(WCCO) There are certain events in life that shape who we become. For Susan Evans it was the day she became a survivor.
"When I was walking to work, I was pulled into this freight elevator room by this guy and beaten and assaulted," recalled Evans. "I sort of had this moment during this whole thing where I realized I would, I would either scream for help or I would die."
It was 1988, a summer when women were being targeted in downtown Minneapolis. Evans managed to escape thanks to the help of people passing by, but so did her attacker.
"It was about a week, 10 days later, he raped and murdered a woman," said Evans.
Evans' attacker was eventually captured and is still serving time in prison. It's no surprise that summer changed her life, but how it changed is what's most surprising.
Turning Tragedy Into Something Good
"I started thinking it would be really nice to have a resource," said Evans. "I wanted a resource, none of us knew what to do."
Evans created a guide to help other people get through traumatic, life changing events. It is a free Web site called What Happens Now and it is filled with information that's often tough to find.
The tips are not typical. They come from emergency personnel and survivors -- people who've lived through accidents, house fires and tornadoes. People who in some cases have lost everything and want to help others recover.
This tip came from someone whose home was destroyed by fire.
Evans explained, "Go to all of your friends and family and ask for all the pictures from birthdays and holidays and any special event because they'll take a picture of you, but in the background is your living room and it will jog your memory."
Nancy Walker tapped into the site when her son was in a car accident. One of the tips she learned was to take pictures.
"Because then you know if their insurance company says, 'Oh, this was damaged,' or they go get an estimate saying it was damaged,'" Walker said. "You've got a picture of it and that was one of the best tips. It's been very helpful."
Marta Ruohoniemi interviews people and posts the information on the site.
"We do all the work so you don't have to," Ruohoniemi said.
Sharing Tips Anonymously
The site is completely private. People who share tips remain anonymous. That was an important part of creating the site for Evans. Tipsters last names and addresses do not appear.
Many people have already been victims, so Evans wanted to protect them.
Advice For Everyday Events
In many ways the Web site is a survivor's survival guide, but it's not all doom and gloom. There is plenty of information on life's happier events too -- like having a baby, going to college and one of the more popular tip sheets, a wedding day emergency kit guide.
Evans said she feels like this is something she will now do the rest of her life.
"It's a passion, but it's an adventure because we are always finding something new and we're always helping people," she said.
