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Are you ready for a nuclear attack? Advice from FEMA
HOW TO 
Tags: terrorists, nuclear, bomb, blasts, radical
Many folks are scared about the possibility of a nuclear terrorist attack. FEMA ("Heck of a Job, Brownie") has some information about nuclear blasts and radiation. Here are some excerpts. Go to the web link below for all the information. ............................
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 devise 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.
Radioactive Fallout
Even if individuals are not close enough to the nuclear blast to be affected by the direct impacts, they may be affected by radioactive fallout.
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 exploded 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.
The danger of a massive strategic nuclear attack on the United States is predicted by experts to be less likely today. However, terrorism, by nature, is unpredictable.
If there were 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.
The three factors for protecting oneself from radiation and fallout are distance, shielding,
| 1. | Take Protective Measures Before a Nuclear Blast To prepare for a nuclear blast, you should do the following: |
| 2. | • 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. |
| 3. | • If you live in an apartment building or high-rise, talk to the manager about the safest place in the building for sheltering and about providing for building occupants until it is safe to go out. |
| 4. | • During periods of increased threat increase your disaster supplies to be adequate for up to two weeks. |
| 5. | 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: |
| 6. | • 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. |
| 7. | • 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. |
| 8. | During a Nuclear Blast The following are guidelines for what to do in the event of a nuclear explosion. If an attack warning is issued: |
| 9. | • Take cover as quickly as you can, below ground if possible, and stay there until instructed to do otherwise. |
| 10. | • Listen for official information and follow instructions. |
| 11. | If you are caught outside and unable to get inside immediately: |
| 12. | • Do not look at the flash or fireball - it can blind you. |
| 13. | • Take cover behind anything that might offer protection. |
| 14. | • Lie flat on the ground and cover your head. If the explosion is some distance away, it could take 3 0 seconds or more for the blast wave to hit. |
| 15. | • 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. |
| 16. | 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 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 shelter within a few days and, if necessary, evacuate to unaffected areas. |
| 17. | Returning to Your Home Remember the following: |
| 18. | • Keep listening to the radio and television for news about what to do, where to go, and places to avoid. |
| 19. | • “HAZMAT.” Remember that radiation cannot be seen, smelled, or otherwise detected by human senses. |
Lister:
rick
Source:
FEMA
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