Actual accounts from recent terror attacks and how the survivors managed to stay alive

Three important lessons we learn from them.

Olivia Lin | Sponsored | April 11, 2018, 09:07 PM

What would you do in the face of a terror attack? Would you run away immediately? Would you wait it out? Or would you just faint on the spot?

It’s remarkable how the human body reacts in times of emergencies. Your heart rate increases, and the brain goes into a fight or flight mode. Suddenly, we become supercharged, and our willpower to live grows tenfold.

However, willpower alone isn’t enough to ensure survival. One has to act accordingly when terror strikes in order to remain alive.

Here are actual accounts from people who went through terror attacks and lived to tell the tale.

Disclaimer: The following photos, however, aren’t from actual events. They are for illustration purposes (and also for us to practise what to do in such events).

Running away from danger

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first time Mason Wells encountered a terrorist attack. But fortunately, this also wasn’t the first time he survived one.

Having been through the Boston marathon bombing in 2013, the last thing that went through Wells’ mind at the departure hall of Brussels Airport on March 22, 2016, was that he would face another attack again. He told TIME that as the first bomb went off in the airport, it threw him off both physically and mentally.

But after the initial shock was gone, he managed to escape by focusing on one thing -- running out of the airport. He recounted the incident to TIME, “I focused all of my energy on running out of the airport, despite facing dire injuries, including third-degree burns, numerous lacerations, a cracked heel bone and a ruptured Achilles tendon.”

Brussels Airport. Nikos Roussos via Flickr

Another lucky individual who managed to survive a terrorist attack by running away was Ahmed Ech-Chahedy. He had just finished his evening prayers at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City when it happened.

He was having a conversation with his son and two of his son’s friends when he heard a loud sound. That was when he spotted a man at the entrance holding a gun.

Ech-Chahedy said in an interview with Al Jazeera, “I turned towards the children ... and I told them, 'We need to run.' But they didn't go. They couldn't move. My reflex was to get them out."

Thankfully, he managed to get himself and the children to safety by running to a nearby restaurant.

Hiding from terrorists

It was a nice summer night at the time of the London Bridge attack on June 3, 2017. Hundreds of people were strolling leisurely through one of the most iconic spots in the city, unaware of what was about to happen.

At 21:58, a white van went across London Bridge twice, before ramming into several pedestrians. The three attackers in the van then got out, and continued the assault on foot. They moved into Borough Market and started stabbing and slashing passersby with knives.

As the chaos unfolded on the streets, people sought refuge in nearby bars and restaurants. The staff of the eateries quickly led them in, and some even hid in the kitchens, cellars, and cupboards.

Borough Market. Magnus D via Flickr

It was the same for Trudy Raymundo, survivor of the San Bernardino shooting that happened on December 2, 2015. During a year-end gathering, two attackers burst into the building of the Inland Regional Center and started shooting at the staff with semi-automatic pistols and rifles.

Raymundo, 48-year-old director of the county’s public health department, recounted the incident to The Wall Street Journal that she ducked down and huddled under the table with her staff.

From her vantage point, she could also see Corwin Porter, another survivor who also dove under the table.

Telling the police when it’s safe

Besides running away and hiding from attackers, there’s also one more thing to do to ensure safety.

When the Charlie Hebdo massacre happened on January 7, 2015, at the office of the French satirical newspaper, financial director Eric Portheault immediately got down and hid behind his desk.

He waited there with his dog as gunshots went off outside. When the firing sounds finally became more distant, he realised that the assailants had left the office, and that it was safe to move.

This was when the other survivors he was with telephoned for help. And as they did so, Portheault called his wife to let her know that he was alive.

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It’s good to get help as early as possible. But in the context of Singapore, if you feel it isn’t safe to talk, you could use the SGSecure app to provide details of an attack to the police.

The Run, Hide, Tell campaign isn’t drilled into us for nothing. Find out more here.

Top image via Getty Images.

This sponsored post in collaboration with SGSecure makes Mothership.sg’s writers feel a little at ease about what to do during terror attacks. But just a bit. Because the thought of terror attacks is still very scary.