Let’s be honest, we all thought about it with everything is going on with Russia. A nuclear explosion is not something likely to happen but...it could. It all depends on the people in power and, let’s face it, there is some serious nut job on the actual job right now around the world. So why not exploring the idea just for the “fun” of it...
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First of all, make a plan
And I’m not talking about storing food for the next ten years in underground shelter full of ammunition. But hey, if you know one of those guys, buy him a beer once in a while. Might come handy...
But I mean, a zombie apocalypse type of plan. You know, like when you watch The Walking Dead and you think to yourself “Hey, what would I do?” Kind of what we’re doing right now. For example, those are the questions you should explore.
- Where would I go?
- What would be my first move?
- What would I eat?
Your first warnings of an imminent nuclear attack will most likely be an alarm or warning signal; if not, it will be the blast itself. The bright light from a detonation of a nuclear weapon can be seen tens of miles. If you are near the blast your chances of survival are virtually nonexistent so your problems are over.
Although, if you are a few miles out, you will have about 10-15 seconds until the heat wave hits you, and maybe 20-30 seconds until the shock wave does. That, also, probably means that you’re done. But you can still plunge in the nearest and deepest hole and see what happens. That probably involves serious burns and/or sickness and any kind of injuries caused by the destruction of infrastructures around you. For an example, one large nuclear test in the Novaya Zemlya archipelago in Russia was known to knock out windows in Finland and Sweden. No need to say that if you are in the vicinity of a nuclear explosion, this will get real ugly, real fast. So let’s not focus on that. Those people are, unfortunately, on their own.
What’s the “Fallout”?
An atomic blast sends up a whole whack of particles that then slowly rain down as highly radioactive ash.
Fallout can kill you with radiation sickness, make you infertile or ensure that you die of cancer at a young age. Luckily, about 24 to 48 hours after the bomb has gone off, the risk from fallout has mainly passed.
It’ll probably be unsafe to go out after that time, still. Radiation is a tricky thing so wait for the authority to tell you that it’s safe to come out. If you don’t hear any news, stay inside as long as you possibly can with the supplies you have on hand.
If you absolutely and I mean ABSOLUTELY have to go out, cover your mouth and nose with a damp towel. Cover as much skin as possible. Arms, legs, head, hands, those must be covered with anything you have. Wear socks as glove if you have to. But keep yourself cover. Even after the fallout, this should be the way to go until authorities say otherwise.
Rain is your enemy. It will dump massive amounts of fallout on you
Seek shelter immediately.
Because, yeah, if a nuclear attack does happen, it won't be safe to venture outside for food and friends. You should stay sheltered for at least 48 hours, preferably longer. Having food and medical supplies on-hand can put your mind at-ease, and allow you to focus on other aspects of survival.
What makes a good shelter? Deep, thick, no windows. But, mainly it has to be near. That’s probably the most important point actually. That means, don’t drive an hour, to go to your sister’s basement because it’s deeper and bigger than yours. Instead, focus on work on your shelter or identifying one nearby. That is the first step of our theoretical zombie plan we talked earlier.
If you don’t have a basement, know that some towns have nuclear shelter. That could be a good thing to know if there’s one near you. If not, your basement will have to do or if you live in an apartment, your building's basement.
If you’re not home or if you don’t have anything that resembles a shelter, here are some options. Church basement, hospital basement, schools basements, concrete or bricks building, cellars. I mean, you get the idea. Subway station could be a very last resort option. The problem with those is the lack of doors, but it’s still underground so, better than your full windows condo.
The worst possible place to be is in your car. That means DONT DRIVE ANYWHERE. Because you think about that 15 minutes “perfect place” to hide, load the kids and go. But nooooo, in moments of general panic, this will probably be an hour drive...if you even get there. I mean, people drove like shit under normal circumstances... Can't imagine the road disaster with that panic induced "tunnel vision". So, look around and duck.
Once you’re inside
Stay the hell away from any windows; preferably be in a room without one.
Remove contaminated clothing and take a shower or wash with soap and water. If you cannot wash or shower, use a wipe or clean wet cloth to wipe any skin or hair that was not covered. Clean any pets that are with you. Don’t use any kind of conditioner. This will retain radiation in your hair. Clean and cover any open wounds on your body.
Cover your mouth and nose with a face mask or other clean material until the fallout cloud has passed.
Begin reinforcing your shelter from the inside by stacking dirt around the walls or anything else you can find. Canvas from a parachute or tent will help stop fallout from piling on you, though it will not stop Gamma rays.
It is impossible to completely shield from all radiation. It can only be reduced to a tolerable level. These materials will help you reduce radiation penetration to 1/1000.
- Steel: 21 cm
- Rock: 70-100 cm
- Concrete: 66 cm
- Wood: 2.6 m
- Soil: 1 m
- Ice: 2 m
- Snow: 6 m
Shut off ventilation systems and seal doors or windows. However, after the fallout cloud has passed, unseal the doors and windows to allow some air circulation.
Store water supply in food plastic containers. Clean the containers with a bleach solution then fill them with filtered and distilled water. Try to have one gallon per person per day. It is safe to eat or drink packaged food items or items that were inside a building. Make sure the packages are not damaged or puncture. Do not consume food or liquids that were outdoors uncovered and may be contaminated by fallout. Ration your supplies.
I know it’s tempting to go pick up grandma or your best buddy but, as we mentioned earlier, moving or being caught in a car, is the worst possible idea. People should stay where they are and reunite later to avoid exposure to radiation.
Tune into any media available for official information such as when it is safe to exit and where you should go. Battery operated and hand crank radios will function after a nuclear detonation. Cell phone, text messaging, television, and internet services may be disrupted or unavailable.
DO NOT pop up Potassium Iodide like candies
If potassium iodide is safe when used as directed, an overdose can absolutely kill you. I know these are available to buy online in many shapes or forms but if you must buy it, look only for the products approved by the FDA and don’t buy it on Ebay from a seller named after a rock band or something...
Potassium iodide prevents thyroid cancer by flooding your thyroid with non-radioactive iodine. It won’t protect you from the blast, radiation sickness, or fallout. This is not a magic pill to let you walk through fallout like a superhero.
I will not give you any more information on that, as I am neither a pharmacist nor a doctor. But, consult the CDC website to get any information you might need.