Welcome Back Street Survivors
As you know we’ve experienced some serious flooding this year across the country following brutal hurricanes, and rogue storm fronts that dumped record rainfalls. It’s already snowing in some parts of the country which means, they’ll possibly be looking at major flooding come Spring. Our survival training helps us deal with many unexpected events, and weather is certainly one that can be life-threatening. Take it from a guy that had his house blown out from under him in 1992, compliments of Hurricane Andrew.
You may not be aware that just 6 inches of rain on the road can cause you to lose all control of your vehicle, and only 1 ft of water can cause your car to float. As little as 2 ft of rushing water can take cars, SUV’s and pickup trucks for a ride on the river. Certainly, there are offensive things you can do to try and eliminate that scenario, but there are flash water events that you can’t anticipate, so let’s do what we do and prepare for it.
Once you realize you’re stuck and can’t move your vehicle in any direction, dial 911 and get some help on the way. If the water is rising rapidly and starts coming into your car, get all the windows down right away. It will be much harder to roll them down or open the door when the water is pushing on the outside. Electric windows can short out as the water level rises, so get them down before that happens. Worst case scenario, you might have to break the glass. The trusty tactical pen we talked about in our last column, can also come in handy to break a window. Try to strike a few inches up from the door panel and a few inches in from the back of the window and protect your face. The water may rush in toward you and injure you while you attempt to escape.
Crawl out of your car and climb onto the roof but stay low. Don’t stand on top of your car, because the car will be unstable, and possibly move under your feet, throwing you into the moving water. Try to signal for help and make all the noise you can.
If you end up going into the water, you’ll want to travel feet first on your back in the direction the water is pushing you. This will allow you to kick away from rocks and obstacles while protecting your head. If you approach a floating tree or fence, don’t try to go under it, you’ll likely get wedged under water. Try to avoid, climb or swim over it if possible. If you can catch a tree that is still above water, try to climb as high as possible.
Remain as calm as possible and deliberate with your actions, as you may only get one chance to rescue yourself, so make it count. We are always the First Responder in our own lives, so don’t get frozen with fear like a deer in the headlights. Make a quick plan, and make it work.
Rick ‘Pirate Hunter’ Grover strongly believes we’re all in this together, and the more we learn and train, the better we’ll be prepared for any eventuality. This makes all of us part of an amazing neighborhood team of American Patriots. God Bless America !
Drop us a comment or question at email: StreeTactics@gmail.com ♦