Tell Me What Happened

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A 9/11 Miracle May 20, 2024

Show notes

On September 11, 2001, Stanley Praimnath went to work on the 81st floor of the south tower of the World Trade Center, same as he always did. When a plane struck the north tower, Stanley and many others began their evacuation. But when he reached the lobby, he was told his building was safe and to return to work. He was back in his office minutes later when a plane hit the south tower and tore through his floor.

Brian Clark’s office was three floors up from Stanley on the 84th floor. When the tower was hit, Brian and a few of his co-workers headed to the stairwell to escape. When they reached the 81st floor, Brian heard a voice crying out for help.

We also speak with NYFD firefighter Regina Wilson about how to prepare for an evacuation in the office or at home.

For more about the series, check out https://www.onstar.com/podcast.

Rip Current Rescue May 06, 2024

Show notes

In April 2023, Liv Titor visited Dreamtime beach on Australia's Gold Coast. What happened to her that day felt like a nightmare. After a quick swim, Liv walked out onto a sandbar beside some rocks. Then she felt a pull at her legs and fell into the water. Liv stepped into a rip current that quickly pulled her out to sea towards massive waves and jagged rocks.

John Gordon, a local surfer, was making the most of the big swells at the beach when he saw Liv get swept away. He knew if he didn’t act quick, she would drown so he ran into the ocean, hopped on his surfboard and paddled towards the deadly current with the hopes of rescuing a stranger.

We also speak with Kelsey Cummings, a lifeguard with the California Surf Life Saving Association to talk about ocean safety.

For more about the series, check out https://www.onstar.com/podcast.

Escaping the Hawaii Wildfires Apr 22, 2024

Show notes

Lani Williams and her mother, Sincerity, could smell smoke, but that wasn’t rare on Maui. Brush fires happen with some regularity. This fire, they quickly learned, was different.

Five hundred miles to the south, Hurricane Dora had kicked up unusually troublesome winds. In Lahaina, Hawaii, where Lani and Sincerity lived, those winds downed power lines and whipped sparks into a full-blown wildfire that was closing in on them. They tried to escape the blaze by car, but the main roads were either closed or blocked by a crush of panicked drivers trying to leave town. They were stuck between the fire on one side and the ocean on the other.

Benny Reinicke smelled smoke that morning too and found himself in the same logjam of frightened drivers desperately trying to flee Lahaina. Amidst smoke and flames and exploding cars, he spotted Lani struggling to help her mom climb the seawall and get to safety. He took it upon himself to make sure they made it.

We also speak with wildfire expert Michele Steinberg from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) about how you can identify hazards and strategies to help protect against wildfires.

If you’d like to help the residents of Lahaina and others impacted by natural disasters, you can donate to the American Red Cross at redcross.org/donate/cm/onstar-pub.html/

For more about the series, check out https://www.onstar.com/podcast.

Under an Avalanche Apr 08, 2024

Show notes

Bob Tillotson knew the avalanche danger was high when he set out with friends into the Utah backcountry on his snowmobile. But he also knew which areas to avoid. Or so he thought. On January 13, 2024, an avalanche hit Bob without warning, carrying him down the mountain in a wave of snow. When he stopped, he was completely buried and separated from his group.

Dustin Sweeten was snowmobiling with a separate crew that day. Just before he was ready to head home, he saw what looked like an avalanche in the distance and went to go check it out. When he got there, he saw two people from Bob’s group. They told him their friend was buried. Then they saw a glove poking out of the snow.

We also speak with Sandra Riches, the executive director of British Columbia AdventureSmart, about outdoor winter safety and what to do if you or someone you’re with is in an avalanche.

Video credit: Ammon Sweeten / YouTube @MountainWolf-ut.

For more about the series, check out https://www.onstar.com/podcast.

Trapped in a Flooding Elevator Mar 25, 2024

Show notes

When Gabriel Otrin and Klever Freire stepped into their office elevator, they naturally assumed they’d be able to get out. It was August 2018, and a massive downpour was causing floods all over Toronto. Gabriel and Klever were working late and went to check on Klever’s car in the basement garage. Before they reached the bottom, however, the elevator stopped with a jerk and began to quickly fill with water. They couldn’t open the doors. They were trapped.

Police officers Ryan Barnett and Josh McSweeney had just finished a call when another came over the radio. Two men were trapped in an elevator. When they arrived, the garage was completely flooded and Ryan had to swim to the elevator doors. He could hear Klever and Gabriel inside calling for help. He needed to act fast.

We also speak with Julie Munger, an internationally acclaimed swift-water rescue instructor, about how to safely navigate fast-moving water and urban floods.

For more about the series, check out https://www.onstar.com/podcast.

Badly Burned in Iceland Mar 11, 2024

Show notes

Nicole Rakowski arrived in Iceland looking for adventure. She left in a wheelchair. In February 2017, Nicole and two friends hiked to a natural hot spring just south of Reykjavík. When they arrived, Nicole took off her boots, changed into her bathing suit and stepped onto the riverbank beside the steaming water. She immediately began to sink into the mud and felt excruciating pain. She screamed for help.

Lee Ricasa was taking a relaxing dip in a nearby mud pool when he heard a scream followed by the sight of panicked hikers carrying Nicole and desperately searching for help. A retired firefighter, Lee knew Nicole was in bad shape. She had third-degree burns on her legs and feet. She couldn’t walk. She was drifting in and out of consciousness and could go into shock at any moment. He knew he had to take control of the situation if Nicole was going to survive.

We also talk to Tod Schimelpfenig, an instructor at the National Outdoor Leadership School since 1973, about how to treat burns in the wilderness.

For more about the series, check out https://www.onstar.com/podcast.

Saved from the Nazis, Rescued from Ukraine Aug 14, 2023

Show notes

In 1941, in Kharkiv, Ukraine, the Bogancha family saved two young Jewish girls from Nazi soldiers, giving them fake identities and hiding them in an orphanage. That act of kindness would ripple across time and, amazingly, lead to the help their descendants needed after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Connecting those dates begins with a book. In 2009, Greg Dawson published Hiding in the Spotlight, a book about his mother, Zhanna Arshanskaya Dawson. She was a 14 year-old piano prodigy in 1941 when German soldiers rounded up her family along with the rest of the Jews in her Ukrainian town. Miraculously, Zhanna and her sister, Frina, escaped and found temporary shelter with the Boganchas. With new identities, they survived by playing concerts for German soldiers. After the war, they emigrated to the United States and started over.

In 2013, Marina Orlovetsky, also from Kharkiv, Ukraine, read Greg’s book. She was so moved by the story that she tracked down and befriended Zhanna, Greg and the descendants of the Boganchas.

When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2023, the Boganchas fled their home in Kharkiv.

Marina, who had never met the Boganchas in person, offered to help their 18-year-old son, Alex, get to the United States and go to college. Marina turns to Zhanna’s son, Greg, offering the Dawsons the opportunity to return a kindness to the Boganchas.

We also speak with Una Bilic, a deputy director with the International Rescue Committee, to discuss the process refugees go through to move to the U.S. and how we can support them.

For more about the series, check out https://www.onstar.com/podcast.

A Panic Attack and a Calming Voice Jul 31, 2023

Show notes

When her crowded New York City subway train screeched to an emergency stop, K.Page Stuart Valdes melted in fear. She’d recently had a stroke nobody could explain. Terrified it would happen again, right there surrounded by strangers, K.Page felt anxiety wash over her. Until one warm voice cut through the fog.

That stranger, just another face on a train moments before, helped K.Page find her way out of the panic attack and get on with her day. Then the stranger was gone. But her kindness was critical and helped K.Page realize that she needed mental health support.

Today, K.Page would love nothing more than to find the woman who stepped up and steadied her world. Please share this episode and let’s see if we can find her.

We also speak with Natalia Dayan, a licensed social worker and the global strategy director at Crisis Text Line, a nonprofit organization that provides free, high-quality, text-based 24/7 mental health support and crisis intervention in English and Spanish.

If you need mental health resources or support please reach out:

Visit the Crisis Text Line website or text 741741.
Call 988 or visit the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline website.
Or visit the OnStar Veterans support website.

Cuando su tren abarrotado del subterráneo de la Ciudad de New York chillaba hasta parar por emergencia, K. Page Stuart Valdes se descomponía por el miedo. Ella recientemente había tenido un infarto que nadie podía explicar. Aterrada de que volvería a pasar, ahí mismo rodeada por extraños, K. Page sentía como la ansiedad la abrumada. Hasta que una cálida voz cortó por la neblina.

Ese extraña, un acara cualquiera en el tren momentos antes, ayudó a K. Page a encontrar su forma de salir del ataque de pánico y a seguir con su día. Luego la extraña había desaparecido. Pero su amabilidad fue crítica y ayudó a K. Page a darse cuenta que ella necesitaba ayuda en su salud mental.

Hoy, a K. Page no le encantaría nada más que encontrar a la mujer que dio un paso adelante y puso su mundo en firme. Por favor comparta este episodio para ver si la podemos encontrar a ella.

También hablamos con Natalia Dayan, una trabajadora social licenciada y la Directora de Estrategia Global en la Crisis Text Line (Línea de Texto de Crisis) para discutir la salud mental y cómo apoyarnos mutuamente.

Si usted necesita recursos para la salud mental o apoyo por favor comuníquese:

Visite la página web de la Crisis Text Line o envíe un texto al 741741.
Llame al 988 o visite la página web del 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline(Línea de Suicido y Crisis).
O visite la página web de OnStar Veterans support (Apoyo a Veteranos de OnStar).

For more about the series, check out https://www.onstar.com/podcast.

Frozen and Fading in the Buffalo Blizzard Jul 17, 2023

Show notes

On the morning of Christmas Eve 2022, Joe White set out on the long walk to his job in the North Park neighborhood of Buffalo, New York. Joe has autism and he didn’t realize he was walking into the deadliest winter storm to hit the region in a century. Severely frostbitten and disoriented, Joe stumbled into snowdrifts and called out for help. A stranger heard his plea.

Sha’Kyra Aughtry bundled Joe into her home. She was able to call Joe’s sister, Yvonne, who didn’t know he was out in the storm, and they quickly realized that he needed serious medical attention. But the storm had shut the city down, and emergency services couldn’t get out to anyone. After watching Joe deteriorate over 24 hours, Sha’Kyra turned to social media and put out a call for help to save Joe and get him to a hospital.

We also talk to winter survival expert Dr. Teimojin Tan for advice on how to stay warm during a storm.

For more about the series, check out https://www.onstar.com/podcast.

A Lost Wheel, A Daring Landing Jul 03, 2023

Show notes

Taylor Hash, a student pilot, had just taken off on her third solo flight when she got the shock of her life. Over the radio, she heard another pilot telling air traffic control that her front wheel fell off during takeoff. Taylor knew she’d have to land the plane with no front wheel, but she had no idea how or what to do next.

In a case of right place, right time, a veteran pilot named Chris Yates happened to be at the airport that day, getting ready to co-pilot a private flight. It was his voice Taylor heard tell air traffic control that her front wheel had fallen off. When he realized Taylor was still learning to fly, he stepped in to guide her down.

We also speak to psychotherapist Amy Morin for tips on coping with anxiety around flying and how to support others who are struggling with air travel.

For more about the series, check out https://www.onstar.com/podcast.

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