Seal Survival Guide

by Cade Courtley

  When You’re the Sick One

  If you are sick with symptoms of the pandemic, isolate yourself for at least twenty-four hours, especially if you have a fever. The World Health Organization recommends having the drugs Tamiflu and Relenza on hand, which are used to treat many flulike illnesses; these antiviral drugs could kick in to offer some resistance. If you put on a respirator, trying to protect those around you, make sure it’s a mask without a valve, because otherwise it will not filter the infected air you exhale. Don’t let anyone use your utensils or linens. In the event the pandemic has reached monumental portions and your chances of recovery are nil, make a decision about whether or not you should leave the safe shelter. If you’re grouped with family, for example, they will likely protest your departure. However, bravery comes in many forms; if you stay, not only will you die, but you’ll likely infect those you love.

  Sickroom

  When someone gets sick, it’s important to isolate them from the rest of the group. The best thing to do is to choose a corner room that will be the designated sickroom. If you have power, place a box fan in a window facing outward so that it pushes the air out of the room. This will create a negative-pressure room that will pull good air in from the house and push the contaminated air outside. Next, seal all of the other windows and doors in the room. Use precut plastic for each window and seal with tape. Don’t forget the gaps at thresholds. Cover air-conditioner and heater vents. Finally, you will still need to care for the sick, so create a double barrier at the entry of this room, enabling you to enter and exit while maintaining isolation. This can be done by hanging two sets of trash bags or shower curtains from the ceiling above the door, which will drape down all the way to the floor. You want to fasten these plastics sheets or trash bags so that the door, doorframe gaps, and threshold are all covered. When entering or leaving the room, you will travel through only one set of barriers at a time.

  Homemade Protective Gear

  When you must have contact with the sick, make sure you limit your exposure. Additionally, you need to wear a protective suit that can be made from items in the house. Start by putting on long sleeves and long pants. Place a rain poncho or several trash bags over the top. A shower cap will protect the head and hair, and the use of dishwashing gloves will protect the hands. Wear a mask or a rag that has been sprinkled or minimally dipped in bleach before you slowly enter the room. Don’t drench the mask in bleach because concentrated chlorine fumes could be harmful. Yet, this will offer a good barrier from inhaling contagions. Again, minimize the exposure time, and just prior to leaving the room, wipe down with bleach wipes anything that could have touched the victim.

  SIX FEET UNDER

  The colloquialism for burial “six feet under” refers to the measurement of depth that is supposed to be ideal for properly burying a body, though six feet is actually excessive. Covering a body with three feet of earth is sufficient to halt the spread of disease, even if, at this shallower depth, there is a chance that scavenger dogs or animals might reexpose the corpse. The Vikings and a number of Native Americans placed the dead on raised platforms and then covered them with soil, primarily for religious beliefs. Nevertheless, the contagions emitted by a decaying body on a raised platform are less harmful than merely covering the body with a heap of stones, for example. During a pandemic, it would take too much time exposed to the environment to dispose of bodies in deep graves. In any regard, the site for the burial should be at the farthest point from the dwelling or safe house, and not near wells or potential water supplies. Determining the farthest point would be dependent on where you lived, and how safe it was to venture from your safe house. If you lived in a Brooklyn row house with a backyard, for example, it would still be better to bury the body at the farthest point from the house than to dig a grave in the basement.

  Handling the Dead

  Unfortunately, with a disaster as widespread as future pandemics are predicted to be, there will be a very high mortality rate. Morgues will be maxed out, and places like ice rinks and refrigerated warehouses will be used for dead body storage. If your sick friend has passed away, you are going to have to deal with the body. A dead body can’t be left to decompose, because the bacteria can cause health problems for everyone else. Wrap the body in plastic and move it to a location far away from you. Wear as much protective gear as you have available before doing so. Bury the body at a depth of six feet if you can, but at least three feet if that’s not possible. Mark the grave site for possible future identification and/or services. As mentioned above, if the victim was killed by a disease as contagious as the Ebola virus, cremation would be the only option to halt the spread of the infection.

  RIOTS AND STAMPEDES

  Riots are any unruly acts of civil unrest caused by an assembled group that result in violence against people and property. Riots can start with an organized call to assemble to protest perceived grievances or to express opinions, though they can suddenly turn disorderly for any number of reasons. Sometimes riots begin as a seemingly spontaneous outpouring of people onto the streets, though signs of potential trouble simmer for some time before it boils over into violence. However, once an organized march, for example, transforms into a violent and uncontrollable mob, another dynamic takes over, which some refer to as “herd mentality.” A mob creates its own whirlpool and rapidly draws others into acting aggressively or rebelliously.

  Leadership can get bystanders to step up in a positive way, but negative behavior is even more contagious. One person throws a garbage can through a plate-glass window, and like a match dropped into a crate of ammunition, the situation explodes as others follow and a riot is born. There are no rules in a riot; it is an example of humanity without laws, where robbery, assault, and manslaughter are committed openly.

  Situational Awareness

  As mentioned, civil unrest does not spring up overnight. Be alert to social issues that are creating a ripple of controversy in your community, especially ones that seem to stir up emotions.

  BOSTON MASSACRE

  An event that had a significant impact on America’s formation was the result of a riot. The colonists felt unfairly treated for many years, but this resentment came to a head in March 1770. A crowd of sixty had gathered around a customs house. After someone in the crowd threw a snowball at British soldiers on guard duty, the sentries pointed their rifles at the protesters and fired. Eleven Americans were wounded and five killed.

  In the age of instantaneous news coverage, topics that could cause massive civil disobedience are widely broadcast. Don’t ignore bad news. Although you may think it less stressful to focus on the latest happenings among celebrities or spend most of your time chatting electronically with friends, survival in the modern world requires a measure of due diligence. Keep informed of organized rallies, especially those designed for protest. Make a note of locations where these activities are planned. Remember, the site of a protest might be the epicenter of a riot, although once anarchy sets in, there is no limit to how far it could spread.

  • Be alert to social issues.

  • Stay informed and note the location of protest rallies.

  • Know if the roads or streets you plan to travel will intersect with areas ripe for a potential civil disturbance.

  • Check to see if commuter lines, subways, or bus routes you use will put you in contact with these areas.

  • Avoid these areas and know alternate evacuation routes that will get you away from the places where disturbances are most likely to occur. But remember, anarchy has no defined boundaries, so also study evacuation routes that encompass a large radius from the areas in which trouble is likely to brew.

  SOME AMERICAN RIOTS

  In 1863, President Lincoln passed the nation’s first draft law, yet allowed a person to be excluded if he made a payment of $300 or hired a replacement, both of which were something only the rich could afford. What was called the Draft Riots ensued, leaving a thousand dead. The worst labor riot was the Great Ra
ilroad Strike of 1877, when hundreds of thousands of workers went on strike in twenty-six states, seeking better wages. In Philadelphia and Baltimore, these protests turned into riots, which left a death toll of nearly eighty. In 1937, a protest by striking Republic Steel workers killed ten and wounded 211. Race riots took place in 1965, when six days of rioting in the Watts section of Los Angeles left at least thirty-four people dead and more than a thousand injured. In 1966, in Chicago, two were killed and sixty-five injured in rioting. In 1967, Newark’s riots resulted in twenty-three dead and 725 injured. Simultaneously, five days of violence in Detroit killed forty-three and injured 324. Seven thousand people were arrested, thirteen hundred buildings were destroyed, and twenty-seven hundred businesses were looted. In April of 1968, again in Chicago, rioting left nine dead. In 1992, when four Los Angeles police officers were acquitted of using excessive force against a black motorist, the Police Protest Riot erupted. Riots surged, killing fifty-three people and injuring two thousand. Three thousand six hundred fires erupted, bringing four thousand National Guardsmen. There was $1 billion in damages.

  If You Are in a Riot

  One of our constitutional freedoms is the right to peacefully assemble, and you could be part of a rally or march, for example, to voice your opinion. However, be exceptionally alert to the mood among the crowd. Riots stem from emotional responses, whether they’re based on ethnic, political, or financial unrest. If you are part of a rally or march, try to limit your participation by remaining on the flanks or at the perimeter of the crowd. If the situation turns riotous, you want to have evacuation routes. Check a map of where the planned protest or rally will occur and be familiar with landmarks, streets, and environmental factors; know potential spots where you could get boxed in.

  Riot police often use tear gas to break up crowds. Tear gas is made of chemical compounds called lachrymatory agents, which aren’t actually gases but solids or liquids that are dispersed by aerosolized pressure. Riot police deliver it via grenades or with the chemicals loaded into blank shotgun cartridges. It causes painful irritation to the mucus membranes of the eyes, nose, mouth, and lungs. It produces tears, temporary blindness, and gagging in those exposed to it. The stuff works! I had the opportunity to be reminded of this several times during training. The odd thing is that each time I got doused, it hurt a little less. Either I was building up a resistance to it, which can happen, or I was prepared for what it would feel like. Flushing your eyes with salted water dilutes the effects, in addition to washing exposed skin with soap and water. Those with asthmatic conditions may need immediate medical attention and the administration of oxygen.

  Get Off the X

  It doesn’t take much to start a riot, and one violent action, or an action perceived to be such by the police, could happen at any time. If you find yourself in the front and see a wall of riot police ahead, know the situation has escalated to one of high danger. Immediately move in the opposite direction. Stay on your feet and crouch low. Expect tear gas, rubber bullets, and any number of tools used by law enforcement to disperse crowds.

  • Don’t get boxed in; stay at the perimeter of crowds.

  • Be alert to emotional levels in the crowd.

  • Watch for signs of violence.

  • If confronted by police, raise your arms; open your hands to demonstrate you have no weapons or threatening objects.

  • Gain distance from the unrest.

  • Stay on your feet and crouch low, and move in the opposite direction.

  If You Live in an Area Where Riots Are Occurring

  As mentioned, rioting has no boundaries. You could find that your house is in the path of this unrest. The best way to avoid getting caught up is to shelter in. Use the following checklist to know what to do in a riot or during the aftermath of any catastrophe when lawlessness prevails.

  1. Stay indoors.

  2. Paint on the front door or on the outside of your house a warning that the occupant is armed, even if you are not. Simply write: “Occupant is armed.” This will usually deter the opportunists who take advantage of riots for purposes of looting.

  3. Do not expose yourself, such as by sitting on your front porch with a shotgun in your lap.

  4. Barricade doors and windows using plywood or heavy furniture.

  5. When sufficiently barricaded indoors, move to an upper floor, if possible. If your house is breached, you want to be in a position where the intruders have only one way to get to you. This is called creating a choke point. This will give you an advantage in defending yourself against a larger number of intruders.

  6. Stay put. Wait for order to return before venturing out.

  Stampedes

  During a riot, getting trapped in a stampede and being killed by a fleeing crowd is very possible. The actual cause of death during a stampede is frequently asphyxiation, when those trapped in the melee are literally smothered under a sea of humans. Others are crushed or suffer broken necks.

  If a fire breaks out at a theater, or if some emergency ensues at a stadium event, you will not have much time to act. Upon entering the stadium, practice your situational awareness exercises, knowing where all exits are located and the most likely passageways where human congestion could occur. In such a scenario, the marked exits may not be the best choice for evacuation. Once again, the herd mentality takes over in a stampede. Even though you might be among a crowd, panic sets off the “every man for himself” mindset. You need to distance yourself and not get swept up in the very powerful force that a crowd of human beings can create.

  Immediate Actions

  1. Do everything in your power to stay on your feet.

  2. Don’t immediately head for exits; find a safe spot and try to buy some time. The initial rush of people will be like a tidal wave hitting these small exits. Too many bodies, not enough space.

  3. Avoid aisles and hallways. For example, in a stadium, finding a path by climbing from seat row to seat row could be a better route.

  4. Do not try to fight against the forward motion or the direction of the stampede. You have a better chance heading toward the perimeter by working to break through the crowd diagonally.

  5. Gain distance from the crowd.

  6. Find a barricade that will not be overturned and wait behind it or under it until the crowd passes.

  7. Try to get to the high ground. On the streets, this could be standing on a car roof, or in a stadium, make your way to the higher levels.

  The worst U.S. stampede happened on December 30, 1903, at Chicago’s Iroquois Theater, when smoke was spotted onstage. With only one exit, 602 died in the stampede to flee. Another stampede stemming from a fire took 492 lives at Boston’s Cocoanut Grove Night Club in 1942. The most recent U.S. stampede occurred in February 2003, when 21 people died in Chicago at the E2 nightclub trying to exit from the second floor. Security guards allegedly used pepper spray on a patron, which resulted in a rush for the stairwell. Abroad, death by stampede occurs more frequently, oftentimes at sporting events. For example, in 2003, 125 people died when 70,000 soccer fans tried to flee a Ghana stadium. Someone threw a bottle onto the field, and the police fired tear gas into the stands.

  ROAD RAGE: DEFENSIVE AND EVASIVE DRIVING

  Road rage is a relatively new phenomenon; the term was coined in the 1980s to describe aggressive confrontations among motorists. Attribute it to factors of the modern world, including previously unheard-of levels of traffic congestion, more miles driven, and the daily stress of multitasking. In addition, there is the human tendency to fight for territorial rights—although most of the “tough guys” doing this would react quite differently if they weren’t in the safety of their cars.

  Drivers have been assaulted with everything from guns to water bottles, hamburgers, and used diapers. Aggressive drivers frequently tailgate as a means to get the car ahead of them to speed up or get out of their way. They will move into your lane and the very lane space you occupy, weaving in with only an inch to spare. Such drivers like
to yell, smash their steering wheels with their fists, swear, use hand gestures, and honk their horns.

  During the last seven years, out of all 290,000 people who died in traffic accidents, 45,200 of those deaths were directly related to aggressive driving.

  Mental Toughness

  The automobile is a powerful machine, and a driver’s license is a privilege that expects you to be responsible while operating a vehicle. Even small fender benders result in hassles and a loss of time, but a serious car accident could be life-changing, rendering you or someone else disabled or dead. While on the road you have the choice of whether you will control your emotions and let it go or become enraged and possibly take a life. Letting go requires a high degree of mental toughness. Admittedly, the art of letting it go is one that I have not yet entirely mastered. There have been more than a few times when I have implemented combat breathing to bring the agitation meter back down.