Can Humans survive a nuclear war?

Question

If every super power is able to launch their nukes at the same time like Mutually Assured Destruction.

will any of us survive normally?

Answer 1

The fortunate ones would die instantly, the rest within a few days or weeks, the worst off might survive to start over, but start what?

Answer 2

If any humans survive the situation that you describe they would have a very tough time. Most plant and animal life would be destroyed too. Food and water would most likely be contaminated and radiation poisoning would kill the majority of the survivors.

Nothing would be normal. That is the theory of MAD. Sorry for the doom and gloom but most folks do not understand the power and threat that these weapons have. That is why the great worry about countries like N. Korea getting the bomb. Even a limited nuclear exchange would have world wide consequences.

Answer 3

Nuke attack is VERY survivable. IF and only if you are not caught in the open and in the direct blast. If you look closely at the famous photo of ground zero in Heroshima you will see a mound of earth in the lower left corner of the photo. That is a bomb shelter intended to protect the family who lived there from fire attacks. We used to drop fire bombs on japan during wwII. The shelter withstood the blast. The only week point was the door. If they had built a better door and been in the bunker at the time of the blast, they would have lived.

So yes you can withstand the blast if you are prepared and in your bunker at the time of the blast.

Next is radiation. Most folk have the idea that it has a half life of about 250,000 years. Sorry but thats wrong. The half life of radiation from atomic attack is measured in days. You would have to be sheltered for 2 weeks before it is safe to come out.

If you bother to study the facts involved (I'm writing a book so I've had to delve into it, I'm not normally a paranoid nut) you will see that number one it is survivable. Number 2 it will disrupt our infrastructure. The EM pulse from a nuke will kill everything electrical for miles. If a small nuke (about 4 kilotons) were to be detonated at about 250 miles up over kansas, our electrical grid would go down and it would be years before we had it replaced and back up and running. About 98% of all cars would not run again. The computer chip that controls ignition would be fried. So normal is not going to happen. Without communication and police enforcement, our social structure is going to fall apart in seconds. See details of hurrican katrina as an example. They have reports of police doing some looting. Go figure.

Survive normally? No. Suirvive? Yes. You should also be aware that the Clinton administration closed down most of the civil defence shelters and ditched the radiation detectors. Some states refused to take part and took over the expence of maintaining the equipment and gave them to the local fire departmetents. In the course of my research I have discovered there are a lot more people who are gearing up for just such an event. It would be wise due to the threat of Iran and North Korea. There are about 70 suit case nukes that are unaccounted for. They range in size between 1 and 4 megaton. They are refered to as SADM (special atomic demolition munition) and were intended for use during the cold war with The former Soviet Union. It is unknown how many are IN the US right now. It is assumed that many are already here. Who controls them is just scary. They were intended for sleepers to use them to destroy bridges and dams and other infrastructure in the US as part of an attack. So yes we are at risk. Yes we will survive. No it will not be normal.

As a side note the idea of nuke winter is theory. We have no hard data on the topic. The jet stream could change all those theory's in a second. We have seen volcanic eruptions that should have started a nuclear winter but did not. However packing some warm winter clothes is not a bad idea. Food storage for a year is also a good idea. You would be suprized at the number of people I know who have exactly that put away. It seems that most people are of the opinion that our government will not be able to protect us and have taken the protection of them selves into their own hands. That I'm currently able to account for about 18 million people are stocking up and getting ready. I have no idea how many are doing it less publicly.

Answer 4

Not "normally..." nothing, nowhere on Earth would be the same... Oh, maybe a third of the population could survive, but it would definately be a "post-apocalyptic" scenario and "backdrop" everywhere. Yes, we could well "survive" but not survive well... so the question is whether or not you'd actually want to "enjoy" the countless "challenges" of the nuclear "aftermath."
Einstein put it best I think..."I'm uncertain with what weapons World War III will be fought, but the Fourth World War will be fought with sticks & stones."

Answer 5

Nuclear winter resulting from a war will put us somewhere behind the way the world was in the Dark Ages.

Answer 6

Only if shelters built under mountains were created which could grow cereal grasses from artificial light and replicate water to drink. You would still have to stay underground for many years due to the radiation, but it would eventually reach safe levels. The climate would be altered dramatically, but with seeds and trees it could be rebuilt over a period of hundreds of years.

Answer 7

Bending over under a table and putting plastic sheeting over the windows according to the governments advice sheet, will do the trick.

Answer 8

we may survive the blast but the radiation... we'll die from the radiation and the radiation will have a very long half life so if the initial blast does not kill us, the radiation will. It depends on how far you are from the blast zone.

Answer 9

A nuclear blast can desimate a whole state... you really think that desk is going to save you? Crawl under there and kiss your *** goodbye.

Answer 10

yes, u can go under ground I'am talking over 50 feet deep. must have enough food water to keep u alive for a number of years.but if u go to the surface will there be anyone there????
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