deal with information of forthcoming threats. They assume that people would panic and overreact. This is true when the information is vague, inaccurate or incomplete. Being given partial information is not only unhelpful but often leads to inappropriate, life-threatening action. In the case of life-threatening inaction, when given partial information people are often reluctant to believe in the reality of the threat and refuse to evacuate danger areas.

In disasters which occur without warning, survivors are often dazed and are in a less able state to respond rationally. In the case of prolonged threat, such as in the unpredictable aftershocks of earthquakes, extended psychological stress can be a problem. Disasters which can be prepared for have less of a confusing effect on people and instead cause fear and anxiety in the time leading up to the event and exhaustion in the aftermath. Survivors can also face the grief of losing loved ones, often feeling a sense of guilt for surviving, as well as the emotional struggle of dealing with the damage or destruction of homes and property.

Listen for local authority advice and information for evacuation. Otherwise, stay indoors and close all windows and doors. If exposed to radiation leak, wash your whole body with soap and plenty of clean water and seek medical help immediately. Potassium iodine tablets may be given to delay the absorption of radioactive iodine.

If you are in the unfortunate position of being in the path of a nuclear disaster there isn’t much you can do from being affected unless you are in a specialist shelter and have a stockpile of food and water rations.

There are 2 main issues when dealing with a nuclear disaster 1 is Thermal Radiation the other is Nuclear Radiation.

Thermal radiation : The heat and light radiation a nuclear explosion’s fireball emits. Light radiation consists of both visible light and ultraviolet and infrared light. Thermal radiation produces extensive fires, skin burns, and flash blindness.

Nuclear radiation breaks down into two categories-initial radiation and residual radiation.

The effects of radiation on a human depends on the amount of exposure received.

Below 100 rems
No obvious sickness occurs. There might be a fluctuation in white blood cell count, and may cause temporary male sterility.

100-200 rems
Mild symptoms occur. Blood and sperm forming tissues are affected. Mild nausea and vomiting might occur. Temporary male sterility. Loss of appetite, fatigue might last up to 4 weeks.

200-400 rems
Illness becomes increasingly severe, and significant mortality sets in. Onset of initial symptoms occur 1-6 hours and last 1-2 days. Nausea is universal and vomiting is 50% at 280 rems. After this a 7-14 day latency period sets in. Initial symptoms reoccur and also might include hair loss, fatigue, hemorrhage of the mouth, kidney. Susceptibility to infection is serious. At 300 rems the possibility of mortality without medical treatment increases to 10%. Possibility of permanent female sterility appears. Recovery takes around a month.

400-600 rems
Mortality rises steeply, from around 50% at 450 rems to 90% at 600 unless there is medical intervention. The symptoms listed for 200-400 rems increase in occurrence and severity, reaching 100% occurrence at 600 rems. When death occurs, it is usually 2-12 weeks after exposure and results from infection and hemorrhage. Recovery takes several months to a year, blood cell counts may take even longer to return to normal. Female sterility becomes probable if you survive.

600-1000 rems
Survival depends on stringent medical intervention. Bone marrow is almost completely destroyed and will require a transfusion of the bone marrow unfortunately medical procedure is useless as the body would be in such a dire state that it would not recover. Death usually follows 1-4 weeks from infection and internal bleeding. The recovery might never completely happen and if it does will take years.

Above 1000 rems
Will cause severe intestinal and metabolic problems which include severe diarrhoea, intestinal bleeding, and loss of fluids. Death will follow in a few hours from circulatory collapse.

From 1000-5000 rems
The onset time drops from 30 minutes to 5 minutes. Following the initial severe nausea a period of apparent well-being will last a few hours to a few days often called the walking ghost phase. The terminal phase will last 2-10 days. In rapid succession prostration, diarrhoea, anorexia, and fever follow. Death is certain, often preceded by delirium and coma. Medical treatment is only to relieve suffering.

Above 5000 rems
Metabolic disruption is severe enough to interfere with the nervous system. Immediate disorientation and coma will result, onset is within seconds to minutes. Convulsions occur which may be controlled with sedation. Victim may linger for up to 48 hours before dying.

In Chernobyl the survival rates of the people in the 400-1000 rems range was actually higher then what was given above. To put in in perspective the average human receives 360 millirem (0.360 rems) a year of radiation from naturally occurring isotopes.

Radiation has other effects. It can cause mutations. These mutations can either be somatic mutations (not inherited) or genetic mutations which are in reproductive cells and thus the mutations are passed on to offspring. Radiation also has long term effects on human health. It has been linked to leukaemia, bone, lung, and breast cancer. It was thought at one time that radiation would cause nonspecific life shortening.

Understand that unless you are within 200 miles or so of an actual, nuclear event, the chance of it having any consequences at all is virtually nil. So if you live near a nuclear reactor, then by all means stock up on drinking water, potassium iodide, and food to prepare for a potential disaster — in your area.

Add Potassium iodide, surgical masks, radiation meter to your survival kit.

See below for content details or print one out with our downloadable pdf version here.  

The most useful survival tool is knowledge. Preparation is the key to success. The information here is intended to be treated as general knowledge, it is essential to use our advice in conjunction with medical advice from a qualified doctor. It is no substitute to learning and practicing these survival skills first hand in professional training courses.

Many of us are fortunate enough not to have encountered a major accident or disaster. We imagine we would not know how to cope. Awareness of common human reactions will help you to stay calm and to make the best decision for your situation. The best disaster-planning needs to take into account how most people will think, and not only those reactions that we see on our news channels.

Many websites, books and movies sensationalize human reactions to disaster and show that people are only capable of acting irrationally and selfishly in the face of adversity. These views do not recognize the resilience and endurance of individuals and communities, which have been exhibited in innumerable instances of disaster.

On the other hand, others also under-play events and deny the seriousness of threats, leading to a failure to recognize and meet the requirements necessary to deal with the situation at hand.

The key to surviving a disaster is mostly mental aptitude. It is about your will-power. A will to survive. It is essential to remain calm and to maintain a positive attitude during and more importantly, after the disaster. Survival is not only about staying alive during a disaster but to be mentally strong enough to rebuild your life and to help those around you. Recovery is not, as we imagine, putting things back together as they once were. Things will never be the same again. Recovery is rebuilding lives and communities, so life can be lived normally again.

The mental will to survive is the determination to overcome seemingly insurmountable physical and emotional obstacles. Mental attitude is the deciding factor in many survival cases. This is your most power tool in your survival kit!

It is essential to stay positive and to believe that even the most devastating situation can be and has been survived. The ability to overcome stress and hardship when faced with little prospect of survival is what determines between life and death; the choice between going on or giving up.

Survivors must endure physical and emotional stress and resist impulsive behaviour, not giving in to frustration and anger. Instead, survivors must maintain a balanced mind, in order to monitor and assess their environment objectively, to make the most rational decisions. They must stay in control of their mind and not let their mind control them.

Some people will panic and behave unthinkingly. They might even act selfishly with complete disregard for other people. Most people, however, react to danger by doing the best they can for themselves and those around them. Panic happens when people do not have adequate information about what is happening or when there is an immediate threat of serious injury or death. Even in these situations, most people strive to remain calm and to take steps to protect and comfort themselves.

Authorities are often guilty of thinking that people are unable to deal with information of forthcoming threats. They assume that people would panic and overreact. This is true when the information is vague, inaccurate or incomplete. Being given partial information is not only unhelpful but often leads to inappropriate, life-threatening action. In the case of life-threatening inaction, when given partial information people are often reluctant to believe in the reality of the threat and refuse to evacuate danger areas.

In disasters which occur without warning, survivors are often dazed and are in a less able state to respond rationally. In the case of prolonged threat, such as in the unpredictable aftershocks of earthquakes, extended psychological stress can be a problem. Disasters which can be prepared for have less of a confusing effect on people and instead cause fear and anxiety in the time leading up to the event and exhaustion in the aftermath. Survivors can also face the grief of losing loved ones, often feeling a sense of guilt for surviving, as well as the emotional struggle of dealing with the damage or destruction of homes and property.