Sudden, extended confinement!

[AeroNautiCal]

I have, for some time been thinking of the sudden confinement scenario, whether alone, or accompanied. Some recent examples have prompted me to ask for opinions, suggestions and experiences.

I recall the story of an office worker that got trapped in a lift (elevator) in the city, and remained undiscovered for 3/4 days.

Yesterday there was a programme on BBC Radio 4 on the 2000+ passengers, many of them young children returning from Euro Disney whom became trapped in the 4 Euro Star trains which broke down in the Channel Tunnel during freezing temperatures last December, details, here.

Lee Godfrey, who was travelling back from Disneyland Paris with his family, said they were left overnight without light, air conditioning, food or water.

Passengers opened emergency doors by themselves and set off down the tunnels to find refuge on another train

"We were without power. We ran out of water, we ran out of food and there was very very poor communication from the staff," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"We lost air conditioning when we lost the power. We had to open the emergency doors ourselves. The evacuation procedure we followed was one that we set down ourselves."

With what we've learned of people trapped in sudden emergencies, do you have the mindset, and with what you have on your person, or within immediate grasp, to overcome the situation?

I'm assuming no serious injuries, and no cell phone coverage.

Thanks.

 

[baldtaco-II]

Yeah, it's mostly just boredom. I'm lucky in that I'm fairly field independent and don't always require a plethora of external stimuli to stop my brain ripping in on itself. Constructing simple games, musing on whatever, replaying movies in mah head, all those kind of things relieve mah boredom if I really immerse. Then there's props; all sorts of things can be used to construct simple games and the same as when sitting in a hole for a while critters can take on a new lease of life. It's amazing how occupying it can be to watch a woodlouse, spider, or even a earthworm up close for a bunch of time in the absence of anything else. Same principal with this. A personal favorite is to create a parallel cartoon of what is happening and make it funny.

I do think a great ingredient is headphones. Whilst it is true it is probably better that one is not alone in such a situation as it has been said, “hell is other people”. The noises they make, the smells they produce, all that, can really get on your wick. Even if you aren't actually listening to something they help attenuate the babble. And then there's a visual signal to others that you are not receptive to voice, especially if you are pulling the right face, and they leave you the hell alone more often than not.

 

[go2ndAmend]

I had the same fear of a sudden confinement senario right after I got married. Luckily it all worked out well