I Will Survive (!) A Nuclear Disaster

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With the advent of nuclear technologies – the threat to everyone is unfortunately very real. If you are truly going to prepare for the nuclear threat, you must understand all the possible outcomes to be best prepared.

When you hear the words nuclear disaster, most people start
thinking about a nuclear strike from a foreign country.

However, the threat of a nuclear disaster is much more than just nuclear weapons and war. In fact, you could have a serious nuclear threat right in your backyard.

If that’s the case, you need to know how to react and what
you need on hand to stay alive through the radiation and fallout.


Top 3 Known Threats
of Nuclear Disaster

1) Nuclear Power
Plants

There are nearly a hundred active nuclear power plants in
our nation. These power plants supply millions of Americans with power each day
and they are simply benign in the landscape and in how they affect our daily
lives.

However, the greatest nuclear disasters of the 21st
century did not happen on the battlefield.

Rather, they happened at a nuclear powerplant in Japan (Fukushima in 2011), and of course Chernobyl in 1986. Both are catastrophic nuclear accidents that have left irreparable damage to their surrounding areas.

Source: Wikipedia

Experts estimate it will take 20,000 years before the 19-mile radius around Chernobyl is safe for habitation by humans.

2) Terrorists

While the threat of terrorists is very real, their current
capacity seems to be limited to things like guns and trucks. Do you think it
will be that way forever? Sad to say, but the day may come when we see an
American city attacked by a dirty bomb.

The dirty bomb is an explosive device that contains
radioactive material and is used to spread that radiation over a small area. It
pales in comparison to the destruction and affect of a nuclear bomb but in a
small crowded area the dirty bomb can do plenty of damage.

The time may come when terrorists figure out how to
incorporate nuclear capabilities into their arsenal, so take note.

3) War

Of course, we are still facing the threat of nuclear war.
Even after all these years and the understanding that an all-out nuclear war
could mean the end of humanity. Its hard not to envision a future war where
both sides are pushed to the brink and start lobbing nukes at one another.

Whether we are facing the growing contingent of radical
dictatorial leaders or some other nation state, nuclear war is far from a thing
of the past.


How Far Reaching is
Nuclear Fallout?

We all need to get real when it comes to the conversation of
radioactive fallout. While it can be very dangerous, fallout itself requires
the right conditions. Of the various nuclear threats we face only one version
is going to produce a large cloud of nuclear fallout.

According to Dave Jones, a long-time military man and expert
in the field, a surface detonated nuclear bomb is the only tool that is going
to send that plume of radiated material high enough into the sky that it will
rain down for miles.

Dave also mentions that the most likely form of detonation
in a large city, in America, would be in a delivery truck at ground level. So,
there is validity in being prepared for fallout depending on how far from a
city you might be.

One of the best ways for a civilian to understand the affect
or radioactive fallout on their town is to use NUKEMAP. This is a free
service that allows you to simulate a detonation of powerful nuclear weapons
across a map of your area.

Aside from offering up information on immediate damage it
also shows the full scope and direction of radioactive fallout. You can
detonate powerful weapons in the most populated city or army base in your area
and see if the fallout reaches your home. You may be out of range of this
threat altogether.

What Happens if you
are Exposed to Nuclear Fallout?

As bad as nuclear fallout sounds, you may be surprised at
the simple methods that can be used to mitigate the risk and exposure.

If you find yourself exposed to nuclear fallout (ash, rain,
radiation, etc.) – it can be managed by simply removing your clothes and
leaving them outside or in a rubber made container and promptly taking a soapy
shower. Doing this with a protective respirator on will assure the fallout
doesn’t get inside the body.

Once you have been washed off you are free of the debris
that has been touched by the radiation. Thus, the radioactive fallout is gone.
Only when you are trapped outside in the fallout does it really become an
issue.

Symptoms of Radiation
Sickness

If you or someone you love has been affected by nuclear
fallout you should know how to identify the symptoms. You are going to be
feeling a lot of things in a nuclear disaster. Feeling sick from stress,
emotional drain and downright terror could all make you feel like sick.

Source: Wikipedia

This is a list of symptoms attributed to radiation sickness.

  • Extreme fatigue
  • Ringing in your ears
  • Frequent colds or increased infections
  • Unexplained bleeding or small red spots on your skin
  • Fever or burns
  • Headache or confusion
  • Nausea, vomiting, or bloody diarrhea

Setting up a Radiation Shelter In your Home

SWhile you might think that the only way to survive the effects of nuclear fallout is buried deep in an emergency shelter, you are wrong. In fact, every American is completely capable of setting up their own in-home fallout shelter and waiting out the radiation.

Just to be
clear I am talking about surviving nuclear fallout not a nuclear blast. If you
find yourself in the blast area, unfortunately there is nothing you can do to
survive.

Beyond the
blast radius, radiation from a blast will not last forever. Contrary to popular
belief. In fact, levels can seriously decrease in a matter of hours. Check out
FEMA’s guidelines on the 7:10 rule.

The 7:10 Rule of Thumb states that for every 7-fold increase in time
after detonation, there is a 10-fold decrease in the exposure rate. In other
words, when the amount of time is multiplied by 7, the exposure rate is divided
by 10. For example, let’s say that 2 hours after detonation the exposure rate
is 400 R/hr. After 14 hours, the exposure rate will be 1/10 as much, or 40
R/hr.

As you can see radiation will decrease over time, but you
need to be insulated from it during the decrease period. The best way to do
this is to think about insulation. Things like mattresses, cushions, and thick
blankets can provide you with this insulation. Even plastic sheeting taped
along doors, windows, and any other opening to the outside will provide
substantial protection.

You will want to find a location near the core of your home,
away from windows and air flow from the outside world. Here you can create an
insulated shelter in a closet or hallway that will put the maximum distance
between yourself and the fallout outside.

Source: Business Insider

Into this shelter you should bring things like food, water,
entertainment and an emergency radio. As you can see, you might be holed up in
there for a while to avoid as much radiation as possible!

So be prepared for that. Listen to the radio so you can stay
on top of radiation levels and how your area is being affected. These
broadcasts will also tell you when its safe to go outside again.


Addressing Demands
that Follow a Nuclear Disaster

A nuclear disaster is a very scary thought! Depending on the
size and scope of nuclear disaster we could see a variety of failures in public
service. These will have the biggest impacts on life after the disaster. If we
see critical infrastructure like water treatment, power and waste management
services disrupted you will quickly feel the effects.

Contrary to popular belief, a nuclear blast (assuming it is
a single event) is much more manageable afterwards than other types of events.
In situations like Chernobyl and Fukashima – radioactive waste is dumped for
days at a time, or longer, in massive quantities.

Bombs and power plant disasters are two very different
things. If you are in an area facing a meltdown of a power plant, you must
leave immediately.  The condition of the
land and water will be so bad, it is irrelevant.

However, if you find yourself managing fallout from a
nuclear blast you should consider these 4 things to be best prepared.

Food and Water

You can count on your sealed food and water in a nuclear
disaster (like these). They will be fine
to eat and drink. Don’t grab food from your garden or water from your rain
barrels. These will have nuclear particles on them for some time.

Backup Power

The effect on your local power grid is going to be substantial. Multiple city blocks will be obliterated. Don’t look for power to be back on for some time. The same can be said for WIFI signals. Be sure that you have other options like solar or a generator.

Security

Unfortunately, in times of severe distress people may act in
their own self interest and try to take things. Even a nuclear bomb won’t keep
the bad people away. You need to have a means to secure that food, water and
backup power.

I will let you decide how you plan to do that, but my first
option is a 12-gauge shotgun deterrent.

First Aid

Emergency services are going to be busy, to say the least.
The more self sufficient you can be when treating illness and injury the better
off you will be. This doesn’t mean avoiding the proper care if you need it but
just be prepared to be turned away and have another option. Consider reading this
if you have a medical condition.


5 Nuclear Specific
Preps

There are certain preps that really lend themselves to
prepping for a nuclear disaster. Take a minute to explore these 5 below. You
might find that you are more prepared for a situation like this than you
thought.

1) Potassium Iodide Tablets (PI Tabs)

These tablets find a home in the nuclear disaster kits of
most preppers. These small pills are used to saturate your thyroid which will
keep your body from allowing radiation to spread throughout it. These tabs are
cheap and are easy to get your hands on. They are not top-secret stuff anymore
– be sure you have enough for your family and maybe some extra to spare. The
benefits of these tablets are immeasurable immediately after a nuclear disaster.

2) Radiation Counters

A much larger investment than the PI Tabs a radiation counter
or radiation measurement device is going to tell you exactly how much radiation
is in the air. There will be no guessing here. While these are expensive preps,
I think if you are near a nuclear power plant it might be worth having. You
never know when you might need it.

3) Baking Soda

Baking soda or soap and water are the key to radiological
decontamination. You know, its not like you need a secret serum to
decontaminate yourself. You will need something to scrub your hair and body
with. Baking soda is a pretty common prep and you are likely storing it
already.

4) Respirator Masks

While fallout on the body can be washed away, fallout in the
body is going to do serious damage. If you inhale micro fallout particles its
going to affect your lungs first and your whole body over time. A quality
respirator is a very important prep to have on hand in case of a nuclear
disaster. Check out these respirators to add to your stash (link).

5) Eye Protection

Eyes are another area that can be affected by fallout. Maybe
you rub your eyes with a sleeve and not understand what you are doing. This is
very dangerous and will spread that material throughout your body, as well. Be
sure to have something to cover your sensitive parts immediately after a
nuclear event.


Make Sure you Are
Ready NOW!

The threat of a nuclear disaster is more complex than most
people think. Every radiological disaster is different. The most important takeaway
is to understand what items you need to add to your inventory to assure you can
respond to such a disaster.

The one thing that all nuclear disasters have in common is
that they inflict serious damage either from blast radius, radiation or both.
No matter what the situation, you must act in a nuclear disaster.

Having the knowledge and the right preps will help but in
most instances of fallout and radiation you are going to fall back on two major
skills. The first being patience. You can safely wait out radioactive fallout.
That is the best move if you are on the outskirts of the disaster.

The other skill is going to be your evacuation or bugout
skills. If you are too close to an area and the radiation is hazardous, well,
you have no choice but to leave.

For those in the blast radius of a modern-day nuclear
weapon, well, there aren’t really any preps that will help you. The best thing
you can do is be prepared for the worst and hope and pray for the best!

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His passion for everything that involved the outdoors, made Sam the fearless person he is today. Cofounder of The Prepper's Daily, Sam is a praised survival techniques specialist who never talks about something he didn't experience on his own. A husband, father, author, and Navy veteran, he is a walking, if not running, survival encyclopedia. After ending his contract with the military, Sam decided to use his knowledge for the greater good. His training in the field of military tactics and survival, make him one of our team's greatest assets. His topics cover the latest prepper tips on tools, gadgets and survival techniques. Want to learn How To survive anything that comes your way? Read Sam's articles.

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