How would I protect myself in the event of a Nuclear attack on the US??

Question

I saw the CBS show "Jericho" and it made me stop and think, "What would I do in that scenario"...

Answer 1

It all depends on where you live, and what type of attack you faced.

A straightforward attack would have to come from a country with ICBM capability or that possessed subs that could get close to the US coastline. Currently, there are no real threats like this. Countries with these capabilities are either our allies, or have close ties with the U.N.

Any hostile country that wanted to develop these capabilities (ie. N. Korea) would have to do so under very harried conditions, with little opportunity for testing. The likelihood that they could successfully guide and detonate a nuclear device in the US is very slim.

The other option would be to smuggle a device into the US, or steal one of our own weapons. This is possible, but certainly no more likely.

If a one megaton device were detonated in your vicinity, your survival would depend on two things, your proximity to the initial blast, and the prevailing winds. Anything inside of two miles is more or less history. Four miles away you better be in a basement. Seven miles you might survive if you laid down in a ditch or gully. If you survive the initial blast, heat and pressure wave, you might go blind if you didn't have the sense to look away. Not just close your eyes (for the light will burn right through your eyelids) but turn around and cover your face. If you we in some kind of shelter, you might have avoided the worst of the gamma & x-rays, but you still may become a mutant.

Now, if you get through all this, you have to worry about the radiation. All the dirt, dust & debris is carried up in to the sky, and gets dragged out and dispersed with the prevailing winds. This means you may have radioactive dust settling on you for hours or days. If you breath this, get rained on, touch or consume it, you will get radiation sickness and probably die. If you head in the opposite direction from the fallout, you probably will survive.

If you try to stay and stick it out, you better have a whole regime of anti-radiation protocols. Fresh water, air purification, food, light, heat, shelter, etc. You'll need protection from sick or dying intruders, and a way to escape after the fallout settles because there won't be any transportation, radio, television, cell phones or electricity. Anything electronic will be useless due to the EMP wave that accompanies the explosion.

Good luck!

Answer 2

If we are not killed . . . then surviving a nuclear attack that sure will require planning, huh? I have thought about many aspects of survival including the effects of radiation and all the after effects.Those who aren’t killed immediately will more than likely suffer long and agonising death as internal organs slowly die off through radiation exposure. Cancers, infections and other internal problems will end up being the cause of death. And, the effects of the exposure can be passed on to future generations for years to come.


It seems that even more so than even yesterday, the threat of a nuclear attack is looming over us! And if North Korea tests a Nuke - I don't know what may happen.

We will need to look for somewhere that is as far from the blast as possible due to the contaminated air. A fallout shelter is something to consider, but they are expensive - and with a direct hit . . . no use to ya! The blast will kill those in its path, and a fallout shelter will not necessarily protect against the forces of the blast.

I think we will need a survival kit with bottled water, powdered milk will be necessary for children, canned food (manual opener), clothing, blankets, pillows, waste bags, first aid kit, candles, torches, radio/batteries (extra batteries), emergency medication (Advil, etc.) I think that we may need to keep some iodine on hand to protect the thyroid from radiation as well as purify water. Plus: forks, cooking items. What about card decks to pass the time, board games, books. TOILET PAPER!!


Other things to consider and remember: The atmospheric air pressure surrounding the blast will move at alarming speeds. With no prep time. If you look directly at the blast you can become temporary blinded, suffer retinal burning, and more than likely permanent eye damage. The initial radiation following the nuclear blast can prove particularly hazardous, especially to those in close proximity. The radiation forms during the first minute following detonation. The outer layers of the skin stop alpha radiation from doing any external/internal damage. But this will be high quantities of ingestion or inhalation so it will result in internal damage. The beta radiation will cause skin burns if made contact with the skin. The gamma radiation which is the most dangerous of the all radiation, will cause internal and external damage, destroying organs, skin, bones and blood. In large doses gamma radiation can cause serious illness and death.

Radiation sickness: symptoms such as vomiting, bowel problems, fatigue, fainting, dehydration, hair loss, loss of appetite, bleeding from the nose, mouth, rectum or gums.

Cancer can also result from radiation exposure. There is a latency period between exposure and onset of symptoms, so it may be a while before the affected person realises that they have cancer.

Birth Defects can also result from exposure to nuclear explosions. Exposure to pregnant mothers can result in the baby being born with physical or mental disabilities.

I am sure the blast will damage or destroy electrical equipment, cables, etc. Also the blast combined with the pulse of the nuke will result in the ignition of combustible materials . . . so, fire is a high risk particularly in areas very close to the detonation.

Then there is the fallout . . . This comes about from the crater cause by the nuke following the explosion. The crater in the Earth will transform into hot gas, dust. And due to the heat, there will be a rise up in fireball form. When the fireball rises, all that radioactive mess detonated by the weapon gets onto dust and dirt particles. Fire goes out, cools into cloud formation, wind carries it, spreads to different places. So the radioactive materials "fall out of the air" and scatter about the ground. Fall out from the first 24 hours following detonation will be the most dangerous. Fallout following after the first 24 hours will have lost some of it's punch - but still deadly. Fallout radiation levels decrease quickly but can last months to years.

Answer 3

If you read the platform the Demos. are ruining on we will all ready have the fascist gov. that your talking about putting in place. If they are in power. I believe Obama is soft on defense and we will have that attack on several places at the same time. I am not fond of McCain because he didn't stand up for the people in his party. He, and they have turned into a bunch "*******". Why can't the "parties" either rep. or demos. put up a candidate with the qualities we need at this time? McCain is the only lame choice I see for a chance of the nations survival!

Answer 4

I didn't ee th eshow, but eveyone could keep a two week supply of food and clean wate rin the house.
If you have the money build a fall out shelter with which yuo could stock with foods such as can goods, powders, noodles, coffee, tea, fruit juices ect. dried foods to.
Food and water that are not comtimnated would be the first problem.\
Just rotate your food supply to keep a fresh food supply in your shelter.

Answer 5

You know the whole drill of hiding under the desk, don't you?
And if you're not at school and unable to hide under a desk, drag one along with you. You'll be glad you have it when the bomb lands in your corner of the world. XP

Answer 6

You can constantly live in fear and wear a chemical suit for the rest of your life. Thats what the media wants us to do. We're supposed to live in fear so we can consume irrationaly. Thats why they keep putting worthless shows like that on the TV everyday.

Answer 7

Bend over, put your head between your legs and kiss your butt goodbye.

Unless you are an extreme survivalist living underground, you aren't safe from any type of severe attack.

Answer 8

you can't. That's the point.

You can live you life in fear or

You can Stop Worrying and Learn to Love the Bomb.

See Dr. Strangelove for more info...

Answer 9

Wear a chemical suit untill the stuff wears off.

Answer 10

i think each and every house now must build a nuclear safe bunker....we will never know whts gonna happen tomorrow...