PRESENTATION OUTLINE
What is an avalanche?
Avalanches are masses of snow, ice and rocks falling rapidly down a mountain.
Survival
Once an avalanche stops, it settles like concrete. Body movement is almost impossible. Wait and hope for a rescue. Statistics show that 93 percent of avalanche victims survive if, dug out within 15 minutes. Then the survival rate drops fast. After 45 minutes, only 20-30 percent of victims are alive. After 2 hours very few survive.
Slab
When snow overlies weaker snow we call it a slab.
DID YOU KNOW AVALANCHES KILL ......
TOP 6 DEADLIEST AVALANCHES
1. Yungay, Peru
This avalanche occurred on the 31st of May 1970. The avalanche killed 20,000 people.
2. Trydean Alps
The avalanche occurred on the 13th of December 1916. Over a 24 hour period during World War 1 Italian/Australian Forces died in a series of avalanches caused by a mixture of heavy snowfall and man-made explosions an entire barracks (village/team) was destroyed burying 250 officers. Up to 1918, the mountainsides were bombed resulting in 40,000 deaths.
3. Ranrahica, Peru
The deadly avalanche occurred on the 10th of January 1962. Tons of melting snow from a storm a day earlier flowed down Nevadon de Huas Carran and fell into a canyon 3,000 (91,000m)