Would you survive disaster?

No one really believes they’ll have to deal with a disaster – until it happens to them. Would you know what to do? Find out if your survival skills are up to scratch, and test your general knowledge about natural and human-induced disasters.

Which one of these tips for survival during an earthquake is incorrect?

If you’re driving, you should stop in an open area and stay inside the car.
It’s safer next to a building’s interior wall than an exterior wall.
If you’re inside a building, you should try to get out as quickly as possible.
It’s generally a better idea to get under a sturdy table than to stand in a doorway.

If you find yourself trapped in rubble after an explosion or other disaster, the first thing you should do is:

Try to wriggle out
Cover your nose and mouth
Shout as loud as you can
Light a match

Which of these was not a highly destructive and deadly hurricane:

Andrew
Henrietta
Katrina
Mitch

In 1952, a toxic mix of dense fog and coal smoke killed thousands of people over the space of about four days in which city:

Beijing
Chicago
London
Mexico City

Fast-flowing flood waters are already considered dangerous – either to walk or drive through – when they are only as high as:

Two inches (5cm)
Six inches (15cm)
A foot (about a third of a metre)
Two feet (about half a metre)

You are trying to escape a burning building. Which of the following tips is not good advice?

Stay close to the floor, squatting or crawling if necessary.
Don’t use the lifts.
Place your palm firmly against any closed door to test for heat.
Close doors behind you as you pass through them.

In the worst industrial disaster in history, in Bhopal, the majority of deaths were caused by damage to the

brain
liver
lungs
skin

If you’re told to stay inside after a nuclear accident or blast, the following won’t help to protect you from radiation:

Eating canned food.
Staying in the basement.
Turning off the air conditioner.
Keeping the temperature as low as possible.

If you are out in the bush and a veldfire is rapidly approaching, which of these would likely be the worst course of action?

Running downhill
Lying down in a depression
Getting into a stream
Heading uphill

Which of the following statements about tsunamis is false:

If you observe coastal waters receding prior to a tsunami, you have about 15 minutes to get to higher ground before the wave hits.
A tsunami is a series of waves; the first wave is not always the most dangerous.
If you’re in a boat on the open ocean during a tsunami, you should not try to come in to shore.
Not all tsunamis are heralded by an earthquake.

Would you survive disaster?

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