From an interview of author of The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes—and Why at Mother Jones
Time reporter Amanda Ripley
was in New York when two planes crashed into the World Trade Center. Ripley began talking to survivors of floods, earthquakes, school shootings, hostage situations, and tsunamis and soon found that all these people had knowledge they wanted to share... Ripley found that we have the ability to survive almost any disaster... Read more tips from Ripley below on how we can become better survivors, and the surprising truths she heard from them.
MJ: Being prepared is a big point in your book, especially for those disasters—floods, earthquakes, hurricanes—that happen in the same areas, sometimes at the same time of year. How can the government help people prepare for these predictable disasters?
AR: ... You could reduce people's fears if you gave them some useful information before things went wrong. It's really important to create a sense of confidence in the public in their own abilities before a disaster because they're the only ones who are going to be there. No one's going to help you for at least 24 to 72 hours. So it would be good to know more about it.
MJ: ... have you found that most people will, if they can, help others in a disaster?
AR: Yeah, people help way more than we expect, way more than makes sense. But when you talk to people called heroes, they often say they did it for themselves. In one case, a hero said that the cost of not doing it is so great, the sense of shame, when he knew that he was strong enough, that the fear of not doing anything was more frightening than the fear of dying. People will help each other because there is a sense of camaraderie that springs up, which is a survival tactic. You help them because you know you might need their help later. And that is incredibly reassuring.
MJ: So do you feel you're better equipped to survive a disaster now?
AR: ... I have more optimism and more faith that my own actions can make a difference.
Disaster survival tips:
1. Learn how to text message. Oftentimes, as in Katrina, text messages will go through when cell phone calls won't.
2. Expect smoke.
If you're in an airplane, know how many rows are between you and the
exits. If you're at home, know your way to the door without the lights on. Most fire deaths are due to smoke.
3. Get to know your neighbors. They may be your key to survival. The stronger your community is, the better equipped you will be to survive a disaster.
4. Practice.
Many people who survived the World Trade Center attacks knew where the staircases were
because they did lots of fire drills. Children especially should know where to go in case of emergency, and walk that route until they are familiar with it.
5. Lose weight. Overweight people often are less able to move quickly in escape situations that call for speed.
The Unthinkable by Amanda Ripley at Amazon
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