Surviving A Nuclear War, Part Three: The Aftermath

This is the thrid and final part of my series on Nuclear War Survival Skills. If you have not read them, here are links to Part One and Part Two.

Preparing For A Nuclear Strike

When it comes to preparing for a possible nuclear strike, there is one piece of advice that trumps all the others. One simple rule that, despite how obvious it may sound, constantly needs to be repeated. And that little tidbit is this:

Don’t be there.

That’s it. Just don’t be there. As I have said already, the best thing to do is simply not be near any place where a nuclear strike is likely to occur in the event of a nuclear war. I guess for some that is easier said than done, and I do sympathize with people not wanting to uproot their lives and whatnot, but this is nuclear war we are talking about here. Either you believe it will happen, in which case every other concern is irrelevant, or you don’t believe it and that makes me start to question why you are reading this article.

The single most effective thing you can do right now to prepare for the event of a major nuclear exchange is simply to go where the missiles aren’t going. That may be easy for some and very hard for others, but it is the truth. Nuclear warheads are not going to cover the entirety of the Earth, but they will be targeted at every significant military base, governmental command and control center, primary industrial zone, and major economic hub. They will also target lots of large population centers and critical national infrastructure as well. This is one of many reasons why you need to have a prearranged bug-out location already set up away from all of these things and their surrounding fallout zones. Relocating permanently well in advance would also be a recommendation, but I already know that few will want to follow it.

This is where that “acceptance and embrace of collapse” mindset comes in. Most traditional preppers who get themselves ready for disasters look at the various things that could go bad in their area and assign a potential risk to each one. And then they get themselves prepared for the most likely possibilities of such things happening. Collapse preppers have to think differently. There is no matter of “if” collapse is going to happen, there is only “when,” and that when can be summed up as “soon enough.” Whether from environmental catastrophe, Carrington Event, nuclear war, or whatever else. The idea that collapse is coming soon no matter what is an essential part of what successful preparation is. While there will be many out there who will achieve various levels of preparedness, and thus have more or less advantages when the time comes, the only way to be fully prepared is to go all-in on those preparations. You have to commit fully to the direction you are going to take, rather than straddle the fence of “what if.”

Special Planning Resources

Okay, let’s move on. The first thing to do in preparation is to identify the risk levels of your current and planned locations. There are various maps and simulations out there that you can find by Googling that will give you a good idea of nuclear target areas. One very good one can be found at Nuclear War Map. Not only can you use this site to simulate a single strike anywhere for the purposes of researching effects, but it has a very good overall simulation feature as well. Simply select the Large Scale Attack Simulator option. This tool will allow you to monitor a simulated Russian attack on the United States, for the first two hours of the event. As the simulation plays out you can click on individual areas and impacts to get a readout of the effects and dangers, as well as see what the target was that was hit, whether it was an airburst or a ground burst, and other information. It is useful because you can zoom all the way close up on the map to observe the neighborhood you live in or any other area of interest. The map also shows potential fallout blooms according to prevailing winds. All of this together makes for a great tool for both location and route planning for your retreat or bug-out location. There is even an included U.S. Nuclear Targets Database you can use for reference as well.

The above simulation system uses a strategic breakdown of possible targets based on their value as legitimate targets in a wartime situation. In a nuclear war, the primary nuclear targets are going to be the ICBM sites, command and control centers, nuclear facilities, and strategic bomber forces or bases where strategic bombers are stationed. They will also target nuclear-armed submarines and submarine bases to cripple and destroy the sea-based leg of the opposing nuclear force. After destroying nuclear forces, the attacker will focus their targeting on conventional military sites and installations, and governmental command systems.

Population centers like cities, industrial bases, and economic centers are considered secondary-value targets, along with critical infrastructure. These do not have immediate military strategic value, and thus they will only be targeted later, and only if they decide to destroy the opposing nation completely. The most logical and strategic action is for an attacker to hold secondary-value targets as hostages to force capitulation by the government of the nation they are warring with. If an attacker manages to pull off a first strike and eliminate the possibility of retaliation, then there is no need to go after these other areas. The war is won at that point.

Still, pulling off a first strike successfully against another nuclear superpower is almost an impossibility, and so really all there will probably be is a brief lull in the attack as secondary targeted missiles leave their launch facilities. That’s a cheery thought, yeah?

So, the idea is to plan for the worst, because that is probably what we will get, and if not, great. Being over-prepared beats under-prepared any day.

Another online tool that is very useful for planning is NUKEMAP, which is available at www.nuclearsecrecy.com as part of the creator’s blog. It gives you the ability to individually choose and place targets and detonations on the map and observe a very detailed breakdown of the exact effects. Again, you can drop anything anywhere and see how it affects the entire city or just the cul-de-sac your home sits in.

Lastly is a newer tool called Nuclear War Simulator, which bills itself as a piece of software for realistic war simulations. However, it is marketed as a game and available through Steam, for a price, so… Still, I have found that it can be useful for playing out various possibilities and such to get ideas about nuclear war in general, and so I still think it is a viable tool.

These tools can be invaluable, and where one gives you an idea of where and how areas of the United States will be targeted and affected on a large scale, the others allow you to get a very detailed picture of single detonations, and even strange and unlikely scenarios.

It is a good idea to use these and other tools to create your own national collapse map, listing all the nuclear targets found in the simulations, others thought of as at-risk by you, and other hazards that will crop up as a result of a nuclear war. A prime example of one of those “other” hazards would be the locations of nuclear power plants. Many will be damaged, either by the blasts themselves or by having critical cooling power disrupted during the event. And certainly afterward, should they be abandoned as people choose to flee for their lives, at some point these facilities will go into meltdown and be as catastrophic to their surroundings as a ground burst nuclear detonation would be. So, it is a good idea to cordon off an area on you map around all of these as well. I will be writing more about the idea of a National Collapse Map in a future article.

Necessary preps

The very best protections from a nuclear strike and the resulting fallout will always be distance, shelter, and time. All of your standard preparedness efforts should have you ready, but if you lack the distance you must be ready to ride out the effects in time while sheltered.

To that end, there are a few things you should have ready in any location you could be in when a nuclear detonation happens close by. Meaning your home or apartment in the city, your vehicle, and so forth. Let’s go over a few of the things that are nuclear-specific and not necessarily part of the standard preps most people will have. All the normal things still apply, such as having several weeks of food and water, power supplies, emergency radio, clothing, etc.

The first of those specific preps is a supply of potassium iodide tablets. Potassium iodide is a salt. When taken, it floods your body with iodine, preventing the thyroid gland from absorbing the radioactive form of iodine which will accompany the fallout from a nuclear event. Thus, these tablets will offer protection against getting thyroid cancer and other thyroid diseases due to radioactive fallout exposure. But remember, potassium iodide is not some kind of magic pill against the effects of radiation poisoning. It only protects your thyroid and will not protect the rest of your body from absorbing radiation and suffering the effects. This is merely one common form of radiation poisoning that we have an easy answer for, so while it is imperative that you have this supplement as part of your kit, it’s not Radaway. Don’t think that you can just “cure” radiation sickness with it and move through the fallout with impunity.

A Geiger counter is another essential tidbit to add to your nuclear survival kit. It allows you to measure radiation levels after a nuclear blast or accident, which will be helpful in detecting irradiated areas to avoid and knowing when it is safe to emerge from your shelter. A Geiger counter, also called a Geiger-Mueller tube or G-M counter is a device that can measure radiation particles, specifically, the kind of ionizing radiation that represents an immediate threat to living tissue. Make sure that you get a Geiger counter that can detect alpha radiation as well as beta and gamma. GQ makes some good devices, and my own favorites are the GQ GMC 500+ and GMC 600+ models. A bit pricey, but as they say, you get what you pay for. But always do your own research. Keep in mind things like the power supply. Is it rechargeable or does it need replacement batteries? Also remember to store your Geiger counter the same as other electronic devices, safe in Faraday cages protected from the electromagnetic pulse effects of a nuclear detonation.

Another important item to have is a full body HAZMAT suit with a full face respirator. Hazmat suits are—unfortunately—one of the most overlooked aspects of disaster preparation. These are not for protecting you from the gamma radiation of the explosion but can mean the difference between life or death if circumstances force you to go outside before the radiation from the fallout has come down in severity. Fires, structural damage, even having your desperate neighbors try to break in after they themselves are left stranded outside, any of these or dozens of other situations could occur, creating the potential for you to be exposed to radioactive fallout. Having full protective suits available for each member of you household will be important. The fallout itself only becomes truly dangerous when it gets on, or inside your body. And that is what a HAZMAT suit will prevent. Look for a suit that is ideal for CBRN civil defense applications, has a puncture resistant and durable, flexible material construction, and has been tested to military specifications. Mira Safety makes the line that I myself use, the MIRA Safety M HAZ-SUIT Protective CBRN HAZMAT Suit, and also the Full Face respirator from the same company. But as always you should do your own research and decide what is the best fit for you and your unique plan requirements.

Finally, one other thing you should have at any residence near a potential nuclear target zone is a sealing kit. This is something put together by you out of all sorts of items and materials. Heavy duty sections of plastic sheeting, glue and silicone sealant, and loads of good ol’ fashioned duct tape. The idea behind a sealing kit is to be able to secure your location against the insidious infiltration of radioactive fallout. Whether that comes from broken windows or leaky doorways, you want to have a collection of materials that can be used to seal up any and all possible ways that radioactive fallout could enter. Being able to spread a sheet of plastic over a broken window and secure it quickly is critical should there be a way for fallout to get into your secure area. And depending on how close to the blast you are, there will probably be quite a bit of breakage to things around you.

Here Comes The Boom

So, now you know about nuclear threats to your area, and you have prepared your residence as best as possible for the event. But what if you are out jogging or stuck at work landscaping some guy’s useless lawn when the warning goes out? What if there is no warning and the detonation happens while you are over at a friend’s unprepped home?

Let’s take a walk through some scenario information.

Distance is the first concern. Safe distances will depend on several factors such as the blast yield and the amount and type of blocking material between you and the bomb. Consider a ten-kiloton nuclear explosion. Within a quarter mile of that blast, the fireball will vaporize all organic matter (that’s you) instantly, all wooden-type structures will be incinerated, and glass will melt. Not much reason to worry about this distance since you won’t even know you were there.

However, at 1 mile out you will be able to survive such a blast. If you end up seeing a distant and extremely bright burst of light, turn away instantly, close your eyes, lay down on the ground, and cover your head. The flash of a nuclear blast is brighter than the sun, and it can cause temporary blindness if you are looking at it. It will emit a 10-million-degree blast of heat called a thermal pulse. Fires will ignite and buildings will be destroyed at this distance. The light flash and thermal pulse will travel extremely fast and hit you first. A short time later will come the pressure shock wave. Continue to lay on the ground covering your head, cover as much exposed skin as you can to prevent radiation burns, and keep your mouth open to prevent the shock wave from blowing out your eardrums and lungs. Get as low as you can, especially if there is any sort of ditch or ground depression near where you are. This shock wave will feel like a screaming freight train as it passes over you, and the last thing you want to risk is having it pick you up and toss you or slam you with airborne debris. Stay down until it passes.

At about 3 or so miles out from ground zero, the shock wave will take about 20 seconds to reach you after that initial blast of light and thermal radiation. If you happen to be driving at the time, stop immediately, get out, and get down low on the side of the road or whatever shelter is offered. There are usually drainage depressions beside the roads and highways, and this will be your best defense in that situation.

After the shock wave passes, you will probably have about 20 minutes before fallout starts raining down around you. This will vary greatly depending on a variety of factors, mostly wind and rain, but also the type of strike the detonation was, be it air or ground burst. As we have discussed, fallout is the powdered remains of buildings, soil, people, and everything else that was caught up in the explosion of the blast and then irradiated with the fissile material from the weapon itself. It is all sent upward and outward in the iconic mushroom cloud, into the atmosphere to eventually rain down. This very brief 20-minute window is crucial for finding the place where you are going to be spending the next few days at least sheltering in place. Remember that you and others around you will probably be experiencing several kinds of injuries after the blast. Commonly these will be burns, cuts and lacerations, broken bones, head wounds, and so forth. If you end up with any open wounds, cover them immediately and stop the bleeding.

Fallout can be washed off before it causes too much damage, but if it gets in an open wound, it will enter your bloodstream and that could be fatal. Remember, you only have 20 minutes to find shelter from the coming fallout. This is “Save Your Ass” time, so do not stay in the area and try to help all the wounded around you or you will make yourself vulnerable and ruin your own chances of survival. I realize this sounds harsh, and that’s because it is. From the moment the bomb detonated, your world just became a very harsh and unforgiving place, and you need to adapt the same or else it will destroy you.

You are the one responsible for your own life and the lives of your own family. Everyone and everything else comes secondary to that. Depending on the extent of the situation, ranging from a single terrorist attack to a full-scale nuclear war, help from the government and public services could be coming within hours or it might not be coming at all. Always assume the latter, and act accordingly. There is no help. As I have said before, you are the help.

When looking for a place to shelter after the shockwave of the blast, keep your situational awareness at a high level to avoid hazards like downed power lines, jagged and hot debris, buildings that are structurally unsound and on the verge of collapse, fires, and all the other dangers you can think of. Move quickly but stay aware, head on a swivel. Keep watch for items that may be of use to you in the immediate term, but do not go out of your way for them. The primary objective is shelter. Don’t bother trying for vehicles or cell phones, as most of these within a 3-mile radius of the blast could have been wiped by the EMP when the blast ionized the surrounding air. Pay specific attention to which direction the wind is blowing from the blast area and travel perpendicular to that. That wind is what will carry the fallout, and you want that direction to be away from your position, not towards it.

If you are in a residential area, remember that a normal wood-framed house will only stop about 30-60% of the fallout, but a well-sealed basement will block up to 90%. Try moving towards substantial concrete or metal buildings when searching for your shelter. When entering the place or structure that you are going to shelter in, remove the outer layers of your clothing that might have come in contact with the fallout. Use any water you have available to rinse off hair and exposed skin. As we have gone over, the fallout emits radiation in three types; alpha, beta, and gamma rays. Alpha and beta are very weak and mostly only dangerous when inhaled or on your exposed skin for a prolonged period of time. Gamma rays are the really deadly ones that travel through your flesh destroying cells and causing cancer. The only way to stop these gamma rays is shielding. You will need to try and put as much solid material between the fallout and your body. Try to get as deep as possible into the center and/or basement of whatever building you end up in to put as much shielding material between yourself and the source of radiation as you can. If there is no basement, instead you can go up as many floors as possible to put distance between yourself and the radiation that will land on the ground but remember to keep at least two floors above you as there will be radiation from fallout that settles on the roof. Use whatever materials that are around you, such as plastic garbage bags, tape, newspaper, or clothing, to seal off as many air gaps into your space as you can. Doorways, windows, even cracks in the walls. This is to prevent as much radioactive dust as possible from entering your shelter space. Within the room that you are sheltering, use whatever is available to line the walls, especially items like metal desks or heavy furniture. If there is something like a bathtub or refrigerator, you can use it to sleep in perhaps. Think outside the box, and remember you are trying to construct the strongest possible box you can around yourself from the invisible enemy of radiation.

It is a sad and undeniable fact that if you get exposed to radiation for too long you will develop radiation sickness or die. Radiation damages your body’s cells that normally divide to make more cells and keep you alive. When the cells become damaged some may no longer be able to divide properly, creating flawed cells and making you feel sick. If those cells take too much damage and cannot begin working properly and dividing normally, you will die. This can be a matter of hours, days, or even weeks.

The good news, if it can be called that, is that fallout loses 90% of its potency after about three days, so you need to be prepared to shelter in place for at least that long. Even if you get caught out in the open and have to duck into a building as we described above with no supplies, do not give in to the temptation to go outside. It may look safe, but it most certainly is not. This is why it is important to have enough water and food for that time, if you happen to be at home when the strike takes place. Outside of that, you will have to use whatever you have and not risk looking for more. This is another reason why having a small emergency kit in your vehicle is a good idea. When it is safe to leave your shelter, or as safe as you can allow it to become before dying anyway from thirst, remember to cover up any exposed skin you can, and wear a cloth over your nose and mouth, or whatever mask you can improvise to prevent inhalation. This is the time to implement your bug-out plan or make your way quickly and safely back home unless that home was in the blast area.

The general consensus is that it is incredibly unlikely that you will have to make use of this information, and hopefully you won’t. But prepping is all about being ready for the unlikely, and it will be good if you have absorbed a few lessons from this information that may save your life. Probably one of the most enlightening pieces of information is that, provided the fireball didn’t kill you, you do have about a 20-minute window after the initial blast event before the really scary stuff starts raining down around you. That is more warning than you will get with other common disasters such as earthquakes or tornadoes. Plan for it and use it wisely.

Conclusion

In a world growing more overpopulated and more politically unstable by the minute, the existential threat of nuclear war increases with every passing day. Russia and NATO are at each other’s throats, China is getting close to dropping the hammer on Taiwan, Iran is announcing that they have the capability to build a nuke finally, Israel has invaded Gaza with the clearly stated goal of eliminating Hamas, and North Korea is due to run another nuclear test any day. With each escalation in war, or every new international crisis, humanity takes another gamble. Resources are becoming scarce, food and energy are in short supply, and world leaders are starting to realize the truth that there simply will not be enough for everyone soon. And they all want to be in the surviving portion of humanity. And so, they will gamble. Actions that were once seen as drastic, such as invasions and embargoes, are slowly becoming more expedient and perceived as necessary. But one day those dice are going to come up with the wrong number. And then one of the scenarios that I outline in this book will come true. Or, perhaps, even something far worse.

While the world does remain generally conscious of this danger, most are unaware of just how easy it is to become locked into a series of escalatory events that lead to our doom. Such as what we are seeing right now with the moves by NATO, China, and Russia. The prevailing attitude among normal people is that nuclear war is an irrational impossibility that would never be allowed to happen or a risk that somehow faded away when the Cold War ended in the demise of the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, in reality, the danger continues to build. Humanity is standing at a cliff edge and either denies it or doesn’t even know it. And that inevitably will end in disaster.

You need to be ready for it. Because it is coming. The media won’t say that, and for sure the government will stay silent on it to maintain public order for as long as possible, so you have to use your own mind to find the truth in the tea leaves of whatever information is available. And you have to act on that information.

No one is going to help you. You are the help.

And so, I have tried to go over as much information as I can in this limited form, hopefully enough to at least make the basics clear and helpful. For those with enough presence of mind to take these threats seriously, I recommend one book above all others. Nuclear War Survival Skills. The newly updated one, of course. Make sure it says “2022” on the cover. The original 1987 one is great, but you want the newest material. What information I have presented here in brief, this work expands upon at length. This is your Bible for nuclear war preparedness.