How to Increase Your Odds of Surviving a Disaster
The people who walk away from catastrophes all have a few things in common. Now you can follow their lead.
Up next in Disaster Survival & Worst-Case Scenarios (30 videos)
Learn how to live through anything life throws at you with these survival videos.
You Will Need
- Preparedness
- Speed
- Drills
- Neighborliness
Steps
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Step 1
Have drills
Hold drills with your family for fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other disasters until the repetition locks the life-saving behavior into their brain. People react best in an emergency if they’re trained to go on automatic pilot.
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When flying, always listen to the flight attendant’s instructions and read the safety card in your seat pocket, no matter how many times you’ve heard it all before.
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Step 2
Be safe, not sorry
Don’t waste time debating whether the building is really on fire or not. Get out at the first sign of danger, and ask questions later.
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If you see people frozen with fear, yell at them. This is what flight attendants are trained to do to get shocked passengers to leave a burning plane.
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Step 3
Hurry up!
For heaven’s sake, hurry up! Amazingly, people are inclined to dawdle during an emergency, rather than acting as quickly as possible.
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Step 4
Leave everything behind
Leave everything behind. The few seconds you took to grab your iPhone could be the few seconds that cost you your life.
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Step 5
Befriend your neighbors
Get to know your neighbors. That’s who will be next to you when a catastrophe strikes.
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'Group think,' where people follow each other and wait for instructions rather than thinking for themselves, is more common in an emergency than stampeding.
