Two of the segments seemed to focus on the faith issues. The other story was about a man that was cut in half by a train car. Not necessary religion only, but faith or not wanting to let their family down is characteristic of people who survive these situations. In the other segments, awareness, knowledge, and planning seemed to be key.

The first story was about "The Station" nightclub fire. This one many people didn't react quickly to the fire and when they did they all tried to get out the exit they had entered from. It was more of the psychology of the survivors. This is were the expert explained that many people get stuck in a loop trying to evaluate a response to a situation they have never experienced before.

The second story was the DC10 crash in Sioux City. The people had about 44 minutes to prepare themselves. One survivor talked about how he located the nearest emergency exits and planned how he would open it. After the crash he ended still strapped in his seat upside down, but still had the presence of mind to get out of the seat, locate an exit (hole in the fuselage), and help others get moving.

The third story was a 10 year old girl in Indonesia that recognized signs of the tsunami and convince her parents and a few others to leave the beach.

I would say go to the abcnews website but that is the most awful design I've seen in long time.

-Tommy