The Sum of All Fears: Nuclear

In the world's current state of affairs, ignoring the possibility of a mass-casualty incident as a result of a WMD or other man-made device would be foolish. We're not going to focus on the who or why, or theorize what might happen when and where. Instead, we're going to be looking at several WMD scenarios one at a time. Don't rely only on this blog here- when you're finished reading this, you shouldn't just stop at what you've learned here. Do research, make plans, take stock. A good resource is, as always, the Department of Homeland Security ( www.dhs.gov ), which even puts out a weekly e-mail newsletter on how to prepare your family for a variety of different situations.

Preparation efforts are a necessity if you seriously plan on surviving a WMD event. You should build kits (one big kit for the house and one smaller kit per vehicle as a bare minimum in case you get caught out on the road) for you, your family, and your pets, and keep it maintained. You can see previous blog posts, as well as the Department of Homeland Security website, for kit suggestions- though some necessities are going to include garbage bags, duct tape (both for sealing up windows and doorways), clean bottled water, paper cash (I recommend at least $100 and an additional $100 for each family member. When the lights go out and cards can't be read, cash will still be accepted everywhere), a small radio (preferably solar/hand-crank), Potassium Iodide pills, and any personal necessities. Don't worry about getting over-the-top gear like a Geiger counter, as it'll only serve to slow and weigh you down. You need to have an established and at least slightly practiced plan, as this will keep you from getting killed by your panic. Lastly, you need to do your homework- having and acting on what you know is going to save you and those around you.

Nuclear Weapons: A true nuclear device is, in the most genuine sense of the term, a weapon of mass destruction. Not only do they immediately cause flash and blast damage as with a normal bomb, but they also release deadly amounts of radiation both during detonation and for days and/or weeks afterward. The first threat that anyone will encounter from a nuclear device is the intense light released during detonation. This flash is powerful enough that anyone close to the epicenter will be instantly vaporized, wood structures immediately catch flame when exposed, and 'white shadows' were burned onto walls in Hiroshima and Nagasake where walls were spared charring when a person stood between them and the light source. There will be absolutely no mistaking this for anything else, you will know beyond any shadow of a doubt what it is. As soon as you see this flash, you should immediately hit the ground and shield your eyes or- better yet- dive for cover. Every second is critical, you need to limit your exposure to this flash as much as possible as fast as possible because of the intense brightness, heat, and gamma radiation associated with it.

If you're far enough away, you'll have a few seconds (four or five if you're far, less than two or three seconds is more likely, though) to get to cover after you first see the flash. What comes next is a monster of a shockwave that will level buildings and throw cars, and it could well kill you. What you do in these next very few seconds could determine whether you live or die. If you're outside, you'll have to use your judgment, but you'd do best to use your few seconds to jump into a drainage ditch alongside the road, get into a creekbed, or find other- preferably natural- sources of cover. If you're outside in the city, you may do better to get inside as soon as possible because cars will be thrown and rubble will likely fill the streets. If you're in a car, stay in it (and buckle up if you haven't), as cars are designed to take impacts and protect the occupants and makes a much better shelter against the blast and debris than standing out in the open. If you're indoors, you may not have time to reach a basement or storm shelter, so you should settle for taking shelter inside the nearest interior doorway (not going to do you much good to be standing in the front doorway) or crouch down and cover yourself in the nearest hallway or bathroom (as bathrooms tend to be the most inside the house of any room). If you can help it, be as close to the ground level (if not in a basement) as possible, as the ground floor tends to have greater structural stability.

After the blast, you should absolutely stay put if your shelter has survived- begin seeking shelter if it has not or if you had none to start with. You should seek shelter as you move away from the blast source; Do not move closer to the blast epicenter for ANY reason whatsoever- family, shelter, volunteerism, possessions- forget it all because it can only get you killed without the proper gear. There should be nothing else on your mind because this alone is what will save you. You'll probably only have minutes to get set up, so there is no time for anything but ensuring your own survival. All surviving buildings are good shelter- some buildings are even specially designed to be nuclear shelters (some fire departments, post offices, etc). A car isn't good shelter by any means, and you should leave it for a nearby standing structure as soon as possible if at all possible- but it IS better than being out in the wide open. If you must leave shelter, run like hell to the next available source of shelter- don't walk, don't waste time. Do not attempt to leave the city by car, as the roads will likely be jammed and impassible- don't try to leave by foot either because the radiation could well cook you before you get where you're trying to go. You should bunker in and hold tight for rescue. If you haven't already, now would be the time to access your kit(s)- take the recommended dose of potassium iodide pills (which will help prevent your thyroid consuming radioactive iodine isotopes), seal up your doors and windows with trashbags and duct tape, and stay as close to the center of your house (if it survived) as possible.

What you've just seen discussed are two principals that can and will save you just after a nuclear event- distancing and shielding. Distancing is exactly what it sounds like- the farther you are from the source of the radiation, the lower the dose you'll receive over a given amount of time. Distancing works on an exponential principal- that is, you're exponentially better off one mile from a radioactive source than you are one meter from a radioactive source than you are one foot from a radioactive source than you are an inch from a source than you are hugging it. This does NOT mean that you should attempt to leave, as it's impractical to make a large difference by distancing in a nuclear event when moving on foot- you're liable to get cooked well before then- it just means that you should NEVER move closer to the blast epicenter.

Shielding means that you're putting something- anything- directly between you and the radioactive source. This is a much more practical method for surviving a nuclear WMD event, as materials and shelters will likely remain available in a modern city, even after a nuclear event. The denser the material you use, the less you need to block out the radiation, and the better off you are. This is why lead is so commonly used as radiation shielding- and why you should stay away from windows (if there even are any left) after a nuclear event. This is also why you're better off deeper inside a building, and why concrete structures are better than wooden structures (if any even survived). Shielding is easy to accomplish- as easy as throwing on additional clothing like sweaters, raincoats, leather jackets, extra socks, gloves, hats; as easy as folding up collars, unrolling sleeves, keeping your shirt buttoned up, and tucking your clothing into itself (sleeves into gloves, shirt tail into pants, pantlegs into boots, etc).

It's very important to get to a good shelter with your kit and stay there until you're either rescued or until you hear the O.K. from authorities to leave- which should be after a few weeks at the most. Because you'll probably be there with other people, it's important to mind that you'll need to use social skills. Other people will be under a very great amount of stress, and you'll have to keep your cool when everyone around you is losing their minds. Stressed out people say and do things that they don't mean, and you'll have to cling to this fact and avoid provoking the situation when dealing with them. Small things will keep morale up- radio broadcasts, sharing stories, sharing snacks, being able to keep warm- and this will save you grief.