Flood Survival

[Steve M]

As you may know, we in Clovelly had quite a time with a flash flood recently. Much of the footage was mine.


As a survival instructor, it inspired me to write an article. And here it is.


http://blog.artandscienceofsurvival.com/2012/10/water-water-everywhere.html


Also available on Facebook ... http://www.facebook.com/survivalscool

 

[spandit]

Nice article, thanks!

 

[crosslandkelly]

Interesting article, cheers.

 

[Joonsy]

Hi, rescue attempts in floods are interesting requiring some thought, i remember watching some people (on telly) trying to save a man who had fallen into a swollen flooded river and was being washed downstrem, with good intentions they tied a rope across the river for the casualty to grab which he did but with the rope being tied directly at right angles to the river he could not escape beacause the rope formed a 'V' in the middle where he was holding on, wether he went left or right on the rope either way meant going upstream because of the 'V' formed in rope by strong current, the current was so strong that he could not pull himself along the rope effectively against the current and all he could was hold on being pinned in the centre of the rope, eventually he run out of strength loosed the rope and i believe drowned. Should you ever be in the position of having to tie a rope across a river to save someone its vital that the rope must be tied at a GOOD ANGLE across the river and NOT straight across so if the casualty grabs the rope the force of the current will just wash the casualty down and along the rope until the bank is reached, with the rope set at an angle one end will lead 'downstream' but with it set directly across at a right angle both ends will lead 'upstream'.

 

[bikething]

@ Joonsy - Having got the casualty on to the middle of the rope, could they not have released one end of the rope and allowed him to 'pendulum' onto the opposite bank (assuming he could keep hold of the rope) ?

 

[Retired Member southey]

Yup, ifone side had let he would have(barring any unseen obstruction) swung to the side still held.

 

[Joonsy]

@ Joonsy - Having got the casualty on to the middle of the rope, could they not have released one end of the rope and allowed him to 'pendulum' onto the opposite bank (assuming he could keep hold of the rope) ?

yes i expect so if it would pendulum all the way to the other side with no obstructions to stop it doing so but it would be less controlled, easily released knots would have needed to be used as bad knots can jam under tension though rope could be cut of course if tool was handy, it would have been a better option though in the scenario i stated, i suppose the bystanders just didn't understand the mechanics of water current and why the man could not haul himself out.

 

[Steve M]

Nice points for a followup me thinks

 

[capt.dunc]

once the person was trapped in the V the force on the rope should be large enough to be able to cut by one anchor with a boot lace, always double check that each bank team knows what's happening, you don't want both teams thinking that it's their job to release. a knotless anchor would be ideal that would allow for a soft release. a knotless anchor is simply many turns around a tree, you just keep adding them until you've enough friction to hold, then chuck on a couple more. works in the wet, and is used in swift water rescue. it's good under constant load ie holding a boat mid flow, but rubbish in a load/unload cycle ie a boat moored on a lake side.

 

[SCOMAN]

My recommendation for any flood water is to stay out of it. I've done quite a bit of training for flood water rescue by foot and by boat. Using a pole to steady yourself is a good idea and one which can prolong your life. A better one would be not to enter it at all. When the Flood rescue teams be they F&R, RNLI or others rock up they do so fully booted and suited for good reason. If you find yourself stranded due to flood water move to high ground or higher up in the house. Ensure you have communications, signaling equipment and dry kit. Food, water and hygiene kit are all necessary. It all comes down to preparation, not just by individuals but by councils, F&R and government, local and national.

 

[SCOMAN]

Sorry forgot to mention, the V in the rope crossing is a nightmare. In order to get it at a suitable tension to eradicate the V we use a pulley rig just to ensure its taut.