DISASTER! - Homeland Security and Emergency Management ...

Stick it out - If you are lucky enough to be near the surface, try to stick outan arm or a leg so that rescuers can find you.Don’t panic - Keep your breathing steady to help preserve your air spaceand help your body conserve energy.Listen for rescuers - Since snow is a good insulator, rescuers probablywon’t even hear you until they are practically on top of you, so don’t startyelling until you hear them. (This conserves your precious air.)If you see SOMEONE ELSE caught in the avalanche...Watch - Keep watching the victim(s) as they are carried downhill, payingparticular attention to the last point you saw them.DO NOT go for help! - Sounds crazy but the victim only has a few minutesto breathe under the snow, so every second counts. Spend 30 minutes to anhour searching before going for help.Be aware - Assess the situation and dangers... in many cases it is safe to goin after the avalanche settles but proceed with caution.Look for clues - Look for signs on the surface (like poles, a hand or foot,etc.) where victim was last seen. Equipment and clothing can be ripped offduring the avalanche but can help determine the direction they were carried.Switch to “receive” - Turn all transceivers to “receive” to try to locatevictim’s signal (in the event victim is wearing one and has it set correctly.)Mark the spot - If you lost sight of the victim or can’t find any visible clueson the surface, mark the spot where victim was last seen.Probe in a line - When searching with probes, stand shoulder to shoulder ina line across the slope and repeatedly insert probes moving down the slope.Listen - Make sure you listen for any muffled sounds as you search.Find them...dig ‘em out! - If you find the victim, dig them out as quickly aspossible. Survival chances reduce the longer they are buried.Now we’ll briefly cover LANDSLIDES and MUDFLOWS. Realize manytypes of disasters like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, rain and winderosion can cause land, rocks and mud to shift and move, sometimes atrapid speeds. Compound that with gravity and these earth movements canbecome extremely destructive.www.itsadisaster.net or call 1-888-999-432539