NBC’s ‘Survival Mode’ Explores the Question, ‘What Would You Do’ During a Disaster?

NBC‘s summer disaster docuseries Survival Mode goes beyond the attention-grabbing headlines and straight to the heart of the matter. Over nine episodes, NBC News crews interview ordinary folks, first responders, and loved ones who persevered in the face of utter tragedies — some caused by Mother Nature (the Montecito Mudslide, explored in August 4’s episode), some man-made (Amtrak 501 derailment on July 28). The upcoming August 11 episode on the Fort Worth Pileup is a bit of both.

In February 2021 in Fort Worth, Texas, an unusually chilly winter freeze brought black ice onto a highway during a pre-dawn commute that resulted in a 133-car pile-up, six fatalities, and at least 65 injuries. “Everyone coming down the hill and around this turn [on the highway] couldn’t see it until it was too late,” showrunner Chris Cassel explains. “By the time the sun rose, it was just a scene of incredible devastation.”

Telling their stories are survivors including Destiny, a young woman who was gravely injured and is reunited with her heroes in a touching scene played out on-camera, and paramedic Trey, who, after his Toyota FJ Cruiser was crushed, still got out to aid others, despite being hurt. “What would it be like to find your own self in that type of situation, and could you handle it?” asks Cassel. “What would you do?” 

It’s an important question — and one that the series digs its heels into time and again and the relatable survivors recount their harrowing tales. “It’s amazing how people’s instinct to survive kicks in, and they’re able to make these really great snap decisions that, in many instances, is the difference between life and death,” says executive producer and president of NBC News Studios Liz Cole, who adds: “There’s something wonderful about the human spirit in these stories. I think it’s ultimately uplifting.”

Future episodes will explore the 2022 Kentucky Floods (August 18), Superstorm Sandy in 2012 (August 25) and how it affected the New York and New Jersey area specifically, and finally, the sinking of Costa Concordia (September 1), a major cruise ship disaster off the coast of Italy in 2012.

Survival Mode, Mondays, 10/9c, NBC

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