Atheists, how many days could a person survive without water?

Question

I asked a similar question, but because I said food, and not water, I didn't quite hit the point.

In Haiti, someone was pulled out of the rubble 16 days (without food nor water) after the earthquake early this year. This left everyone stunned and defied all medical beliefs or explanation. I believe such was a miracle from God.

I know you'll probably say something like, "just because something can't be explained doesn't mean it was God" but why couldn't it be God?

Answer 1

It could totally be God and is God! Are you an atheist? Is this why this question was directed at them? I am just kind of confused, sorry.



That country is having a major revival after the earthquake. Just sayin.

Answer 2

Depends on the person, the climate, the circumstances, etc.



*Generally,* most people die of dehydration within 7-10 days if they don't have ANY water.

However, just because you don't have a water bottle doesn't mean you don't have ANY water. You do know it rained during the 16 days after the quake there, don't you? And that some rainwater probably tricked down through the rubble?



If you want to claim something was done by a "god," then first you'll need to provide some evidence this claimed god actually exists -- otherwise, you can't assign any actions to it. That's why it can't be "god," because there's no evidence of any such thing.



Peace.

Answer 3

"but why couldn't it be God?"



It very well COULD be. But it's equally probable that it was unicorns, leprechauns, or MORE likely the fact that a person, in certain conditions, can survive longer without water depending on the conditions their in and how their body is reacting. Specifically someone not moving for 16 days isn't sweating a lot and probably isn't burning through a lot of water, so if they were well hydrated to begin with that the body didn't burn much of the reserves of water.



You know, just saying.

Answer 4

It is selfish to believe that a god would choose to save one man out of the thousands of people who died in that earthquake. We are talking about over 100,000 people who god decided to not save.



Just because something that is against the odds occurs doesn't mean "god" did it. At the very least, it is selfish to believe your god did such a thing. It isn't proof of god and it isn't even proof of which god performed the miracle.

Answer 5

With zero water - about 5 to 7 days for a healthy person.



Got a link to the story? I see a 16 year old girl getting pulled out after 15 days (survived on bathwater) and a man getting rescued after 27 days (someone gave him water).



http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8484317.stm

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/HaitiEarthquake/girls-15-day-wait-haiti-rubble-raises-questions/story?id=9691529







http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8505387.stm

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/haiti/7201660/Haiti-man-trapped-for-27-days-survived-on-fruit-and-water.html





Both of these people are very, very lucky. But there is no indications that they survived without food or water.

Answer 6

Man Pulled From Rubble in Haiti Nearly 4 Weeks After Earthquake

"A 28-year-old man was pulled from the rubble of a market in Port-au-Prince on Monday and has been admitted to the University of Miami's field hospital in the capital, adjacent to the airport, according to hospital officials.



It isn't clear how long the man, whose first name is Evans, was trapped, the officials said. The man appeared disoriented; he said someone had brought him water while he was trapped."



Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703630404575054112619147510.html



Teenage girl pulled out of rubble in Haiti fifteen days after earthquake

"A sixteen-year-old girl, Darlene Etienne, was pulled out from underneath the rubble of a collapsed school in Haiti yesterday, fifteen days after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck the country, devastating most buildings in the capital, Port-au-Prince.



Etienne had been studying at school in the capital when the tremors stared, collapsing the building. She had apparently survived by drinking water from a bathroom, and the Al Jazeera news agency reports rescuers had heard her mumbling something about having some Coca-Cola."



Source: http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Teenage_girl_pulled_out_of_rubble_in_Haiti_fifteen_days_after_earthquake

Answer 7

it doesn't necessarily defy the laws of medicine or science, there are about a multitude of things that may have occured. also who's to say that no one is conducting research on such a possible outcome as to how it happened initially. for instance, when a body goes into a coma, most of the body functions shut down, more like a deep sleep, but much deeper, and while that is going on most body functions are lowered, from significantly to greatly. you breathe alot less, and require less resources.

Answer 8

In many cases, the survival for long periods of time was been confirmed, but there are sources of water mentioned directly. Take, for example, this mention in a "Time" magazine article from February 10, 2010 - "Darlene Etienne, 17, cried with joy when she was dragged from the ruins of her home after 15 days. She survived by drinking water from a bathtub."



So, please provide the name of the individual in question, and I'll be happy to research it and swe'll find, I am sure, that there was some source of water for anyone who survived more than a week or so trapped.

Answer 9

Comfortably, about 3 days.



You can push that out a couple of more days by drinking your urine.



After that the effects of dehydration set in, you start dying, but you don't die right away. You could go weeks depending on the conditions around you, specifically temperature and humidity. Haiti is very humid, and if the person was buried, it might have been very cool. If they were cool enough for hypothermia to set in, they could have gone weeks.

Answer 10

Hey, if it comforts you to believe that god used his magic to sustain someone for 16 days, then go for it. Why didn't he just pull them out of the rubble or even tell someone to find them 16 days sooner than they did? Instead god allowed them to suffer for 16 days while he dragged on their pain for his own enjoyment. Or something like that.

Answer 11

It depends on the person and his/her general health.



My question is, why is one survivor of such a terrible event (especially one that your god kept suffering for 16 days) considered a miracle of his loving holiness. Why don't you think something more along the lines of, "why would my god be such a jerk as to send this earth quake, killing all of these innocent people, which greatly overshadows this one strange survivor?"

Answer 12

All depends on the circumstances. in a hot desert 2-3 days tops 4 if lucky. if in they're in a place where temp. is normal and they are not doing anything then 2-3 weeks.

Answer 13

Share the link to the article or something so we can read it, there are likely important facts that you missed while reading it, or simply failed to mention.



It would not be uncommon for there to be an abundance of dirty water in the midst of a pile of rubble.

Answer 14

So one person survived, and that was a miracle from your god, was it?



Would that be the same god who caused the earthquake in the first place, and who thereby killed about 250,000 people?

Answer 15

I remember seeing something on TV about a building collapsing [might have been due to an earthquake, don't remember]. A girl was pulled out of it who survived by sucking moisture, out of her shirt or something, that was dripping down on her.



So what? All kinds of crazy medical crap happens everyday.

Answer 16

Ironically, it would have been your god that cause the earthquake to begin with....and caused all those deaths....and caused that person to suffer for 16 days without food or water. Some "miracle" that is...

Answer 17

41 days for the average male with water only, its half that without water.



Interesting you think one person surviving is a miracle, but the thousands of others who actually died fall under the 'god works in mysterious ways' category.

Answer 18

If you start involving God, then you are left wondering why he killed and wrecked so many lives with the earth quake and then saved only one person.

Answer 19

heh, heh. That person had water, silly. No one was was pulled out 16 days after w/o water.

Answer 20

There is the "Three Rule"...three minutes without air, three days without water, and three weeks without food. But there are always exceptions, and there are ways to get liquid...condensation, rain, or drinking your own urine.





But believe whatever you want.

Answer 21

About three days and when in a very hot and dry environment sometimes less than three.

Answer 22

"But why couldn't it be God?" Because god is a mythological figure, in other words is make believe, there is none.

Answer 23

Why would you assume it was a magical invisible man, and not just an invisible squirrel?



That would be an equally ridiculous assumption.

Answer 24

It depends upon the person. Just because you can't explain it doesn't make it a "miracle". Please provide two sources for your story or FAIL.

Answer 25

Ask a doctor not Atheists!

Answer 26

This is all the proof you can come up with?

Answer 27

a week or so



i dont believe your story