This is a situation taken mainly from the effects of Tropical storm Allison which flooded Houston about five years ago. I chose this because I am familiar with the situation since I lived just outside Houston at the time and because flooding is a situation which can occur in almost any major city as long as the rain fall exceeds the capabilities of the sewer/storm drain system.

Background: When Allison struck Houston it was relatively low level storm, mild winds, no evacuations were ordered. The expected effects were minor wind damage and possible flash floods. No worse then a major thunderstorm. However, what Allison did was move in over Houston and stop there causing heavy rain that lasted several days. Flooding occured suddenly in some places but did not dissapate for several days.

Now my situation for you to consider is this: you work in a large office building downtown. You go to work in the morning when it is rainy but the roads are clear. Sometime during the day, you either hear from a co-worker or the radio that there is flash flooding around the city. Security comes on over the PA system and announces that the parking garage is flooding and you may want to move your car. When you arrive at the parking garage, you find that your car is either already underwater or unaccessable. Aside from what you have on you or at your desk you have no other supplies and cannot easily leave the building. Safest route is to spend the night in the building.

What are your actions in the above situation? Everyone here has probably read books on and practiced wilderness survival skills, what are the analogous wrban survival skills you would use? Consider both the situation of both a building safe to stay in and one which is unsafe and must be abandoned.

Step 1: DO NOT take the elevator down to the parking garage!!! One of the fatalities from Allison happen because of that. From the Houston Chronicle article:

"The woman went down in the elevator after a broadcast was made in the building by the security department that water was coming into the parking garage and anyone in the building should go down and move their cars," Hurst said.

The woman, who was the only elevator occupant at the time, drowned when water rushed into the elevator while on the third level of the garage, Hurst said.

"It appears that water began rushing into the elevator and it malfunctioned and she drowned in the elevator," Hurst said. "She didn't even make it to her car parked on the fourth level."

-Blast

Step 2: See if any of your friends or coworkers live nearby the office building. When DW worked downtown we had a friend living in an apartment a few blocks away. She gave DW a key to the apartment in case something like this ever happened. When Allison hit DW made it safely to the apartment. Meanwhile I spent the evening with a coworker's family in Sugar Land (where I worked) and after many, many hours the apartment's owner made it home. DW had already fed her cats and prepared supper for them. We all actually had a good time!

Step 3: If step 2 isn't an option you should have already pre-placed food, water, toiletries, meds, change of clothes, deck of cards, etc in your desk. DW and I both were able to remain clean and comfortable because we had this stuff stashed ready and waiting.

Step 4. Okay, no food, no water, no preps whatsoever? Hopefully you'll at least have money for the vending machines but if not send raiding parties to the building's breakrooms and meeting rooms. You'll probably find something to eat/drink.

Step 5: Sleeping. You can make a pillow out of your jacket or other spare clothing. Check around the desks of female workers as they always seem to have "work" sweaters. A garbage bag stuffed with crumpled paper would also work.

To find an unused garbage bag lift the bags out of waste containers currently in use. Most janitors like to stash spare bags at the bottom of the trash cans rather than carry a bunch with them.

A blanket can be made by taping a bunch of these bags together. Adding crumpled paper will turn these inpromptu blankets into quilts.

Step 6: Defending your stash of food and brand new quilt:
Making guns from office supplies. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I spend a lot of time at work...
-Blast

The skills aren't terrifically different, actually. Sure, firebuilding isn't as much an issue (or as advisable), but sanitation is harder (you always have the one drone who can't get his brain around if we have no power, we have no water, don't flush unless it is critically, eye wateringly bad). Predators are a bigger problem too, but you can adapt. Think of it as being stuck on a rocky desert with some friends, some annoying people, and the middle management weenies who never actually do anything but issue new procolmations and regulations.

You eat them first. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

But seriously, think about it, what is in a normal PSK or small survival kit that isn't useful anywhere? The fish hooks. Maybe bug repellant. Everythign else works the same way, you just have to think. Although, I don't suggest making a wickup out of the carpet, unless you've already given your notice and have a new job.

Okay, how about the same scenario where you have to evacuate the building into the flood? Say because of a gas leak or fire?

Abandon ship! At least you aren't actively sinking, and if it really is a gas leak, it makes it's own signal flare.

Grab the least amount of stuff you NEED, grab stuff that floats and is/or can be made watertight. Agree on a meeting point, and stay together. And hope everyone can swim, becuase if you really do have a gas leak, you don't have time to build a raft out empty cooler bottles and a lightweight conference table.

Now, if you'd said a gas leak AND a fire, I'd probably answer "try not to die".

Okay, first how do you abandon ship? The first floor may be underwater, so therefore are the fire escape doors. The roof is still far to far to jump to anywhere safe from. Do you smash a window on the first floor and risk sparks in a gas leak? If so how do you even go about breaking modern safety glass? What if the fire is on the nearest level to the water (second floor for Americans, first for Europeans), do you risk the jump into moving debris laden water?

You've gotten out of the building and are now in the cacky, where do you go? Other offices maybe inaccessible for the same reasons you had trouble getting out of the building. How do you survive a swim in probably fast moving, relatively deep water with debris floating in it?

OK, how do you get sparks breaking a window? And yes, pick a clearish spot and dive.

Good rule of thumb- don't over think the problem.

As for where to go, that's a decision that has to be made at the time and place. How high will the water crest? How fast is it moving on the surface? How close is the nearest building, or better yet, dry land, that you can get onto? How many nonswimmers and weak swimmers do you need to support? How are you set on floatation gear? Too many variables that can't be answered in a vaguely worded simulation. Provide details, I try to answer.

Well done, no you probably can't strike sparks by breaking a window. Possibly if striking with something metal and the carry through causes it to strike a shard of glass, but no probably not.

As to the rest, I've already stated that the water is above ground level doors, is quick moving and full of debris. Debris may be anything you might find in a city. Since the city is based on Houston during Allison, you can assume buildings are close together. Downtown type area general mix of highrise type buildings. Probably too far from the freeway to get to an overpass. No low buildings with accessible roofs. Let your imagination run wild, though, and insert images of down town in which ever large city you've been to.

The purpose is to think about the consequences of a general disaster (flooding) in an urban area and the situations that might arise there in, not to answer specific questions about a specific disaster in a specific city. Take the basic blue print and run with it.

One thing one can perhaps do, -is to Aim yourself / Jump toward, and successfully Reach, -appropriate examples of the Floating Debris. -To use as a Float.

Reminds me of the People in the Indian Ocean Tsunami, -who were just Lucky enuff, -to be able to Grab and Hold On, -to some nearby Palm Tree! (I'm speaking here of Standing Palm Trees. But Dislodged, Floating ones, -I'm sure often enuff came in Useful too!). [color:"black"] [/color] [email]AROTC[/email]