Most of us will survive an atomic blast but will die in the next 48 hours. To survive, you need to know how to behave in an extremely hostile environment. Learn it here.
I don't know if you know, but your city or county website should have detailed instructions on how to deal with radioactive contamination.
Coming back to the manual - it's not the best in the world and it's not about a nuclear explosion, but it's a good start anyway. Remember that the atomic bomb is not the only hazard with radioactivity. It can be a nuclear power plant breakdown, a radioactive cloud, an accident during the transport of radioactive sources, or a terrorist attack. That's what this article is for in part - develop a worst-case-scenario (NMS) strategy to help identify what to do for minor disasters. This is also what simulations regarding the zombie apocalypse serve - it is not about preparing for the dawn of the living dead, but about a kind of exercise, thanks to which we will develop an emergency system. So preparing to survive an atomic blast may seem a bit ridiculous to you, but the main idea is different - to learn how to deal with emergencies. Remember, no one expected a pandemic either and almost everyone thought that such a scenario could be put into fairy tales. Yet it happened.
Let's get back to the topic. Let's take the manual to a workshop, let's examine point by point and see what is worth remembering from it.
1. Against radiation hazard:
1) In the event of a disaster, have the following ready:
a) a flashlight with spare batteries,
b) portable battery radio with spare batteries,
c) first aid kit and first aid manual,
d) emergency food and water supply,
e) a supply of food storage bags,
f) can opener,
g) solid footwear.
The list is good, but only for a short cut off from the world. Much more is needed in the long run. Above all, there is no backup source of electricity - a generator at best, but even an ordinary car battery will be worth its weight in gold; a gas stove, even for a tourist, with an adequate gas supply; cosmetics, a spare set of clothes, warm clothes and an emergency communication system.
2) Be prepared to evacuate or take refuge in your home.
In the event of a nuclear charge exploding, you should seek shelter first. Immediate evacuation is only possible if you are far enough from the epicenter. It is very difficult to define "far enough" - so turn on all available communication methods (especially AM radio) and listen for messages. Remember that a car is one of the worst possible places you can go because it has minimal radiation protection. Also expect chaos on the roads. One of the worst scenarios is getting stuck in a traffic jam - then you are exposed to radiation, most often without being able to find cover. This is fairly modest advice, but unfortunately it is difficult to give any general guidance because it is impossible to predict the distribution of radioactive fallout over time and in space, which are very dependent on the weather.
3) Develop an emergency communication plan.
Remember that part of the electronics may be destroyed as a result of the EMP pulse. Even if your cell phone does not suffer, the BTS stations or their power supply will almost certainly be destroyed, and communication via the telephone will not be possible. It will be similar with telephone and power cables. If you want to be really prepared for EMP pulses (nuclear explosion is not the only source of them), you should have a backup communication method in place, for example a two-way radio (aka walkie-talkie) that will be protected against EMP pulses. The basic method of protection is simple - tightly wrapped with aluminum foil. More advanced is putting the electronics in a metal container or a special foil with a sewn in Faraday mesh. The radio should have the maximum possible transmission power. If the radio is intended for emergencies, don't worry about legality. It is important that you survive, not that you will be transmitting illegally on 5W on the FRS band.
4) Prepare a plan and ways to return home for family members if they are separated at the time of the emergency (real possibility during the day, when adults are at work and children are at school).
This is a very important question - if I am away from home, should I return home or seek shelter nearby? If I have a great shelter half an hour away from home, should I go there or hide in a poor basement? It is not easy to answer it. There have been serious scientific articles on this topic. The American scientist Michael B. Dillon considered what to do in the event of an explosion of a nuclear charge up to 10 kilotons. The conclusions are as follows: if you can find a good shelter within 15 minutes, you should go there, but no later than 30 minutes after detonation. This means that you have a maximum of 45 minutes to complete the entire operation (the article can be found here). These are considerations for a load of 10 kilotons - in the last article we considered an explosion with a power of 300 and 1000 kilotons, and therefore many times greater. What to do in such situations? The US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) suggests that the maximum time for seeking shelter is 10 minutes. I think we have to assume a worst-case scenario and take that value - 10 minutes to seek shelter from the time of the explosion.
5) Ask relatives or friends who live in other localities to serve as a point of contact for your family. Make sure all members of your family know the name, address and telephone number of the contact person.
This is a very good point - the point is that the contact person should be outside your city, ideally living somewhere in the countryside (where it's always safer). In this way, you will create the backbone of the emergency communication system.
6) If you run an independent farm, consider securing feed for livestock, drinking water intakes, and facilities for them.
If you run an independent farm, you almost certainly live outside a big city, which gives you a huge time advantage. Most likely, you will miss the direct effects of a nuclear explosion and even if there is radioactive fallout, you will have at least a dozen minutes to prepare. Wrap the feed with plastic foil, just like water taps, close all utility rooms tightly. If you have a well - cover it as tightly as possible. How much time will you be able to spend outside - more on that later.
2. During a radiation emergency:
1) Stay calm:
a) not every accident related to the release of a radioactive substance is dangerous for you;
b) the accident may only concern the site (nuclear power plant) and may not cause any external hazards.
That's right - in most cases, radioactive contamination will not affect you. It is completely different in the case of a nuclear explosion.
2) Listen carefully and constantly to the radio, watch national or local TV. The messages will define the nature of the accident, the degree of risk, its extent and speed of spreading - follow the recommendations provided in the messages.
You can be almost sure that after the explosion there will be a blackout - that is, electricity cut off, therefore television and the Internet will not work. The nearby radio transmitter will also be destroyed. This means that the FM band will not be available and any messages will come in the AM band (AM transmitters have a much greater range, so the signal can be broadcast from other cities that did not suffer from the explosion). Therefore, you should have a radio that receives in the AM range. Remember that most radio-equipped cell phones only receive FM. It is best to equip yourself with a radio that can be powered by a crank - this way we will be independent of the battery supply.
3) When you return to a place of refuge from outside:
a) take a shower, change shoes and clothes;
b) put items worn outside in a plastic bag and close them tightly.
This is an extremely important point - it is about radioactive fallout that may be on your clothes. Be sure to take off all clothing, put it in a plastic bag and secure it with tape. I don't think you have time to shower, but you need to wash your face and most of all, rinse your mouth thoroughly and clean your nose. The worst that can happen to you now is soaking up radioactive dust. If you have pets that have also been outside, try to wash them as much as possible.
4) If you receive an evacuation order, carry it out immediately, as instructed by the authorities (emergency services):
a) listen on the radio and television for announcements about escape routes, temporary shelters and procedures,
b) take things prepared for evacuation.
5) Be aware of your neighbors who may need special help with young children, elderly or disabled people.
Don't expect any emergency services to show up, lend a helping hand, and risk your life to transport you to an underground shelter, where a warm bed and supplies will be waiting for three months. Nobody's gonna help you. Not only because there will be chaos and disintegration of rescue bodies, but above all because you, as an ordinary citizen, are at the very end of your priority list for you. If you are not a senior government official, a soldier, or have no special skills, no one will care about you.
Do not believe that there are any shelters for the population - some cities used to have an impressive network of underground shelters that were intended for the general public (for example, Krakow's Nowa Huta, where virtually every housing estate had its shelter). However, with the fall of the Iron Curtain, the fear of the outbreak of nuclear war also disappeared, which is why the short-sighted rulers of our state decided to forget about the existence of shelters, which were deteriorating for the next thirty years. The situation is so bad that in response to the question about the shelters, one of the mayors of Warsaw replied: “the current law does not include the concept of a shelter and there is no authority to which any related tasks would be assigned, including keeping records of shelters. Thus, the Mayor of Warsaw has no legal basis to keep (record) the facilities that were former shelters. Currently, in accordance with the regulations, their owners have the right to manage or administer them ”(source). This is not a political entry - representatives of absolutely every political formation had shelters and civil defense in deep respect. An example is the situation in 2020 and the Material Reserves Agency selling over 60,000 full-face masks a few weeks before the outbreak of the epidemic. The state will not help you. You can only count on the fact that with a little luck, the State will not drown you even more.
6) If you fail to evacuate, stay at home:
a) secure and close windows and doors,
b) turn off air conditioning, ventilation, fan heating, etc.,
c) have your battery radio turned on all the time,
d) close (seal) the stove and chimney gates,
e) go to the basement or other rooms below the ground surface,
If you can go to the basement or any room below the ground, do it first. This is definitely more important than the whole point 3 - you can undress and wash your face in the basement as well, as long as you have enough water. If you don't have a basement - stay at home.
At this stage, the worst things are behind you - all the shockwaves have passed and unless your home is in immediate danger, is not burning, there is no gas leak - you should stay in it. Remember to secure your home first - turn off the gas supply and eliminate all immediate threats. The greatest danger you will face now will be radioactive fallout. If you live in a multi-storey building, avoid the ground floor and top floor apartments (if possible) as rainfall will accumulate there. You need to analyze where else it can accumulate - for example in gutters or on balconies - think of it as rain and try to avoid places that are usually wet during downpours. If you have any air purifier, turn it on at full power - it will effectively capture radioactive dust, but you must remember that the filter will become a source of radiation over time.
Avoid windows like fire - it's a good barrier to alpha and beta radiation, but gamma won't stop you. If you can, barricade the windows, cover them with a wardrobe, other furniture or any other object (the heavier and more massive the better).
If your home has been destroyed and you do not have a basement, or if you are far from home, seek refuge in any building. Remember that the more walls and walls the better. Concrete with a thickness of 30 cm (with a density of 2.3 g / cm3) attenuates ten times gamma radiation (for energy of 1 MeV), and 50 cm reduces radiation 100 times! This is a really great result. For comparison - to obtain a tenfold weakening, 8.5 cm of iron (with a density of 7.9 g / cm3) or 3.8 cm of lead (with a density of 11.3 g / cm3) are needed. The safest place for the center of large structures such as housing estates, office buildings etc.
Remember that the maximum time you can spend on looking for shelter is 10 minutes from the moment of detonation!
f) stay indoors until the authorities (emergency services) announce that it is safe,
If you are close to the epicenter, you will most likely have to spend many days indoors, so be prepared for this eventuality in advance. Radioactive contamination is not the only emergency where shelter, food and water supplies, and access to energy can prove crucial to your survival.
g) If you need to go outside, cover your mouth and nose with a wet towel.
If you have to leave - do it safely. You can read about how much time you can spend outside and how to navigate in contaminated areas in the next article.
7) Be prepared to evacuate or take a long shelter at home.
Exactly. Be prepared, anytime, anywhere.
8) Hide the livestock and feed it with the stored feed.
You should do this in the first stage of preparation, when you secured forage and farm buildings. It is probably too late now. About how to tell later in this article.
9) Do not use the phone unless necessary. Telephone lines are essential for the rescue operation.
Telephone lines, like power lines, will be cut off. Do not expect to have any communication with the outside world other than receiving AM radio waves. The exception will be well-prepared people equipped with an emergency communication system, for example, a radiotelephone or CB radio.
10) Store food in airtight containers or refrigerator:
a) rinse unprotected food thoroughly before storing;
b) Avoid eating fruit, vegetables, and water from unreliable sources.
However you will try to secure your apartment, you will not avoid getting radioactive dust inside. Their concentration should not be high enough to pose a threat, but the situation changes dramatically when ingested - then they become deadly. That is why airtight storage of food and water is so critical.
11) Continue to follow the instructions given by the authorities (emergency services) until the risk of radioactive contamination is removed.
Remember, this may take days.
This is so much the official instruction, but it does not cover all issues. If you ever witness a nuclear explosion, here's what you need to do:
1. Immediately after seeing an atomic flare, you must take cover of any obstacle - the heavier and more massive the better. A car is one of the worst places to hide! If he can't find anything to cover you, lie on your stomach and cover your head with your hands. Do not look directly at the blast - it may result in blindness. It's best to cover your eyes with your hands. The heat wave from a 1000 kilotone bomb explosion can last up to 11 seconds and will come immediately after the explosion. Remember that the shockwave will come next as a blast of high pressure. Stay in your hiding place for two minutes.
2. If you have survived - the worst, that is the first six consequences of an atomic bomb explosion, are already behind you. The seventh remains - radioactive fallout. Now you can go to the basement or start securing your home (turn off the air conditioning and ventilation, seal the gaps, cover the windows with furniture, turn on the air purifier, if you have one). If you are outside, you have 10 minutes to find shelter. 10 minutes is NMS - worst case scenario, but you have to make that assumption to be safe.
3. Start the dosimeter / radiometer. If you don't have one, run the application on your cell that measures radiation using the CMOS sensor (we described it in our previous article). Assume that the maximum effective dose you can receive is 500 millisieverts. If your dosimeter shows a dose rate of 1 sievert per hour - you can spend half an hour there; at the level of 100 millisieverts per hour - five hours, etc.
4. Spend at least two days in hiding. After this time, the radiation level should drop significantly. Use the dosimeter / radiometer to measure the radiation dose outside and make the decision to evacuate. The limit effective dose rate at which you can start an evacuation is 100 millisieverts per hour (you will then have 5 hours to carry out the entire operation). In general, you should spend as much time in hiding as your supplies allow and leave as late as possible.
REMEMBER:
1. Take cover - hide behind a massive obstacle or lie facedown on the ground. Cover your eyes. Spend 2 minutes from the moment of detonation.
2. Find a shelter - you have 10 minutes to do this. If you don't have a basement, secure your home.
3. Check the radiation level - if you don't have a dosimeter, use the app. The maximum dose you can receive is 500 mSv.
4. Spend a minimum of 48 hours in the shelter - but stay as long as possible if you have the option.
5. Check the radiation level and decide to evacuate. Do not start evacuation if radiation is greater than 100 mSv / hr.
The values of 500 mSv and 100 mSv have their source in many years of observations of the impact of ionizing radiation on living organisms. Scientists agree that 500 mSv is the last, relatively safe, point beyond which the risk begins to skyrocket.
Remember - the explosion of an atomic bomb is not tantamount to an apocalypse and total annihilation of the entire province. If you prepare yourself in advance, behave rationally and follow the above rules, your chances of survival are very good.
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