How to prepare for a Nuclear Blast

A nuclear blast is an explosion with intense light and heat, a damaging pressure wave, and widespread radioactive material that can contaminate the air, water, and ground surfaces for miles around. A nuclear device can range from a weapon carried by an intercontinental missile launched by a hostile nation or terrorist organization to a small portable nuclear device transported by an individual. All nuclear devices cause deadly effects when exploded, including blinding light, intense heat (thermal radiation), initial nuclear radiation, blast, fires started by the heat pulse, and secondary fires caused by the destruction.

With the end of the Cold War, the possibility of a major nuclear exchange has diminished, however, the current tense geo-political climate (specifically hostilities with Iran, North Korea, and other countries with nuclear capabilities) poses a chance of a nuclear attack as these countries strive to develop more effective delivery systems. However, an even more likely threat is a terrorist attack as more terrorist organizations are actively trying to obtain access to a nuclear weapon on the black market. Called improvised nuclear devices (IND), these are generally smaller, less powerful weapons, but are still capable of devastating destruction.

Hazards of Nuclear Devices

If there were the threat of an attack, people living near potential targets could be advised to evacuate or they could decide on their own to evacuate to an area not considered a likely target. Protection from radioactive fallout would require taking shelter in an underground area or in the middle of a large building.

In general, potential targets include:

• Densely populated metropolitan areas.
• Strategic missile sites and military bases.
• Centers of government such as Washington, DC, and state capitals.
• Important transportation and communication centers.
• Manufacturing, industrial, technology, and financial centers.
• Petroleum refineries, electrical power plants, and chemical plants.
• Major ports and airfields.

The three factors for protecting oneself from radiation and fallout are distance, shielding, and time.

• Distance: the more distance between you and the fallout particles, the better. An underground area such as a home or office building basement offers more protection than the first floor of a building. A floor near the middle of a high-rise may be better, depending on what is nearby at that level on which significant fallout particles would collect. Flat roofs collect fallout particles so the top floor is not a good choice, nor is a floor adjacent to a neighboring flat roof.
• Shielding: the heavier and denser the materials – thick walls, concrete, bricks, books, and earth – between you and the fallout particles, the better.
• Time: fallout radiation loses its intensity fairly rapidly. In time, you will be able to leave the fallout shelter. Radioactive fallout poses the greatest threat to people during the first two weeks, by which time it has declined to about 1 percent of its initial radiation level.

Remember that any protection, however temporary, is better than none at all, and the more shielding, distance, and time you can take advantage of, the better.

Risks of Nuclear Devices

The extent, nature and arrival time of these hazards are difficult to predict. The geographical dispersion of hazard effects will be defined by the following

• Size of the device. A more powerful bomb will produce more distant effects.
• Height above the ground the device was detonated. This will determine the extent of blast effects.
• Nature of the surface beneath the explosion. Some materials are more likely to become radioactive and airborne than others. Flat areas are more susceptible to blast effects.
• Existing meteorological conditions. Wind speed and direction will affect the arrival time of fallout; precipitation may wash fallout from the atmosphere.

Electromagnetic Pulse

In addition to other effects, a nuclear weapon detonated in or above the earth’s atmosphere can create an electromagnetic pulse (EMP), a high-density electrical field. An EMP acts like a stroke of lightning but is stronger, faster, and shorter. An EMP can seriously damage electronic devices connected to power sources or antennas. This includes communication systems, computers, electrical appliances, and automobile or aircraft ignition systems. The damage could range from a minor interruption to actual burnout of components. Most electronic equipment within 1,000 miles of a high-altitude nuclear detonation could be affected. Battery-powered radios with short antennas generally would not be affected. Although an EMP is unlikely to harm most people, it could harm those with pacemakers or other implanted electronic devices.

Radioactive Fallout

The fallout from a nuclear explosion may be carried by wind currents for hundreds of miles if the right conditions exist. Effects from even a small portable device exploding at ground level can be potentially deadly.

Nuclear radiation cannot be seen, smelled, or otherwise detected by normal senses. Radiation can only be detected by radiation monitoring devices. This makes radiological emergencies different from other types of emergencies, such as floods or hurricanes. Monitoring can project the fallout arrival times, which will be announced through official warning channels. However, any increase in surface build-up of gritty dust and dirt should be a warning for taking protective measures.

Before a Nuclear Blast

Water

Store at least one month’s supply of water. Following a nuclear explosion, clean drinking water may not be available. Your regular water source could be cut-off or compromised through contamination. A normally active person needs at least one gallon of water daily just for drinking however individual needs vary, depending on age, physical condition, activity, diet, and climate.

Food

Store at least one month’s supply of food. Choose salt-free crackers, whole grain cereals, and canned foods with high liquid content. In addition to these, it is highly recommended that you get some MREs (Meals, Ready to Eat), freeze-dried and dehydrated foods which are light, easy to transport, and last up to 25 years. Avoid foods that will make you thirsty. Keep in mind that an average adult consumes 2,000 to 3,000 calories a day.

Emergency Kit

A basic emergency kit should contain (at least) the following items:

• Good quality full tang knife or lockable blade pocket knife
• Reliable multi-tool
• Battery-powered or hand crank radio
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• First aid kit
• Whistle to signal for help
• Dust mask to help filter contaminated air
• Plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
• Emergency poncho
• Emergency blanket or bivy
• Emergency tarp or tent
• Moist towelettes, garbage bags, and plastic ties for personal sanitation
• Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
• Manual can opener for food
• Local maps
• Cell phone with chargers, inverter, or solar charger

Because you don’t know where you will be when a nuclear blast occurs, prepare a Disaster Supplies Kit for your home, workplace, and car.

Besides your basic emergency items, below is a list of items specific to a nuclear radiation fallout:

• Potassium iodide (KI) or potassium iodate (KIO3) tablets
• Iodine solution
• Decontamination items
• Gas mask with extra filters
• NBC protective suit
• Radioactivity detection/measuring device

Family Plan

Your family may not be together when disaster strikes, so it is important to know how you will contact one another, how you will get back together, and what you will do in case of an emergency. Plan places where your family will meet, both within and outside of your immediate neighborhood. Know your community’s warning systems and disaster plans, including evacuation routes.

Shelter

Find out from officials if any public buildings in your community have been designated as fallout shelters. If none have been designated, make your own list of potential shelters near your home, workplace and school. These places would include basements or the windowless center area of middle floors in high-rise buildings, as well as subways and tunnels.

Taking shelter during a nuclear blast is absolutely necessary. There are two kinds of shelters – blast and fallout. The following describes the two kinds of shelters:

• Blast shelters are specifically constructed to offer some protection against blast pressure, initial radiation, heat, and fire. But even a blast shelter cannot withstand a direct hit from a nuclear explosion.
• Fallout shelters do not need to be specially constructed for protecting against fallout. They can be any protected space, provided that the walls and roof are thick and dense enough to absorb the radiation given off by fallout particles.

During a Nuclear Blast

The following are guidelines for what to do in the event of a nuclear explosion.

If Indoors:

• Listen for official information and follow the instructions provided by emergency response personnel. Based on what is known about the threat, you may be asked to take shelter, go to a specific location, or evacuate the area.
• If an attack warning is issued, take cover as quickly as you can, below ground if possible, and stay there until instructed to do otherwise.
• Find the nearest building, preferably built of brick or concrete, and go inside to avoid any radioactive material outside.
• If better shelter, such as a multi-story building or basement can be reached within a few minutes, go there immediately.
• Go as far below ground as possible or in the center of a tall building. The goal is to put as many walls and as much concrete, brick, and soil between you and the radioactive material outside.
• Stay where you are, even if you are separated from your family. Inside is the safest place for all people in the impacted area. It can save your life.
• During the time with the highest radiation levels, it is safest to stay inside, sheltered away from the radioactive material outside.
• Radiation levels are extremely dangerous after a nuclear detonation but the levels reduce rapidly.
• Expect to stay inside for at least 24 hours unless told otherwise by authorities.

If Outside and unable to get inside immediately:

• Do not look at the flash or fireball – it can blind you.
• Take cover behind anything that might offer protection.
• Lie flat on the ground and cover your head. If the explosion is some distance away, it could take 30 seconds or more for the blast wave to hit.
• Take shelter as soon as you can, even if you are many miles from ground zero where the attack occurred – radioactive fallout can be carried by the winds for hundreds of miles. Remember the three protective factors: Distance, shielding and time.
• If you were outside during or after the blast, get clean as soon as possible, to remove radioactive material that may have settled on your body.
• Remove your clothing to keep radioactive material from spreading. Removing the outer layer of clothing can remove up to 90% of radioactive material.
• If practical, place your contaminated clothing in a plastic bag and seal or tie the bag. Place the bag as far away as possible from humans and animals so that the radiation it gives off does not affect others.
• When possible, take a shower with lots of soap and water to help remove radioactive contamination. Do not scrub or scratch the skin.
• Wash your hair with shampoo or soap and water. Do not use conditioner in your hair because it will bind radioactive material to your hair, keeping it from rinsing out easily.
• Gently blow your nose and wipe your eyelids and eyelashes with a clean wet cloth. Gently wipe your ears.
• If you cannot shower, use a wipe or clean wet cloth to wipe your skin that was not covered by clothing.

After a Nuclear Blast

Decay rates of the radioactive fallout are the same for any size nuclear device. However, the amount of fallout will vary based on the size of the device and its proximity to the ground. Therefore, it might be necessary for those in the areas with the highest radiation levels to shelter for up to a month.

The heaviest fallout would be limited to the area at or downwind from the explosion and 80 percent of the fallout would occur during the first 24 hours.

People in most of the areas that would be affected could be allowed to come out of the shelter within a few days and, if necessary, evacuate to unaffected areas.

Returning To Your Home:

Keep listening to the radio and television for news about what to do, where to go, and places to avoid.
Stay away from damaged areas. Stay away from areas marked “radiation hazard” or “HAZMAT.” Remember that radiation cannot be seen, smelled or otherwise detected by human senses.