Preparedness Tips for Surviving a Nuclear Attack

As tensions between the USA and North Korea rise, the thoughts about a possible nuclear attack go up accordingly. This post is intended to supply tips to surviving an attack. These are tips only and requires further study to fully understand the mechanisms behind each of these tips. I will write more detailed posts as time allows.

Depending on how close you are to the center of the blast zone, there may be nothing you can do to 100% prevent damage to your property or health. Each of these tips you can accomplish, will increase your chance of survival and decrease your chances of becoming seriously ill or dying during the first two weeks after and attack.

Get Prepared BEFORE an attack

• The further you are from the detonation point, the better your chances of survival.
• The higher above ground a bomb explodes, the larger the blast area and initial flash. This spreads the destruction to a larger area.
• The closer to the ground the blast is, the more energy is absorbed in creating a blast crater and vaporizing everything in the initial blast zone. There is less energy to cause destruction to urban areas.
• The higher above sea level, the less damage is caused by the initial attack. There is less air pressure for the blast to use.
• The initial thermal blast tends to travel in a straight line. Even if you are close enough for windows to break, a large natural formation (hill, mountain, rock outcropping) between you and the point of blast can block the thermal blast.
• Hunkering in place for the first two weeks will dramatically decrease your chance of illness from nuclear exposure. It can be months however for all danger has passed.
• With bomb the size of those dropped on Hiroshima, being just 8 miles away from the drop point will result in only light damage from the explosive impact.
• Being below ground is one of the best shields you can have.
• The absolute minimum time to stay inside is 48 hours. The longer you stay in, the less chance of health problems from nuclear explosion.
• Don’t depend on local authorities to help you survive. It is just as unsafe for them to go outside as it is you.
• Make sure you have enough water to provide an absolute minimum of 1 gallon per day – per person for two weeks. Storing it below ground with other supplies for the time period is best.
• Up to 99% of the danger from nuclear fallout can be blocked if the walls of your shelter are prepared correctly. Unless you build your home or shelter with the correct thickness of materials, it WILL NOT block all the fallout.
• Underground is perhaps the easiest and best place to have your shelter. It only takes 2 feet of packed earth or 3 feet of loose earth to block 99% of fallout.
• If a draft can get into your home through a window, fallout can enter your home. Heavy plastic sheeting and duct tape are a quick way to seal outside air out of windows and doors. If your shelter survives the initial impacts, seal upper floors first (if there is time) as they are the most apt to allow air to infiltrate. Then head to lower levels and seal them.
• A store of several 5-gallon buckets with lids, stored with your food and other emergency supplies can allow you to stay in an area where there is no bathroom available.
• If several people in your household have meds they take on a regular basis, you can organize them by having an easy to grab bug-out med bag. Inside, keep each person’s meds in a waterproof container or bag. Hang in an easily accessible area. Each person can grab their bag each day, take their meds and return it so they are always available no matter what happens.
• Be sure to add potassium iodide or Lugol’s solution to your supplies to help prevent thyroid cancer. Your thyroid absorbs radioactive particles and is highly susceptible to cancer because of it.
• Keep a wind-up radio and/or transmitter and listen for updates on number of radioactive particles in your area.
• Materials, games, books, etc. to help occupy your time. The more bored you are, the more apt you are to rush coming out of your safe area. If you have small children, preventing boredom can go a long way to ensuring everyone stays sane during the shut-in period.

Remember, these are just tips

There are many of these tips that can be accomplished with very little effort or money. Others require planning that should happen BEFORE you build your home or a bugout shelter. The big thing is to start doing what you can, as you can.

A singular nuclear attack on a big city you live nearby is easily survivable if you are 8 to 10 miles from the point of impact. All out nuclear war is a different story and will take much more than these few tips to survive without damage to your health from almost anywhere.

Both of these scenarios are real possibilities with the state of the world and so many religious fanatics (from many religions) letting their hatred lose on every other religion. You are the only person you can depend on to do what it best for you and your family.