Multitool.org Forum
Outdoor Section => The Outdoor and Survival Forum => Topic started by: Tired_Yeti on September 11, 2017, 06:14:25 PM
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Hurricane Harvey just came through my part of the county a little over a week ago. As always happens when we get severe floods, there were casualties. Several people drowned in their vehicles. It's more common in floods than I'd like to admit. It's very serious business! The Houston Police Dept even lost a 34 year veteran sergeant who drowned in his patrol car on the way to work. Anyway, after Harvey I had a nightmare that I was trapped in my vehicle, upside down, submerged, at night in the dark. As you can imagine, it was a very horrific dream.
So I started thinking about this and researching how to handle the situation. Since vehicle drowning can happen to almost anyone at almost anytime of the year day or night, I felt it important to share these survival tips.
I apologize in advance for the dark subject matter of this thread. It is survival related so I'm posting it here.
Experiences or thoughts?
https://www.google.com/amp/m.wikihow.com/Escape-from-a-Sinking-Car%3famp=1
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Waiting for the car to sink and the pressure to equalize is an idea from someone who never ventured outside tropical climates. Cold water will zap your strength, oxygen, and ability to orientate yourself at an incredible speed. (Also, what if the water is very deep and/or murky?)
I'm a fan of seatbelt cutter, glass breaker, and GTFO! :)
As for the order and details, I think the reasoning in the link seems sound. The thoughts from people who have actually tested stuff generally bears more weight than Scientific Wild Assed Guesses. :)
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No experience and hopefully it stays that way. :D But resqme on all the car keys for me, plus a tomahawk with spiky end in case it fails.
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Waiting for the car to sink and the pressure to equalize is an idea from someone who never ventured outside tropical climates. Cold water will zap your strength, oxygen, and ability to orientate yourself at an incredible speed. (Also, what if the water is very deep and/or murky?)
I'm a fan of seatbelt cutter, glass breaker, and GTFO! :)
As for the order and details, I think the reasoning in the link seems sound. The thoughts from people who have actually tested stuff generally bears more weight than Scientific Wild Assed Guesses. :)
:tu: When I was driving, I always had a Res-Q-Me on my keys. Flooding was a low risk thing, though we did get hit once (2007), but I was often driving alongside rivers and canals, often on unsurfaced roads.
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Waiting for the car to sink and the pressure to equalize is an idea from someone who never ventured outside tropical climates....
Except that Dr. Giesbrecht and the crew that filmed it are in CANADA.
I'm a fan of seatbelt cutter, glass breaker, and GTFO!
That's exactly what the doctor said in the video with the exception that he listed them as cut belt, break glass, grab the children, GTFO
I think your plan is sound. In the video, the doctor explains that swimming against the incoming tide of water is exhausting and nearly impossible and that's why they recommend waiting until the pressure equalizes. I suppose if you exhaust yourself against the current, you may not have the strength or stamina to make it back to the surface.
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To clarify, "waiting for the pressure..." was my referring to a section on "an alternative theory" on the linked page. It refers to an episode in Mythbusters where they simply let the car sink and settle on the bottom. Which worked wonderfully in a pool in California. (From the link: “There are numerous theories that advocate staying in the car calmly until it hits the bottom, fills with water, and you open the door and swim up. Mythbusters termed this the "maximum conservation of energy" approach and it looks viable when you watch it.” And the page points out a few of the problems with the theory.)