5 ms·

I looked into what to do: If a bomb goes off, don't look at the blast, go to an area in your house without windows and little air access, close the doors and w

I looked into what to do: If a bomb goes off, don't look at the blast, go to an area in your house without windows and little air access, close the doors and wait there for 24 hours. Ideally, it's a closed basement surrounded by ground and concrete. If not, maybe a bathroom wine cellar, etc. the idea is to isolate yourself from the surrounding radiation in the air. Hopefully, you have a shortwave radio with fresh batteries or one you can hand crank. Because cellphones and access to information will be limited, the shortwave radio is important because ideally, city officials will be broadcasting where to avoid going outside and safety instructions. Don't go outside within the first 24 hours, as small radiation particles will fall on you and cause serious health issues. If you do go outside get rid of all your clothes and take a shower, don't use conditioner which binds radioactive material to your body. They say that after 24 hours, radiation levels should drop off significantly, since the winds will hopefully blow them away. But that's why a shortwave radio is important to have, so you know which directions of the city are getting the radiation.

csee 5y ago
I'd suggest longer than 24 hours if you have the supplies to do so. The radiation will continue to drop off quickly into day 2 and 3.
pelasaco 5y ago
if you live alone and has no one to care of, sure. Otherwise all that is irrelevant if your family was in the school, work, etc.
sandworm101 5y ago
>> it's a closed basement surrounded by ground and concrete. Underground parking garages. The goal is to have lots of mass between you and the glowing stuff and a concrete monolith does that. All those 90-degree corners in the structure will then mitigate any blast damage without risk of being trapped behind any door. Just like an earthquake, you want to be far away from glass. A wet climate is also better as rain will wash the fallout out to sea. And not too cold. Fallout and snow is a bad combination. Just look at how dirty streets become when the snow melts. That's where the fallout will concentrate. So the best place to be on the day is probably a parking structure in a non-targeted city somewhere the pacific northwest.
echoradio 5y ago
> But that's why a shortwave radio is important to have… As would be a faraday cage/box/bag to keep the radio in until it is needed. An electromagnetic pulse would render the electronics inside a modern radio useless.
- lobocinza 5y ago
  EMPs are exaggerated.
marvin 5y ago
Where did you get this from? The book recommends 14 days underground if you are in an area hit by fallout. After this, radioactive fallout will have decayed to levels that are not immediately lethal. If you have a reliable dose rate meter that can detect high dose rates, use that to judge if your area is safe. Underground shelter should ideally have one meter of soil between occupants and all surface area that could contain fallout. Air should ideally be filtered, water should definitely be. You have around 30 minutes after the blast before fallout hits the ground. Rain accelerates this. You can use the prevailing wind direction to judge whether you are downwind of a detonation. Ground detonations produce fallout, air detonations hardly do. Lethal effects from a detonation is the initial, instantaneous flash, then pressure wave and explosive debris/structural failure that accompanies it, then radiation from fallout and radiation from ingested radioactive material. This is a quick recap after reading this book some years ago.
- glial 5y ago
  It's more or less a recap of: https://www.ready.gov/nuclear-explosion https://www.ready.gov/nuclear-explosion
  - Markoff 5y ago
    The most important part from the website: "Try to maintain a distance of at least six feet between yourself and people who are not part of your household. If possible, wear a mask if you’re sheltering with people who are not a part of your household. Children under two years old, people who have trouble breathing, and those who are unable to remove masks on their own should not wear them." Contracting COVID is the last thing you want during WW3.

csee 5y ago

I'd suggest longer than 24 hours if you have the supplies to do so. The radiation will continue to drop off quickly into day 2 and 3.

pelasaco 5y ago

if you live alone and has no one to care of, sure. Otherwise all that is irrelevant if your family was in the school, work, etc.

sandworm101 5y ago

>> it's a closed basement surrounded by ground and concrete. Underground parking garages. The goal is to have lots of mass between you and the glowing stuff and a concrete monolith does that. All those 90-degree corners in the structure will then mitigate any blast damage without risk of being trapped behind any door. Just like an earthquake, you want to be far away from glass. A wet climate is also better as rain will wash the fallout out to sea. And not too cold. Fallout and snow is a bad combination. Just look at how dirty streets become when the snow melts. That's where the fallout will concentrate. So the best place to be on the day is probably a parking structure in a non-targeted city somewhere the pacific northwest.

echoradio 5y ago

> But that's why a shortwave radio is important to have… As would be a faraday cage/box/bag to keep the radio in until it is needed. An electromagnetic pulse would render the electronics inside a modern radio useless.

lobocinza 5y ago
EMPs are exaggerated.

marvin 5y ago

Where did you get this from? The book recommends 14 days underground if you are in an area hit by fallout. After this, radioactive fallout will have decayed to levels that are not immediately lethal. If you have a reliable dose rate meter that can detect high dose rates, use that to judge if your area is safe. Underground shelter should ideally have one meter of soil between occupants and all surface area that could contain fallout. Air should ideally be filtered, water should definitely be. You have around 30 minutes after the blast before fallout hits the ground. Rain accelerates this. You can use the prevailing wind direction to judge whether you are downwind of a detonation. Ground detonations produce fallout, air detonations hardly do. Lethal effects from a detonation is the initial, instantaneous flash, then pressure wave and explosive debris/structural failure that accompanies it, then radiation from fallout and radiation from ingested radioactive material. This is a quick recap after reading this book some years ago.

glial 5y ago
It's more or less a recap of: https://www.ready.gov/nuclear-explosion https://www.ready.gov/nuclear-explosion
- Markoff 5y ago
  The most important part from the website: "Try to maintain a distance of at least six feet between yourself and people who are not part of your household. If possible, wear a mask if you’re sheltering with people who are not a part of your household. Children under two years old, people who have trouble breathing, and those who are unable to remove masks on their own should not wear them." Contracting COVID is the last thing you want during WW3.