HELICOPTERS AFTER DISASTERS

After ANY major disaster, wether it is an #Earthquake, #Flood or any other mass casualty tragedy, helicopters will be used extensively firstly by rescue services followed by the air traffic of Aid Agencies assessing the damage and how they are going to best utilise their resources.
Depending on the scale of damage, the road and rail system could be either blocked altogether with rubble/landslides or even totally out of commission/use.
This will inevitably lead to Aid delays and the increasing likelyhood of air assets.

If you are stranded or awaiting #rescue then you should be aware that helicopters will be operating in the areas of destruction. They may be assessing, even landing at key locations, or even areas that are either naturally clear of obstacles and provide good helicopter landing or access to identified aid distribution points.
In order to be aware of such activity, you should also be aware of the likely size of area involved and the key criteria for a Helicopter Landing Site (HLS) or Landing Site (LS).
In the following video i highlight such criteria.

https://d.tube/v/preppervetuk/6olb6zms

In a nutshell:
SIZE | APPROACH | SURFACE | WIND | SLOPE - As small as a tennis court, but can be as large as a football pitch, you would probably NOT know what kind of helicopter may arrive, so plan for the biggest!

Of course safety is of primary concern, as these aircraft will be looking and searching for #survivors they will also be looking for opportunistic locations in which to land! Do Not become embroiled in a helicopter crash or incident which may hinder either yourselves or the rescue of others! One must realise that if you were to camp, ensure you locate youreselves in a suitable area away from possible landing locations or, at a minimum if there is not other option other than to locate or position yourself near a probable HLS area, i would personally go to the edge of the clearing, ensure there is no loose items nearby that can cause additional hazards under an increased wind rush from the rotor disk.
Clear any debris that can cause damage to aircraft and others, this includes loose stones and debris.
Suitably mark your location with red lights if possible.
Mark the HLS so that others know its indended use.
In the following video i explain some of the methods i have used and would use again in order to mark a HLS.

Be aware of the wind direction, as helicopters WILL land into wind!

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