BootsnAll Travel Community

A few years back I was in a 7.9 earthquake in Peru. I had just arrived in country a week before for my umpteenth trip. Things were definitely propitious. First night in Lima while walking around at 1 am three druggies were dumb enough to jump me. After the fun was over the remaining two ran off.

Next day I started to head south as I had friends coming from Boston to meet me in Cusco. In Pisco I met a girl from Texas, her first trip. Although we had slightly different plans the next couple of days we agreed to meet in Arequipa and travel together. I gave her the address of my favorite hotel and told her to get us a room. I would arrive the next morning on a night bus.

So, we go out that morning to do the tour of the town. Spent a couple hours in the convent... a must see for all. Then we hit a museum. Getting out about 3pm it was cooling down. Headed back to our room to get some sweaters.

The hotel was an old 2 story building with the rooms on the second floor facing a central, connected balcony. No sooner had we gotten into the room when the quake hit. Our room tilted about 15 degrees. Grabbed our packs and went to the balcony. One side of the building split in half. I've been in many quakes but this was the biggest. She had never been in one but was saying hail mary's as fast as possible. It lasted a total of a minute and 20 seconds. That is long for a quake... especially when the walls are crashing down. At some point the place did a perfect pancake and our second floor became the first. Once it stopped we grabbed the packs and went out into the narrow street filled with rubble.

Downtown Arequipa has narrow streets and mainly 2 story buildings made out of heavy white volcanic stone blocks. One of those hits you and you are dead. My immediate concern was after shocks and the remaining buildings coming down. It was only a block to the central plaza so I took us there. Most of the town had the same idea. One of the huge towers on the catedral had collapsed and the other looked like it was about to. Aileen remained freaked.

By then it was getting late afternoon. Not far from downtown are large neighborhoods of really poor folks. I figured that once it was dark the fuzzie wuzzies would decide it was time to loot. Getting out of town seemed like a good idea...small after shocks kept coming. I gave Aileen a weapon and sat her down near one of the probably useless town cops with our bags while I went to see if I could either rent or borrow a cab to get us to the bus station. Actually found a cabbie making his rounds like nothing had happened.

We got to the bus station to find it locked. The bus companies had rightfully guessed the roads were liable to be out so they shut operations. Ran into a young Norwegian couple who having just rode out their first earthquake on their first trip out of Norway and who spoke about 5 words of Spanish. They were almost in tears.

I managed to find another cab and hired him to take us to the coast. I knew some coastal villages on semi high ground. I figured any tsunami would have hit by the time we got there. It was now dark. We only made it about 5 clicks out of town when the road ended in a deep pit.

Driver knew someone on the outskirts who had a small, one story hotel. Made out of reinforced concrete block. It took us about 20 minutes to convince Aileen that it wouldn't fall down. Next was to contact home. No internet anywhere near us. We found a phone booth. After about three hours Aileen got through to Texas and told mom she was OK. Mom had heard about the quake and was in hysterics. I got through to my house... no one home..left a message for my housesitter to call my emergency list and tell everyone I wasn't dead. The kids couldn't reach Norway.

Next morning my friends in Boston heard on the TV that Peru had been hit. Marie was worried. Bob told her that hey... huge country. They knew I was in Arequipa. What was the odds I was near the center? About half an hour later they announced the center was Arequipa. Took a couple days to reach them.

Gradually we came across other gringos. All roads were shut and the airport was closed. Of the 20 some people in the group most weren't inclined to stay indoors. we found a restaurant with an open central courtyard. They served Pisco sours by the pitcher so armed with the essential survival supplies we spent the next 12 hours having an end of the world party.

Only a couple land lines working. Internet down. Cell service screwed. Contacting home should be way down on the list. Let everyone know that in the third world if something comes along, you may be too busy surviving to contact.

Be situationally aware after the disaster. You are better off staying away from relief centers at first unless you need medical care. Cops won't be any help. Find a wall to put at your back and allow up to 72 hours to stay put. Taking off at random unless you know the lay of the land might not be wise.

At my parents insistence, I registered with the State dept website while traveling through Africa. About halfway through I completely forgot to keep up with it, and as far as the State Dept is concerned, I'm still in Uganda somewhere. So I don't know if this actually works, or if it only works if there is a major catastrophe and it gives them an idea of who might be in the area.

Before I went on my big RTW I got my teeth cleaned and my dentist asked me if I wanted to take along my XRays in case they "needed to identify my body." nice huh?

quote:

Originally posted by elAdi:
I guess, my point is: if disasters strikes...there is very little you can do to be prepared for it...It gets even worse if the disaster is so bad that the infrastructure is being destroyed - which usually disrupts communication.

Ok. For the most part we're in agreement. That said, as someone who has had to deal with extraordinarily unprepared people in times of crisis, there are a few skills that the average traveler might consider learning.

1. Learn how to navigate.

If anything, just learn how to discern north from south. As someone who has been forced to attend Rekrutenschule (where the Swiss train their young men to fight a guerrilla war against Napoleonic invaders), ElAdi probably takes it for granted that most folks know how to work a simple compass. Sadly, for most modern suburbanites this is no longer the case.

2. Learn about the dangers inherent to the region/locale you are visiting, be they human (AUC, FARC, disgruntled Italian cab drivers) or divine (tornadoes, tsunamis, a drunken David Hasselhoff).

Don't die of starvation in Denali National Park because you were too stupid to know what part of the Teklanika floods during when. Sean Penn might make a film chronicling your adventure, but I'll always think of you as a douche bag.

3. Learn when it is best to move and when it is best to sit still.

Quietly watching the 70 foot wall of water coming in from the comfort of your beach blanket: bad. Running from a bear: worse.

4. Acclimate your family members to your need to travel. Have a way to communicate and prepare them for your inevitable death.

If they express discomfort in your choices, assure them that they too will eventually die. And they'll probably do so while watching Judge Judy from an uncomfortable bed in a cardiac ward.

And that's it.

I'm not asking you to learn how to build a fire, skin a deer, build an igloo, or how to properly purify water. I'm not asking you to buy an Eton radio or keep a First Aid kit in the back of your pack. I am asking only that you not rely on me to save you from dying in the Pyrenees. Really. The Pyrenees. It's like getting lost in a Wal-Mart, people.

This is a pretty good list. I'd add: learn how to manage hyrdration and body temperature, and you've given yourself a pretty good chance to survive a disaster situation, assuming you survive the actual disaster.

La

quote:

ElAdi probably takes it for granted that most folks know how to work a simple compass. Sadly, for most modern suburbanites this is no longer the case.

Yeah, I probably do. Also...reading (topographic) maps of rural areas is something that makes sense to learn. In case of utter devastation as after the Tsunami or a big earthquake topography is all you have left.
Got lost in a logging area in Tasmania on our cycling trip last December. The 'road maps' didn't make sense, as the logging companies built and abandoned roads while the deforestation progressed. I managed to figure out where we were and where we had to go based on topography only. But then we came across a Tiger Snake and my 'disaster preparedness' dropped to zero. (We never had to wrestle Snakes during the Rekrutenschule.) Luckily it was even more scared than we were.

quote:

Learn how to navigate.

I would emphasize that one should be able to discern north/south (and hence east/west) without map or compass. In a true disaster it could be very likely that you wouldn't have access to either.

Oddly enough I once had a local guide me to some caves in Kenya. On the way back he lost his bearings. Even at noon and at the equator there are still ways to discern your direction.

I have a friend who missed his pick-up point by nearly two weeks. No one knew what happened to him and his friend until they stumbled out of the Bitter Root Mountains. They went elk hunting and got a big buck, but the blood attracted a mountain lion. They were attacked. One of the horses was killed and his friend was badly injured. They finally made it out but there was almost a full-scale search and rescue effort launched.

I take the Scouts motto: Be prepared.

Jet

"Not the First Continental Op" listed some very good points.
Common sense with certain tools and skills is the best combination to keep a person out of the harm's way.

When I am traveling, climbing mountains or whatnot, all by myself or with others, I usually leave some kind of route plan and high level schedule to my trustworthy friends, rangers and so on.
I also carry some basic medical supplies and know how to use them, satellite phone if needed as well as keep my medevac plan up-to-date in case something happens and I need to get evacuated to another location. This all of course in addition to normal survival and navigation skills.

Every once in a while I am taking groups to the mountains or backpacking trips, and every time I see people who have no clue about certain outdoors basics. After a couple of professionally led group climbs or hikes these same people head to the woods by themselves or with their buddies, thinking that they know everything. And then there will be a search and rescue operation launched because of stupidity and lack of appropriate skills.... sad but true.

I have little to no sense of direction. Thats why I never walk in the mountains alone, at least for more than a day hike, and I ALWAYS carry a compass round my neck. That way I know where north and south is at all times, sun or no sun!!!

Bravery is travelling the world with a direction sense challenged mind.
I have that bravery.
I also don't do on mountain or jungle paths without peoplle who DO have that sense.

quote:

It's like getting lost in a Wal-Mart, people.

I would be lost in a Wal-Mart.

Just sayin'.

Sir.

You know, a lot of the things Continental listed (and others added to) are things we should all know how to do no matter where we are. Sorry, but disasters happen everywhere! a601mom had the right idea too, with the central meeting point etc.

With years of criminal justice education and the beginnings of crisis response training (started last fall...), I find I'm always making escape routes in my head, no matter where I am. That doesn't mean I avoid doing things or change my plans out of fear, I'm just aware of my surroundings. Call it self-preservation, call it paranoia, I don't care. I also try to be sensititve to my family and friends and keep them from worrying, whenever possible. I carry a cell phone while traveling so they can reach me (what if there's an emergency back home???) and update them with a text or call every day or two to let them know where I am.

AnnieB, I don't think you're too extreme with the texts etc. I don't live in a quake zone, but whenever I'm doing something that I feel might pose a slight risk (going out alone at night, driving in the snow, swimming alone, driving long distance....) I do try to let someone know what I'm up to. If you go missing, better that someone have a fairly accurate last position instead of guessing based on talking to you days ago!

*edit*

You know, another thing, I would really feel like an ass if a full scale search was launched to find me, wasting all those resources, because I was stupid or didn't tell someone where I was. And I can't even imagine if someone got hurt or killed looking for me when I didn't need to be looked for in the first place (or, if I did need to be looked for, but through some fault of my own)... I don't know how I could live with that.