During or Directly After a Crisis
If you must travel during or directly after a crisis, be especially careful of downed power lines. In the case of an earthquake or flood, be cautious when crossing a bridge, as the foundation may have been weakened with the movement of the earth. Watch for roads that may be crumbling or otherwise weakened.
There’s Safety in Numbers
If you live alone, consider banning together with others. During a crisis, isolation will leave you more vulnerable to looters and opportunists. Physiologically, it is better to be with others you can talk to and lean on as you help one another through the stressful times that lay ahead. Why not open up the subject with neighbors, friends, or family members?
Surviving a Nuclear Attack
There are ways to protect yourself in the event of nuclear attack. Ingesting iodine or iodine tablets can help control the damage of radioactive exposure, specifically thyroid cancer that can result at a later date after exposure. Pregnant and nursing women and those with small children should seek medical advice before ingesting iodine. An allergy to iodine is rare, but if you are prone to allergies, and especially if you have had a reaction to shell fish (they contain iodine), it is best to get tested before ingesting iodine. Signs of allergic reaction are nausea, flushing, fever, or labored breathing. Seek medical help if this occurs.
Suggested doses are 16mg for infants; 32 mg for children, and 50 to 70 mg for adults. Dosages must be taken for 14 consecutive days.
K-1 was given to children during the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown with positive results. Potassium iodide works by “saturating” the thyroid with stable iodide so it’s less likely to absorb radioactive iodine that is released during a nuclear event. Under current dosing guidelines, a fully saturated thyroid would be protected for up to one month, which is typically long enough for radioactive iodine (which has a half life of 8 days) to dissipate from the environment. The exception to this is an event like the Fukushima nuclear meltdown that continues to carry radiation via trade winds on a global scale.
Either potassium iodide (K-103), or potassium iodide (K-1) will work, but you will need slightly more K-103 than K-1.
Wearing a simple cloth facemask found at drug and hardware stores will help reduce exposure to radioactive fallout. You cannot see, smell, or taste fallout, so do not be deceived into thinking your surroundings are safe and follow the information you are given over emergency broadcasts. It is imperative to stay indoors during a nuclear attack.
If you are traveling and get notification from the Emergency Radio Broadcast System or a local news station of a nuclear attack, drive immediately to the nearest shelter if possible. Most shelters are designed for fallout protection. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the location of fallout shelters in your area.
If you are traveling and are unable to reach a fallout shelter, seek a culvert or a location where you are protected from the out of doors and sheltered by earth, as it will help absorb some of the radiation. The effect of fallout is cumulative, therefore, long exposure to radiation, or continued on and off exposure can build up in the body which can lead to health risks.
If you are at the office or at home when a nuclear attack occurs, you should move to a basement if possible. Remember, being below ground level will protect you from the worst of the fallout. Never go outdoors until you are given notice it is safe to do so.
Should a basement be unavailable, stay to the center of the building, as far away from window and door openings as possible. If there is time and you have the materials on hand, cover doorways and windows with heavy-mill plastic sheeting and secure it with duct tape.
When the immediate danger has passed, and if you suspect you were exposed to radioactive fallout, strip off all clothing and place them in a bag, which should be stored away from your immediate area. Wash your hair and skin thoroughly with water, but do not scrub, as this could rub fallout particles into your skin.
The following is a breakdown of various locations and their degrees of exposure to fallout:
Outdoors – Very little Protection
Home or Office – Medium Protection
Basement – Better Protection
Fallout Shelter – Optimal Protection
Root cellars can serve as a fallout shelter when built properly. Shelters can be constructed in basements or can be dug in-ground or into a hillside. To get the most protection against fallout, incorporate any one of the methods listed below:
16 inches of solid brick
16 inches of hollow concrete blocks filled with mortar or sand
2 feet of packed earth, or 3 feet if loose earth
5 inches of steel
3 inches of lead
3 feet of water
There is no way to predict the exact impact of a nuclear attack without the advice of experts trained to measure fallout and its trajectory. The spread of fallout is dependent upon a bomb’s yield, and whether impact was at ground level or if it was detonated above ground. An above ground explosion will spread radioactive fallout further (as experienced with Fukushima).
Another factor considered when predicting radioactive fallout is wind; the direction it is traveling, and the velocity of the prevailing winds that carry the plume. It is possible that radioactive fallout may be spread for hundreds or thousands of miles and may have long-lasting health effects for anyone exposed. Conversely, the majority of damage from a nuclear blast might be contained within a 15-mile radius.
Rain or snowfall will spread fallout. Radioactive particles in the atmosphere are collected in precipitation and are carried to the ground, creating “hot spots”.
If you receive news of an imminent nuclear attack and you are certain there is a space of time before impact, gather whatever food or preparedness goods that you will need from outdoor storage (including your vehicle) and move them to the lowest spot in your home—preferably a basement or to the center of the space you will be occupying.
Be sure to include a battery-run or a wind-up emergency radio with your provisions. A radio will be your lifeline over the next few weeks after a nuclear event, letting you know the circumstances and impact of a nuclear event. Be sure to include clothing, medicine (including prescription medicine), bedding or sleeping bags, and a camp toilet. Keep several flashlights and extra batteries on hand where you will be sheltering, as it is possible that the electrical grid may go down.
It is important to store at least two weeks worth of water and food for your family or group indoors, before an emergency strikes. To go in search of water or food items stored in a shed or outbuilding after a nuclear event will expose you to fallout, and should concentrations be heavy enough, exposure can lead to death.
You should keep all pets indoors, and don’t forget to grab their food if it’s stored outdoors or in an outbuilding.
As already mentioned, heavy-mill plastic sheeting can be fitted to windows and doorways with duct tape to better protect indoor spaces. Turn off air conditioning and heating systems that draw outside air into your home.
Try to remain calm. Busy work in times of stress can help take your mind off
