Real life survival fail in Japan - what would you have done?

[Jakuka]

This picture is very telling. It also appears to be taken after the storm passed. I try to imagine what it must have been like to be there in the thick of it when the storm came pounding through with 68 mph winds and a 21°F temperature (-4 windchill). Giving those conditions, for every hypothetical reason that someone thinks they could have done better, I can think of another hypothetical reason such a plan would fail. I'm in awe of of the bravery and self sacrifice the man demonstrated for his daughter. What a tragedy....and what an amazing love.

[Twobiscuit]

We occasionally lose someone here in Central Wyoming and most are found within 1/2 mile of their vehicle. With rare exceptions all would have survived had they stayed with their vehicle and we are all reminded by public service announcements every year

[chopchop]

God bless that man and his little girl. This is heartbreaking.

By the looks of the pic, the snow probably drifted up past the doors or windows on most buildings and even finding the difference between the street and a forested lot would have been difficult.

I'm guessing the daughter couldn't go any farther, and he either couldn't carry her or he thought/hoped it would lighten up enough to find someplace better. I imagine it spiraled out of control pretty fast.

[vakman]

Both fatalities in Boston during the recent blizzard were caused by people sitting in a car with a running engine. Unless you have a snorkel exhaust, never do that.

For a few days, water is a concern but not an immediate one, so don't go boiling snow to drink. Priority is warmth.

We don't know what tools they had. If there was some type of blade, my first move would have been to collect upholstery in as large a piece as possible for use as a blanket. Head rests get "skinned" to make hats, etc. But who knows, it could have been a harder plastic material, not sure.

The windspeed was high, but the base temp not that low...I've slept in that with a fire and two wool blankets. Would like to think that in a snow-insulated vehicle, with use made of the available materials, they could have survived.

[rdec]

"when the pressure of life and death is on you have no idea what you would do"

Here is where I have to disagree. The whole purpose of training (preparation) is so you DO know what you would do. Soldiers train for combat so they know what to do, and generally they will fight as they were trained to do. The real purpose of basic training is to keep you alive on a battlefield, if only because dead soldiers don't win battles.

Firefighters train in a variety of real-life scenarios so they don't get trapped in a fire and know how to attack one. Some folks here attend classes, some just experiment on their own so they not only know what to do, but can do things like light fires in poor circumstances and make shelters etc.

In general, what you do is evaluate the situation as it is, formulate a plan and execute the plan as best you can allowing for the fact that the situation may, and probably will, change to some degree, you then re-evaluate and so forth.

I've been in more than a few dicey situations in my life, where death or serious injury was more than a remote possibility, enough to know I am not inclined to panic and that I constantly evaluate and re-evaluate the situation, changing tactics to suit. I must have been doing something right because I'm still here.

There are situations where there is little you can do. Tornados are uncommon here but a few years ago a man was killed in his car when a tornado dropped a tree on it. The car was moving, and had the driver been going as little as 1 MPH faster or slower the tree would have missed him. That was one of those wrong place, wrong time situations and I doubt there is anything he could have done about it.

If you want to say that I wasn't there in the situation cited, you are correct, I wasn't but this is what I know or can reasonably surmise. The road was not some remote, backwoods trail. If snow is not uncommon in the area then snowplows are in use. I am familiar with the difficulties of foot travel through drifted snow and am also familiar with the problems of wind chill and hypothermia. My inclination, especially if I was with a child, would be to stay within the shelter of the vehicle, out of the wind.

The man was right, even heroic, in sheltering his daughter, but would probably still be alive had he stayed in the car. If you think me arrogant to say so, well .... I can live with that.

[oscartrucker]

there is no greater love than to give yourself for another rip

[Bartnmax]

I know this will go over like a turd in a punch bowl but I think it's a little cheap for us to sit here and analyze what we would have done. We don't know what the heck we would have done. I'm just glad it wasn't me and my child.

So to answer the question, I don't know what I would have done. I pray to God I'd have been as brave as this guy and done my best to save my child's life and pray to God I never have too.

When I put up the original post I specifically said I woiuld rather this not become a finger pointing exercise.
This thread should not be about bagging a very decent man whom gave his life for his daughter.
It's about trying to get people thinking about what they would do in a similar situation.

One thought a few people have posted is sticking inside the truck.
That's probably ok as long as the motor is able to run & the fuel holds out, but using a vehicle for shelter in these temps without having a heat source is like sheltering inside a refrigerator.
It can actually be counter-productive.
Far better to make an insulated shelter of some kind & then work on getting a heat source organised.

Please let's not bag this heroic guy. Let's look at learning from his sacrifice in a positive way.

[Seniorman]

Speaking to the idea that for a short distance, even in a blinding blizzard, one can find his way home so long as he knows where it is. I am reminded of the many stories of the pioneers and ranchers and farmers of the early mid-west and west, who would string a rope from the front door of their house to the barn or an outbuilding. Living so close to the land, they learned to perceive when one of the "blue northerns" was going to sweep down out of the mountains and rage across the plains.

This was done because in such a storm, it was not unusual for a man, woman, or child, to have to go to the barn to take care of livestock during the terrible blizzard, become completely disoriented on the way back to the house, and later be found only a few feet from the house, frozen to death. With the strung rope, one had only to keep it in hand and follow it back to the house, warmth, and safety.

Those house-to-barn distances were much shorter than a half or three quarters of a mile.

I've been disoriented once in a Colorado blizzard. I could not see ten feet in front of me.I did not know where camp was. Fortunately for me, my horse did. Got back to safety but I was lucky.

S.M.

[EagleRiverDee]

I won't say what he should have done, because I wasn't there. But it's a strong argument for carrying a good supply of emergency gear in your vehicle and for thinking on these things ahead of time so you have at least thought of different options.

I agree with those who said this man is a hero.

[rdec]

Lest we forget: the situation was described and the question posed was: what would YOU do in this situation?

"That's probably ok as ling as the motor is able to run & the fuel holds out, but using a vehicle for shelter in these temps without having a heat source is like sheltering inside a refrigerator.
It can actually be counter-productive.
Far better to make an insulated shelter of some kind & then work on getting a heat source organised."

I am more than casually familiar with wind chill, that's how my face got frostbitten. With dangerously low wind chills the important thing is to get out of the wind and stay out of the wind. This is even more important if you are inadequately clothed. Crack a window on the leeward side for ventilation. The snow drifting on the windward side actually provides good insulation and further protects from wind. A live person is equivalent to about 2 sq ' of radiator and it is surprising how much a couple of people in a closed, compact space will warm things up.

I'll admit, I'm biased. I drive a small pickup that seats two so the cabin space is about half what the usual sedan will have. Moreover, I carry several cans of Camp Heat that in the low, heat, setting will burn for about 6 hours. A small metal box stove elevates the can off the floor and acts as a radiator. I also carry a quart pot that will melt snow while sitting atop the stove. In addition, a small candle lantern with a supply of candles provides both heat and light. I have no plan to run the engine for heat.

I'm a skinny old guy who feels the cold more than I used to, so I am always adequately dressed. In addition, I carry two wool blankets and a sleeping bag in addition to about 3 days of food.

While you are outside, in the wind, in a blizzard "making an insulated shelter of some kind & then working on getting a heat source organised" I'm retaining my energy, out of the wind and snow, sipping a hot beverage until a plow shows up. That is, unless you are planning on spending the rest of the winter there.

If it is really necessary I also have a "get home bag" along with a pair of emergency snowshoes so I can leave the truck AFTER the wind has died down and the blizzard blows itself out.

P.S. The rope stringing between building is the norm in Antarctica. There hasn't been new snow there for 10,000-some years but blizzards (windblown snow) are common and spring up with little or no warning. My old friend's nephew is one of the pilots flying C-130s supporting the Antarctic research stations. The "snow" is actually fine ice pellets. He tells us getting caught in a blizzard is like being in a sand blaster - those ice crystals are sharp.