|
National Geographic Danger Quicksand
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| 00:00:12 |
You're dealing with one of the |
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but unlike a hurricane |
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or somethin', you can't see it. |
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It's lying there in wait |
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twenty-four hours a day. |
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You might just be walking along |
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and once it's got you, |
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It conforms to every single nook |
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You literally cannot |
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even if you're just up |
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People have always been just |
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Its that awful feeling |
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which you know is solid and you |
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and you're going to take a step, |
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Since the earliest days |
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it was one of Hollywood's favorite |
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Or trap an innocent victim. |
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Producers created bottomless pits |
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oatmeal, even wine corks |
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And helped make the soggy |
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But quicksand is more than |
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It's real... It's dangerous... |
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And it's more common |
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Quicksand is found along |
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even in our own backyards. |
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Though one of nature's |
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quicksand is made of |
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sand and water... |
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its a simple recipe - for disaster. |
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In 1997, |
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twelve year old Sara Cody and |
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on what looked like |
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on the northwest coast of England. |
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We were staying at |
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for the weekend, |
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We went out on the sand |
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and there is actually signs |
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and it was a stupid thing to do, |
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but you don't really think |
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You think, |
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It felt quite muddy at first |
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and it did feel like my feet |
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but it just felt like |
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And then it got kind of more... |
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And as I walked along, |
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like a big pocket of quicksand |
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It felt like it was sucking me, |
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I tried to pull myself out, |
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but that made me sink |
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And there was people shoutin' |
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"Stop struggling |
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I sunk up to about here-ish, |
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And, ahm, I remember |
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at first my feet didn't feel like |
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There was lots of sand in my wellies |
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It was liquid, |
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where I was puttin' pressure |
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It was just settin' |
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Sara was mired deep in quicksand, |
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It looked just like |
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but this particular patch of sand |
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Sara was locked so firmly in place |
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She couldn't get out on her own. |
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What we think of as solid ground |
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isn't really solid at all. |
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It's billions of |
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resting on each other. |
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Normally that's all it is. |
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But quicksand forms when rising |
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force the grains to lose contact, |
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suspended in water. |
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The liquefied sand |
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so down you go. |
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As Sara realized too late, |
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as it only liquefies the ground |
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so you sink further. |
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Trying to pull your legs up |
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turning the water |
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and locking your foot in place. |
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The finer the particles |
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the tighter and |
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Word of Sara's predicament |
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who handle some 30 quicksand rescue |
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When I arrived on the promenade |
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one of my crew, |
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She really was in a mess. |
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She was really frightened, |
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she was just thrashing, |
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So I radioed, but still |
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After a while, there were |
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It was getting really panicky. |
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There's lots of noise |
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and it seemed like |
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Freeing a victim from quicksand |
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calls for special gear. |
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The Arnside coast guard |
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to cross the unstable sands |
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and support their weight |
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They put a big wooden board |
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It was like a big square |
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And to pull me out, |
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They basically dug my leg out |
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they put the one leg onto the board |
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And then I was sort of laying |
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and then they |
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And they just picked me up... |
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just ran me across these boards |
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and I didn't touch the floor |
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Since it happened |
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I came a bit onto the sands, |
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because I think I've learned |
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It's not worth the hassle |
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coming out and helping you |
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and really |
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in the first place. |
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In this part of England quicksand |
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where Sara was trapped. |
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The town of Arnside |
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to an enormous body of water |
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The area is well known for its |
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It is also notorious |
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for some of the world's |
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Sands do look nice, don't they? |
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And they look safe. |
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They always look safe |
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it looks like any old sand. |
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And that's its hidden danger. |
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For centuries, |
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has seduced unwary travelers, |
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for a short cut from one village |
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More than 150 people |
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are known to have perished |
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By itself, quicksand is not deadly |
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locking its victim in place |
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while some other force of nature |
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In Morecambe bay, |
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You can never out-run it really, |
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There is a saying in this area |
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that it can travel at the speed |
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Well, even a horse can get tired, |
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To help travelers |
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Morecambe bay's massive tides |
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the British monarchy appointed |
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some 600 years ago. |
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In 1963, Cedric Robinson became |
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of queen's guides to the sands. |
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You can only know and read the sands |
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such as I was, |
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There's no way you can read a book |
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It doesn't work like that. |
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You have to know |
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and if it can catch you out |
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it will do. |
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Cedric has lived and worked |
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for over 50 years |
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and he knows its perils |
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His introduction to quicksand |
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I didn't want to do anything, |
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same as me father |
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and even me grandmother. |
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She was a fisherwoman. |
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Here on Morecambe bay, |
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fishing has always been |
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At low tide, the bay is transformed |
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the fish more than seven miles |
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In the old days, |
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locals harvested the sea |
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venturing out on the treacherous |
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and wait for the catch |
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Not everyone made it back |
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Many foundered in quicksand, |
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by the returning tide |
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As the royal guide, |
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one of Cedric's responsibilities |
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to Morecambe bay's risks by leading |
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Before taking any group off shore, |
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Come a fine day, |
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I can go up onto the tops, with |
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and I can look through |
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and scan the river down |
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with my knowledge: |
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The danger spots |
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where the meandering paths of rivers |
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and streams carve narrow channels |
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quicksand is formed by the action |
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as it raises the water table |
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saturating and loosening the sand |
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It looks just the same as any sand. |
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It looks firm until you stand on it |
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and it just goes like jelly. |
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And the more people |
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the more jellyish it gets. |
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There are some areas out there |
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where it would be |
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But there are areas |
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and you can have fun with children. |
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It may seem unwise |
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but Cedric's hope |
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by teaching children |
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Have you ever been |
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No. |
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You could get really stuck |
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Yeah... |
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Yeah that's it. |
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It's like a suction, isn't it? |
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So it's bad there. |
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But if you come back to there, |
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that water will have come out |
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and it'll have hardened up |
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And that's the danger. |
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If you were in there for two hours, |
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because the water comes out |
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Quicksand is always |
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but Cedric makes sure the kids |
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it's a serious hazard. |
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After a certain time |
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one or two of them will get that |
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and then it gets past |
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and someone can get stuck. |
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So Cedric has to blow the whistle, |
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say, "Come on out of there! |
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Remember girls, |
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not too deep |
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Usually, you find quicksand outside, |
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But with the right ingredients |
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Scott Steedman understands quicksand |
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He is a civil engineer |
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studying the earth beneath our feet. |
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At home in the kitchen, |
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Scott has his own special recipe |
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This is corn flour which |
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and it shows just all the same |
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Quite extraordinary |
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you can change it |
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into a liquid and back again. |
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And uh, let me just show you that |
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because I'll just put some more in, |
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and we'll see if we can't make |
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The cornflower is a hard |
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so its a bit like sand or fine sand |
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and so we can see in the mixture |
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all the same properties that |
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But really in a small scale, |
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So this is the corn flour paste |
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And if I just stir the spoon slowly |
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you can see that it is a liquid. |
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Lift it up |
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just like a liquid. |
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But if I stab at it |
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like a person trying to |
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they don't sink in. |
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It is absolutely solid - |
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but it's solid under the tip |
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It's got all that strength |
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But if the person stands still, |
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And then if I grab at the spoon |
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like I'm kicking with my legs |
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it locks absolutely solid. |
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If I kick from side to side |
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I just can't get it out - |
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In the movies, |
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was usually a terrifying experience, |
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and the hapless victim went to |
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But in reality |
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there are some people around |
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These days my experience with it |
| 00:15:11 |
People from all walks of life. |
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They bring their selves |
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and they want to jump into |
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to experience it, |
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Chuck Lang is making his own |
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Be looking over your shoulder |
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as you're running |
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You want me to stand back here |
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and fire a few shots |
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Chuck is in high demand |
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and for his knack |
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along the banks |
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Chuck and his friends are just |
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of quicksand fanatics. |
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The competition is |
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And the game is what do you do |
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It is almost like you are chained |
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You have to move, |
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you have to exercise a lot of energy |
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Imagine yourself in molasses. |
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It's almost like an exercise. |
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You are going to burn some calories. |
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You really are. |
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To an outsider, playing around |
| 00:16:28 |
may seem foolish. |
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But after years of trial and error, |
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these buffs have developed |
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an impressive understanding |
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- its realities and a few myths... |
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including the ones |
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Don't believe what you saw on TV. |
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You're not going to |
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Perhaps its the biggest myth of all: |
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that you'll step into a pool |
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And disappear. |
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But that's virtually impossible. |
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You're actually more at risk |
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Because humans are composed mainly |
| 00:17:13 |
until we've displaced an amount |
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and that puts us |
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Quicksand is twice |
| 00:17:22 |
so we won't sink nearly as far, |
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The quicksanders have a good time |
| 00:17:29 |
applying their knowledge |
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but generally they don't tempt fate. |
| 00:17:34 |
Here on the Mississippi |
| 00:17:37 |
is not the most dangerous... |
| 00:17:41 |
The sand grains are fairly large |
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But just in case |
| 00:17:49 |
they use the buddy system. |
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It's not a good idea |
| 00:17:54 |
to look for quicksand. |
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Because if you find it |
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you could be there a while. |
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Bruce Fyfe certainly wasn't out |
| 00:18:14 |
when he stumbled into it one night |
| 00:18:19 |
But find it he did, |
| 00:18:23 |
Basically, it's dusk, |
| 00:18:24 |
fourth of July weekend, Friday |
| 00:18:27 |
and I'm bookin' down |
| 00:18:30 |
and got approximately a little past |
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and she bolts out |
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and I stopped the truck, took off |
| 00:18:42 |
And she goes down the hill |
| 00:18:43 |
and got out where |
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and stuff after they clean the rocks |
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and gravel off |
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and I happened to find a soft spot. |
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Ended up goin' in |
| 00:18:56 |
realized I was not gettin' out |
| 00:19:00 |
Bruce found himself knee |
| 00:19:04 |
an unexpected by-product |
| 00:19:08 |
Water and fine sand particles |
| 00:19:10 |
from the mounds of crushed rock |
| 00:19:12 |
make this quicksand especially |
| 00:19:16 |
and difficult to escape. |
| 00:19:18 |
Bruce was locked in |
| 00:19:23 |
As my feet went into it |
| 00:19:25 |
you could actually feel it |
| 00:19:31 |
From probably mid point |
| 00:19:34 |
down to the bottoms of my feet |
| 00:19:36 |
I couldn't feel anything. |
| 00:19:38 |
You know it was just... |
| 00:19:40 |
And I wasn't going forward, |
| 00:19:44 |
and I was stuck. |
| 00:19:47 |
I think |
| 00:19:48 |
that I was probably going to |
| 00:19:50 |
'cause I... you know, |
| 00:19:52 |
everybody's gone... |
| 00:19:53 |
I could hear the expressway traffic, |
| 00:19:54 |
but that's a couple miles away |
| 00:19:58 |
I'll wait 'til morning |
| 00:20:01 |
And, it just got progressively |
| 00:20:05 |
and by the third day |
| 00:20:06 |
I did drink the water |
| 00:20:09 |
I was just to that point |
| 00:20:11 |
where I knew something was happening |
| 00:20:15 |
because |
| 00:20:19 |
Bruce was suffering from |
| 00:20:22 |
and prolonged exposure. |
| 00:20:23 |
At this point, |
| 00:20:24 |
he'd been trapped for three days |
| 00:20:27 |
more than 60 hours, |
| 00:20:29 |
and was dealing with |
| 00:20:32 |
a crushing pressure on his limbs. |
| 00:20:35 |
Moving his legs back and forth |
| 00:20:39 |
The pressure had increased |
| 00:20:42 |
the blood supply to his legs. |
| 00:20:44 |
Eventually, Bruce lost all feeling |
| 00:20:46 |
in his lower extremities |
| 00:20:48 |
nerves and tissues were starved of |
| 00:20:53 |
supplied by blood flow. |
| 00:20:55 |
When the quicksand stuff |
| 00:20:56 |
it was just like |
| 00:20:58 |
on your legs hard as this |
| 00:21:00 |
but it went from his mid-thighs |
| 00:21:03 |
just a total squeeze down to |
| 00:21:06 |
and kind of just squished it |
| 00:21:10 |
I guess you could |
| 00:21:11 |
to being in a vise-like situation... |
| 00:21:14 |
Believe me coming on |
| 00:21:18 |
I wanted out. |
| 00:21:19 |
I wanted to go home. |
| 00:21:22 |
Bruce's endurance test |
| 00:21:25 |
when the sun rose |
| 00:21:28 |
I heard the machinery start |
| 00:21:31 |
and some guy popped up over the bank |
| 00:21:35 |
"How long have you been here?" |
| 00:21:37 |
And I told him and I said |
| 00:21:39 |
roll the rescue squad |
| 00:21:50 |
They tried digging |
| 00:21:52 |
They really couldn't |
| 00:21:53 |
because we were worried about |
| 00:21:55 |
They dug with some screwdrivers |
| 00:21:57 |
a couple of inches at a time |
| 00:21:59 |
hands down his legs to make sure |
| 00:22:01 |
Because he couldn't feel his legs, |
| 00:22:04 |
from the knees |
| 00:22:06 |
He had no feeling in there |
| 00:22:11 |
As soon as my feet came free |
| 00:22:13 |
they just pirouetted me up |
| 00:22:16 |
and got me out of there... |
| 00:22:17 |
I was tired, I was hot, |
| 00:22:20 |
and I was just trying to |
| 00:22:24 |
I didn't realize |
| 00:22:26 |
my kidneys had started to shut down, |
| 00:22:29 |
and there was a lot of weird things |
| 00:22:31 |
that I really couldn't tell. |
| 00:22:33 |
The big thing I knew was |
| 00:22:38 |
Bruce's kidneys were treated |
| 00:22:42 |
but his feet were another matter. |
| 00:22:45 |
When tissues are starved of blood |
| 00:22:48 |
they die, |
| 00:22:51 |
In the worst cases |
| 00:22:57 |
Sometimes if I move my foot |
| 00:23:00 |
and that could still be just |
| 00:23:04 |
The Doctor said it could be a year |
| 00:23:08 |
Time could have been |
| 00:23:12 |
but luckily, |
| 00:23:15 |
before permanent injury set in. |
| 00:23:25 |
In a swamp north of Toronto, |
| 00:23:27 |
it was the combination of quicksand |
| 00:23:31 |
that spelled disaster |
| 00:23:36 |
The nightmare began |
| 00:23:39 |
when Ethan and his friend Steven |
| 00:23:42 |
while playing in the backwoods |
| 00:23:48 |
I got stuck at one point |
| 00:23:50 |
and Steven thought that |
| 00:23:55 |
so he went on. |
| 00:23:58 |
And then we were separated. |
| 00:24:02 |
We were looking for this path |
| 00:24:04 |
that would take us back |
| 00:24:10 |
As they searched for a way home, |
| 00:24:12 |
the ground beneath their feet |
| 00:24:17 |
Well, it looked like it was solid, |
| 00:24:19 |
but when you stepped, |
| 00:24:22 |
and it looks like it's shallow |
| 00:24:25 |
but when you step in your leg... |
| 00:24:29 |
Steven managed to find his way home |
| 00:24:33 |
that Ethan and Elmo |
| 00:24:37 |
As darkness fell, |
| 00:24:38 |
police and local rescue squads |
| 00:24:43 |
You could see the lights of the |
| 00:24:48 |
There was lots of commotion |
| 00:24:49 |
and you could see people massing |
| 00:24:52 |
waiting to go in on foot |
| 00:24:56 |
The rescuers had their work |
| 00:24:59 |
Ethan had disappeared in the heart |
| 00:25:04 |
and it was already dusk |
| 00:25:08 |
We'd also been informed |
| 00:25:10 |
that had gone out ahead of time |
| 00:25:14 |
So there's a danger out there |
| 00:25:16 |
that we were actually told not to |
| 00:25:19 |
unless we had a visual contact |
| 00:25:23 |
You hope for the best, |
| 00:25:26 |
you don't want to go up there |
| 00:25:27 |
you're going to find somebody alive, |
| 00:25:28 |
because if you don't, |
| 00:25:31 |
If you don't find them alive |
| 00:25:35 |
For several hours |
| 00:25:38 |
but there were no signs |
| 00:25:44 |
I can't imagine |
| 00:25:44 |
what a little nine year-old boy |
| 00:25:46 |
when it starts to get dark, |
| 00:25:48 |
he can hear |
| 00:25:51 |
Ahm, he can't answer because |
| 00:25:54 |
He's gotten too far. |
| 00:25:55 |
He can't get back. |
| 00:25:57 |
The only thing he's got with him |
| 00:26:01 |
As the night wore on, |
| 00:26:02 |
Ethan's situation |
| 00:26:07 |
Stuck in quicksand, |
| 00:26:09 |
his body trapped |
| 00:26:12 |
he was in real danger |
| 00:26:20 |
Elmo the dog sensed Ethan |
| 00:26:22 |
and stayed close to the boy. |
| 00:26:26 |
When I got too cold. |
| 00:26:27 |
Elmo would lie on me |
| 00:26:29 |
and when I was falling asleep, |
| 00:26:33 |
so I would stay awake. |
| 00:26:37 |
Every 15-20 seconds |
| 00:26:41 |
hoping that we'd get a response. |
| 00:26:51 |
More than five hours |
| 00:26:54 |
the beam of Dave Pierce's spotlight |
| 00:26:58 |
crouched in the reeds. |
| 00:27:02 |
We got probably within about 50 feet |
| 00:27:04 |
and I was able to see |
| 00:27:07 |
and then we knew it was a dog. |
| 00:27:15 |
When we came upon the boy |
| 00:27:18 |
"He's alive!" boy, that was it. |
| 00:27:20 |
The adrenaline's pumpin' |
| 00:27:21 |
and we're basically running |
| 00:27:25 |
And to find him still alive; |
| 00:27:28 |
OK, now we've got a chance. |
| 00:27:30 |
By now, Ethan was ice cold |
| 00:27:34 |
sunk deep in the quicksand. |
| 00:27:37 |
I was up to here in mud |
| 00:27:41 |
I think they were pullin' me a lot |
| 00:27:45 |
But the soft wet ground |
| 00:27:48 |
efforts to free Ethan |
| 00:27:53 |
Dale picked him up. |
| 00:27:54 |
He turned around, |
| 00:27:56 |
he went down to his chest |
| 00:27:59 |
It scared the hell out of us. |
| 00:28:01 |
We knew it was there, |
| 00:28:05 |
The men formed an assembly line, |
| 00:28:09 |
as they wrestled with the quicksand. |
| 00:28:11 |
They struggled for solid footing |
| 00:28:13 |
and slowly maneuvered |
| 00:28:23 |
It was close to eleven o'clock |
| 00:28:25 |
when the rescue team |
| 00:28:30 |
After seven hours in the cold swamp |
| 00:28:35 |
and deeply hypothermic. |
| 00:28:37 |
His body temperature had fallen to |
| 00:28:41 |
within just a few degrees |
| 00:28:51 |
Had Ethan been in the quicksand |
| 00:28:54 |
he may not have survived. |
| 00:29:04 |
Wandering into swamps |
| 00:29:05 |
and getting stuck in quicksand |
| 00:29:10 |
But Lil Judd certainly |
| 00:29:12 |
to find it in her part of the world. |
| 00:29:18 |
You've heard about quicksand. |
| 00:29:20 |
You hear about it, but... |
| 00:29:22 |
but I'd be able to locate it |
| 00:29:25 |
no. No, that, I didn't expect. |
| 00:29:33 |
Though Hollywood has produced some |
| 00:29:37 |
California seems an unlikely |
| 00:29:41 |
Of the two main ingredients, |
| 00:29:45 |
but this dry state |
| 00:29:52 |
But in 1998 |
| 00:29:54 |
heavy rains had turned a normally |
| 00:29:58 |
into a quicksand trap. |
| 00:30:01 |
We rode out on the sandbank |
| 00:30:03 |
and we were standing out there |
| 00:30:06 |
And he decided to take |
| 00:30:11 |
Suddenly all of him was in |
| 00:30:18 |
he had actually literally sunk, |
| 00:30:20 |
because as I'm trying to tell him |
| 00:30:22 |
he's trying to get up, |
| 00:30:25 |
For a moment there, |
| 00:30:27 |
and I sat down next to him |
| 00:30:31 |
The thing with horses |
| 00:30:35 |
when they're in a panic situation |
| 00:30:37 |
they will either give up |
| 00:30:42 |
So all I could do |
| 00:30:45 |
from my tone of voice. |
| 00:30:46 |
I gotta go. |
| 00:30:48 |
I can't get you out on my own. |
| 00:30:50 |
I'll be back. Don't move. |
| 00:30:52 |
Lay as still as you can." |
| 00:30:54 |
Now Lil had to |
| 00:30:57 |
in the same quicksand |
| 00:31:00 |
I ran across this area |
| 00:31:02 |
and kept sinking down to my hip. |
| 00:31:06 |
I just grabbed at whatever I could |
| 00:31:08 |
and pushed against whatever I could |
| 00:31:10 |
and just never allowed myself |
| 00:31:13 |
in the same place. |
| 00:31:16 |
Help was not long in coming, |
| 00:31:18 |
but once the rescue efforts |
| 00:31:20 |
destined's situation |
| 00:31:25 |
He ends up in the stream. |
| 00:31:28 |
And all I could think was |
| 00:31:31 |
With all these people here, |
| 00:31:36 |
I am going to watch him drown. |
| 00:31:48 |
With a lot of encouragement, |
| 00:31:49 |
destined was able to thrash his way |
| 00:31:54 |
but the weight of |
| 00:31:56 |
concentrated on four narrow hooves, |
| 00:31:59 |
made it impossible for the horse |
| 00:32:13 |
As a last resort, |
| 00:32:15 |
a helicopter was brought in |
| 00:32:21 |
Somehow they managed |
| 00:32:24 |
and they started lifting him. |
| 00:32:34 |
He is flying up in the air. |
| 00:32:36 |
And he's slipping out |
| 00:32:38 |
And I'm saying, "Put him down. |
| 00:32:47 |
But the first place destined landed |
| 00:32:51 |
to support his weight. |
| 00:32:53 |
He continued to flounder |
| 00:32:55 |
until his rescuers adjusted |
| 00:32:58 |
and tried a second airlift. |
| 00:33:05 |
No one ever said, |
| 00:33:06 |
"You know, |
| 00:33:08 |
No one ever said that to me. |
| 00:33:11 |
And I'm sure a lot of people |
| 00:33:15 |
when they saw what he looked like |
| 00:33:42 |
This time, |
| 00:33:43 |
the helicopter pilots gently |
| 00:33:49 |
Despite four hours in quicksand |
| 00:33:54 |
the horse was unharmed. |
| 00:33:56 |
He was up and walking again |
| 00:34:02 |
I am one very, |
| 00:34:06 |
And he's one very, very lucky horse. |
| 00:34:16 |
Lil and destined were fortunate. |
| 00:34:18 |
There were enough people, expertise |
| 00:34:23 |
But that hasn't |
| 00:34:27 |
In the 19th century, |
| 00:34:28 |
there were few resources available |
| 00:34:33 |
While driving their herds of cattle, |
| 00:34:37 |
on a regular basis as they tried to |
| 00:34:43 |
Hauling a two-ton steer |
| 00:34:48 |
The best they could do was |
| 00:34:49 |
try and pull the animals free |
| 00:34:52 |
But unfortunately, things didn't |
| 00:34:57 |
As one weary cowboy put it, |
| 00:34:59 |
"this last method |
| 00:35:02 |
but it tore the heads, horns or |
| 00:35:09 |
The cattle of the old west were lost |
| 00:35:13 |
But sometimes quicksand |
| 00:35:16 |
and swallow a city. |
| 00:35:19 |
Perhaps the most remarkable |
| 00:35:24 |
The city of Port Royal, Jamaica - |
| 00:35:27 |
one of the wealthiest cities |
| 00:35:29 |
was resting quietly |
| 00:35:32 |
a sandy spit of land |
| 00:35:37 |
Just before noon on June 7th, |
| 00:35:42 |
with tremendous force. |
| 00:35:45 |
The violent motion pushed seawater |
| 00:35:49 |
In a process called liquefaction, |
| 00:35:52 |
the entire peninsula beneath |
| 00:35:55 |
turned to quicksand. |
| 00:36:00 |
When the shaking finally stopped |
| 00:36:03 |
a third of the city had slid |
| 00:36:05 |
and 2000 people were dead. |
| 00:36:08 |
The water had drained back |
| 00:36:10 |
locking people into graves |
| 00:36:18 |
Written accounts from survivors |
| 00:36:19 |
describe some |
| 00:36:24 |
"No place suffered like Port Royal |
| 00:36:26 |
where whole streets |
| 00:36:27 |
by the opening earth and houses |
| 00:36:29 |
and inhabitants |
| 00:36:32 |
Some were swallowed up to the Neck, |
| 00:36:35 |
and then the Earth shut upon them, |
| 00:36:36 |
and squeezed them to death... |
| 00:36:39 |
some were left buried with their |
| 00:36:44 |
"The shake opened the earth; |
| 00:36:46 |
the seawaters flew way up |
| 00:36:50 |
I lost my husband, my son |
| 00:36:56 |
Port royal went down |
| 00:36:59 |
but despite the hazard, |
| 00:37:00 |
we still build cities on low-lying, |
| 00:37:06 |
The phenomenon of liquefaction |
| 00:37:11 |
who must factor in the risk |
| 00:37:13 |
whenever they plan new construction |
| 00:37:18 |
At the university of Bristol |
| 00:37:21 |
Scott Steedman uses models |
| 00:37:23 |
how buildings will react |
| 00:37:25 |
when the ground beneath |
| 00:37:27 |
as it did in port royal. |
| 00:37:29 |
We're building a beach here |
| 00:37:30 |
to demonstrate some |
| 00:37:33 |
It's a special sort of quicksand, |
| 00:37:34 |
because it's a quicksand |
| 00:37:37 |
The shaking in an earthquake |
| 00:37:40 |
in the ground |
| 00:37:43 |
and produces all the same phenomena |
| 00:37:48 |
This is the ocean down here, |
| 00:37:53 |
and stretching up the slope here |
| 00:37:58 |
and behind the beach |
| 00:38:01 |
behind where you may have a town |
| 00:38:17 |
This is quite a high building |
| 00:38:25 |
On a shaking table, |
| 00:38:27 |
Scott subjects his model high rise |
| 00:38:29 |
to simulated earthquakes of seven |
| 00:38:34 |
magnitudes easily strong enough |
| 00:38:37 |
and turn it to quicksand. |
| 00:38:47 |
You can see how the building |
| 00:38:51 |
mainly because the slope |
| 00:38:54 |
And so that's forced it to tilt |
| 00:38:57 |
As the shaking progressed, |
| 00:39:01 |
in the sand underneath |
| 00:39:05 |
and as that happened |
| 00:39:08 |
And with the shaking |
| 00:39:12 |
it started to get more |
| 00:39:15 |
of course, with the lean becoming |
| 00:39:18 |
eventually the top blocks just |
| 00:39:27 |
Just east of anchorage, |
| 00:39:31 |
a 50 mile long fjord |
| 00:39:38 |
Over the eons, the slow movement |
| 00:39:43 |
from the mountains around the arm |
| 00:39:48 |
Meltwater carries that |
| 00:39:50 |
and into the waters |
| 00:39:55 |
When the tide retreats, |
| 00:39:57 |
a vast expanse of glacial silt |
| 00:40:00 |
In Alaska, |
| 00:40:05 |
But when these tiny particles |
| 00:40:09 |
from the incoming tide, |
| 00:40:10 |
this powdered rock has all |
| 00:40:20 |
More than a million people |
| 00:40:23 |
Many of them come to enjoy |
| 00:40:27 |
Most have no idea |
| 00:40:31 |
of getting stuck. |
| 00:40:33 |
The Lukens family has lived beside |
| 00:40:38 |
but despite knowing |
| 00:40:40 |
they've turned the fjord |
| 00:40:47 |
We've never had any trouble |
| 00:40:49 |
Of course, you know, |
| 00:40:50 |
and see how deeply we can |
| 00:40:52 |
We try and get out right away |
| 00:40:54 |
As long as you keep moving |
| 00:40:58 |
So far the Lukens have been lucky. |
| 00:41:01 |
But that's not always the case. |
| 00:41:04 |
Most people are tourists, |
| 00:41:05 |
and they think it is |
| 00:41:09 |
They play around with it |
| 00:41:10 |
They know the stuck |
| 00:41:14 |
and they stay with it |
| 00:41:16 |
and then they get one ankle stuck |
| 00:41:19 |
They get the second ankle stuck |
| 00:41:22 |
they're in up over their knees. |
| 00:41:25 |
As usual, |
| 00:41:28 |
In Turnagain arm, |
| 00:41:32 |
and the enormous tide, |
| 00:41:36 |
It is swift and extreme, |
| 00:41:39 |
in less than six hours. |
| 00:41:41 |
Rescuing people from quicksand |
| 00:41:45 |
Trying to beat a racing tide |
| 00:41:51 |
Four times a year, |
| 00:41:54 |
runs a thorough simulation |
| 00:41:57 |
and make sure every member |
| 00:41:59 |
for a real life quicksand rescue. |
| 00:42:03 |
Dan sill is |
| 00:42:06 |
When we show up on scene |
| 00:42:08 |
we are going to |
| 00:42:10 |
evaluate the mud and the currents |
| 00:42:12 |
and the tides and the winds |
| 00:42:14 |
We'll make a game plan. |
| 00:42:15 |
We'll either set up a person |
| 00:42:19 |
Everything we do out there, |
| 00:42:23 |
Everybody knows what the game plan |
| 00:42:26 |
We'll take Bob out there |
| 00:42:28 |
and put him the mud no more |
| 00:42:35 |
There are plenty of suitable areas |
| 00:42:41 |
Some of the worst quicksand |
| 00:42:49 |
This salty peninsula |
| 00:42:53 |
is perfect for testing |
| 00:42:57 |
It has all the hazards they face |
| 00:43:00 |
including the debilitating element |
| 00:43:04 |
This mud is the same temperature |
| 00:43:07 |
about 45 degrees, |
| 00:43:10 |
And if you're out here |
| 00:43:11 |
without the proper |
| 00:43:13 |
you're gonna get hypothermic |
| 00:43:15 |
when you struggle to get out of it. |
| 00:43:17 |
You're gonna get cold. |
| 00:43:18 |
You're gonna get exhausted, |
| 00:43:19 |
and you're going to take and go down |
| 00:43:23 |
Having the right clothes |
| 00:43:26 |
between a successful rescue |
| 00:43:30 |
Full dry suits, life jackets, |
| 00:43:35 |
and increase the amount of time |
| 00:43:36 |
they can spend working to |
| 00:43:41 |
Mike Tumey has been with the |
| 00:43:45 |
He knows all too well the pressure |
| 00:43:49 |
and in desperate circumstances. |
| 00:43:51 |
In 1988, |
| 00:43:52 |
he witnessed one of |
| 00:43:56 |
in recent Alaskan history. |
| 00:43:59 |
Mr. and Mrs. Dickison were newlyweds |
| 00:44:02 |
and, ah, |
| 00:44:05 |
than most of us and had chose to |
| 00:44:06 |
spend their honeymoon, ah, |
| 00:44:10 |
which is just around |
| 00:44:12 |
To get there in their four-wheeler, |
| 00:44:14 |
they had to travel |
| 00:44:17 |
Jay and Adeana Dickison headed out |
| 00:44:21 |
to catch the low tide... |
| 00:44:23 |
Just three hundred yards off shore, |
| 00:44:25 |
their four wheeler bogged down |
| 00:44:29 |
Adeana jumped off |
| 00:44:35 |
But struggling with the atv |
| 00:44:38 |
beneath her feet |
| 00:44:44 |
When she stopped moving |
| 00:44:45 |
the quicksand closed |
| 00:44:50 |
Her husband labored frantically, |
| 00:44:54 |
he had only managed to free |
| 00:44:57 |
By the time jay ran for help, |
| 00:44:59 |
the tide was pouring into |
| 00:45:04 |
About nine o'clock in the morning |
| 00:45:06 |
we got a call for |
| 00:45:10 |
stuck in the mud. |
| 00:45:12 |
We responded from the station. |
| 00:45:13 |
It's about a half-hour response time |
| 00:45:17 |
hiked on the trail |
| 00:45:19 |
As I reached the shoreline, |
| 00:45:21 |
I heard the screams of a young woman |
| 00:45:24 |
"Please don't let me drown. |
| 00:45:28 |
There was a, ah, woman |
| 00:45:31 |
with the water just below her chin. |
| 00:45:35 |
I went below the surface to try |
| 00:45:36 |
and feel |
| 00:45:38 |
I felt her leg and it seemed to |
| 00:45:42 |
and I thought, "She's buried |
| 00:45:44 |
you know, probably straight down. |
| 00:45:47 |
And at that point |
| 00:45:50 |
But when I came up, |
| 00:45:52 |
So every time I tugged her, |
| 00:45:54 |
Each time it's violent. |
| 00:45:55 |
I'm pulling with |
| 00:45:57 |
but each time it's jerking her |
| 00:46:00 |
and thrashing her |
| 00:46:03 |
I go under again to try |
| 00:46:05 |
and when I come back up |
| 00:46:10 |
The tide's gone over her hand |
| 00:46:11 |
and everything was in a... |
| 00:46:15 |
All I could see was this little area |
| 00:46:19 |
but I'm looking down into her face |
| 00:46:21 |
and she's under the water |
| 00:46:24 |
And I'm thinking, you know, |
| 00:46:26 |
"What a desperate situation this is. |
| 00:46:28 |
What a... you know, |
| 00:46:29 |
this brave woman she, |
| 00:46:32 |
she's gonna... |
| 00:46:34 |
She's gonna fight with us |
| 00:46:37 |
Anyway, I didn't know what to do. |
| 00:46:40 |
She's underwater now |
| 00:46:42 |
and, I can't thrash her now |
| 00:46:46 |
At that point, ah, her husband |
| 00:46:49 |
a tube off their suction dredge |
| 00:46:51 |
and they stuck it in her mouth. |
| 00:46:52 |
And, I... |
| 00:46:56 |
"Just keep breathing," |
| 00:46:58 |
and I went down again to try |
| 00:47:00 |
and I just pulled as hard |
| 00:47:03 |
and I just sat there. |
| 00:47:04 |
"We've got to get her out," |
| 00:47:06 |
pulling as hard as I possibly can |
| 00:47:12 |
While mike struggled |
| 00:47:14 |
the tide continued to rise. |
| 00:47:17 |
When he finally came up for air, |
| 00:47:24 |
It wasn't until low tide |
| 00:47:28 |
the, ah, rescuers that went back |
| 00:47:31 |
found her, ah, |
| 00:47:34 |
ah, still trapped just from the knee |
| 00:47:39 |
and at an angle like this. |
| 00:47:41 |
The tide had come in swept over her, |
| 00:47:43 |
gone back out with all that force |
| 00:47:47 |
snared in that mud. |
| 00:47:49 |
They had to dig her out |
| 00:47:52 |
The tragedy devastated |
| 00:47:55 |
On that fateful day, |
| 00:47:59 |
and a lack of time. |
| 00:48:01 |
For more than eleven years |
| 00:48:03 |
they've continued searching for ways |
| 00:48:06 |
and speed up their operation. |
| 00:48:09 |
I literally spent months and months |
| 00:48:12 |
dreaming and fantasizing |
| 00:48:15 |
that I could build that |
| 00:48:19 |
And literally in minutes. |
| 00:48:22 |
What Dan sill came up with turned |
| 00:48:24 |
the Girdwood team's greatest enemy |
| 00:48:30 |
Water became the key component |
| 00:48:34 |
For everything to work, |
| 00:48:37 |
which capitalizes on the water |
| 00:48:42 |
I just want you guys to make certain |
| 00:48:46 |
and does go wrong |
| 00:48:48 |
So no matter what it takes, |
| 00:48:53 |
You can not let it shut off. |
| 00:48:55 |
I don't want to freak you out |
| 00:48:57 |
but once Bob's in the mud |
| 00:49:00 |
So we're not gonna let him die. |
| 00:49:04 |
OK, I'm up to my knees |
| 00:49:05 |
Feel like you're sinking anymore? |
| 00:49:08 |
A little. |
| 00:49:10 |
I'm ready. |
| 00:49:13 |
You ready? |
| 00:49:18 |
Go ahead, fire it up! |
| 00:49:21 |
The float-a-pump sucks water up |
| 00:49:24 |
and into |
| 00:49:37 |
High pressure blasts of water |
| 00:49:41 |
and unlock the grip on Bob's legs. |
| 00:49:49 |
With the new device, the extrication |
| 00:49:55 |
After each run-through, |
| 00:49:59 |
I could not move my legs |
| 00:50:01 |
It felt like cement was around them. |
| 00:50:02 |
And the more I tried - |
| 00:50:04 |
before Scott was there, |
| 00:50:05 |
but the more I tried the further |
| 00:50:08 |
The thing is, |
| 00:50:09 |
and I was watchin' you do that, |
| 00:50:14 |
so they'll try to pull this one out. |
| 00:50:16 |
This one goes deeper. |
| 00:50:17 |
Then they realize that and they go, |
| 00:50:19 |
"I'll stand on this foot," |
| 00:50:20 |
and they'll try to pull that out. |
| 00:50:21 |
Then that one goes deeper. |
| 00:50:22 |
So they're caught |
| 00:50:25 |
where they're goin' back and forth |
| 00:50:26 |
and they're actually forcin' |
| 00:50:28 |
So once both feet are in |
| 00:50:31 |
if you can't |
| 00:50:33 |
Concentrate on one foot. |
| 00:50:35 |
Wiggle one foot to get one foot out. |
| 00:50:38 |
That foot gets on the highest piece |
| 00:50:41 |
Then you work on that one. |
| 00:50:43 |
And vibration is what'll get it out. |
| 00:50:46 |
What if both are in |
| 00:50:47 |
and you aren't getting them |
| 00:50:49 |
You need to fall forward |
| 00:50:51 |
get all your weight off... off... |
| 00:50:53 |
Sometimes it's not possible |
| 00:50:56 |
What you have to do is |
| 00:51:00 |
and work to get one... |
| 00:51:04 |
roll 'til you can get |
| 00:51:07 |
do a roll and run for high ground. |
| 00:51:10 |
The bottom line is... |
| 00:51:12 |
It's - there's nothing... |
| 00:51:16 |
It is just nothing but danger, |
| 00:51:21 |
and I've said it before. |
| 00:51:23 |
It's you're flirting with the devil. |
| 00:51:24 |
You're literally flirting |
| 00:51:27 |
Sadly, Dan and his colleagues, |
| 00:51:30 |
along with rescuers |
| 00:51:32 |
fight that devil all too often. |
| 00:51:36 |
Quicksand by itself |
| 00:51:39 |
but locked in its relentless grip, |
| 00:51:41 |
any one of it's accomplices: |
| 00:51:44 |
time, tide, cold or heat |
| 00:51:49 |
Again and again, we seem to ignore |
| 00:51:53 |
and fall prey to one |
| 00:51:59 |
Quicksand can be found |
| 00:52:02 |
So the safest bet |
