Get Out Alive

"FOX & Friends" asked experts for tips to survive a worst-case scenario:

• Tornado

John Trostel, deputy director of Severe Storms Research Center at Georgia Tech, on surviving a tornado:

Get to shelter. If it's the bathroom, get in the tub and wrap yourself in a blanket to avoid possible debris. If you're in a basement, crouch under stairs or under a work bench

Stay away from windows, large rooms or upstairs of a house — the higher you are the worse

If you are in an area prone to extreme weather, make sure you have a weather radio. When the electric goes out, you will lose your TV and not know what is going on. Stay close to the radio and listen for weather updates.

If you're outside, don't go under a tree. Get as low as you can to the ground — find a ditch or depression. Lie face down. Cover your head with your hands. DON'T go under a bridge — creates a wind tunnel and you will get tossed around.

If you're in your car and can see the tornado approaching, get out and find some cover. Staying in the car would be bad. If sucked into the tornado, it would feel like being in a crash at 300 mph.

If the tornado is 5 miles away, you can try to drive away, but ideally you want to get out of the car and find cover — you take a major risk if you try running from the storm.

• Lost in the Wilderness

Wilderness survival expert Laurence Gonzales' 5 must-know survival tips:

Tip No. 1 — If you lose the mental game, you will lose the physical one

It is extremely important to stay calm. I like to use of the acronym S-T-O-P (Stop, Think, Observe, Plan). If you stay calm, think rational and work from there it WILL save your life. The most important thing about being lost is that you don't lose your mental strength, because once you do, you will lose the physical battle.

Tip No. 2 — If you know you'll be near the wilderness, pack a safety kit

If you plan on hiking, biking, climbing or being anywhere the wilderness you should definitely have some essential items. I suggest a drop cloth, parachute cord, large-size heavy-duty garbage bag, waterproof matches, something to burn (like chucks of fake fire wood), chap stick , flint. These few items could mean the difference between life and death.

Tip No. 3 — In cold weather, building a shelter must be your No. 1 priority

If you get stuck in cold weather, building a debris shelter is imperative. It involves sticks, branches and leaves. If built correctly, these shelters could keep you warm up to 20 below and that WILL save your life. You could avoid all of this if you have a drop cloth and parachute cord — those two items will save you time when building your shelter.

Tip No. 4 — Making a fire will help your chances of survival

Fire is NOT essential, but will make things much easier for you, especially if you are in freezing weather. If it is windy you will have to build a wind break. This will prevent the wind from getting in the way. A wind break is designed to keep the wind away from you when trying to build a fire. It can be as easy as staying behind a big tree, or stacking rocks and logs in such a way where the wind can't get to your fire — the fire will then help melt the ice into water.

Once you have your wind break set up, starting the fire is the next obstacle. It can be done in many ways. If you have the proper safety kit, all you would need to do is use your flint/steele and make a spark on your chap stick (then use your wood chips). It will create a beautiful fire. If you don't have those items, finding a flint rock and metal (iron) would allow you to make a spark onto some brush. Unless you would trained, building a fire from rubbing sticks will take forever.

Tip No. 5 — If starving and need food, bugs and insects are safest bet

The theory is that you will die if you are 3 minutes without air, 3 days without water or 3 weeks without food. Most people don't need to worry about food. Physically, people can last for weeks without any food. BUT if you MUST EAT, your safe bet are bugs and insects. Stay away from leaves and berries because many of them in the wilderness are poisonous and will kill you.

• Shark Attack

Shark expert and biologist Chris Paparo's 4 must-know survival tips:

Tip No. 1 — Know What Is in the Area
Think to yourself: Is the ocean highly populated with sharks? Also, remember that dawn and dusk are when sharks are looking to feed.

Tip No. 2 — Remain Calm
If you are swimming or diving and you see a shark getting closer to you, don't flail your arms and legs or make splashes. Keep a low profile and slowly get away.

Tip No. 2 — Punch the Eyes, Nose or Gills
If you are in the situation in which a shark has bitten you, aim for those places — they are the weakest part of the shark and may deter it from continuing.

Tip No. 4 — Get Out as Quickly as Possible
If you are bitten by the shark and start bleeding, get out anywhere possible — fast. Blood attracts other sharks and the longer you stay in the water bleeding the worse.

Remember:
The chances of getting attack is extremely low. You are more likely to get hurt/die driving to the beach, then swimming in the water and being attacked by a shark. Sharks get a bad rap — most attacks are sharks mistaking humans as seals or other forms of sea life.

• Plane Crash

National safety and security coordinator Lonny Glover's 5 must-know survival tips:

Tip No. 1
When you sit down, count the number of rows/seats to your nearest emergency exit.

Tip No. 2
Pull out the emergency briefing card and listen to your flight attendants.

Tip No. 3
During an emergency evacuation, leave your carry-on luggage behind!

Tip No. 4
In a smoke-filled cabin, breathe through a piece of your clothing.

Tip No. 5
Learn the proper brace for impact maneuver.

Remember:
In all the studies when have done over the decades, the No. 1 problem is that people will try to reach for there carry-on luggage. This is one of the major reasons why people don't get out.
There is no "safer" place on a plane. Decades of studies show that it all depends on how the plane lands/crashes. The myth is that the back is safer then the front, that is FALSE.