It’s easy to prepare for a specific
disaster and then forget about it. Whether it’s an economic collapse, power
grid failure, or nuclear attack, gathering supplies just isn’t enough. There
are a spiderweb of choices to be made after each event, and this article will
focus on options you may not have thought of yet, if a nuclear strike were to
happen. Aside from knowing the foundations to nuclear survival, there are other
important topics, such as owning protective suits, location decisions, and
community goals. As with most survival situations, nuclear survival is a system
of Q/A– questions and action. Here are some of the questions to ask yourself:
- Should I get disposable or non-disposable radiation protection suits?
- How many suits do I need?
- Do I stay where I’m at, or do I leave during a disaster?
- What am I going to do with waste if the plumbing doesn’t work?
- Who in my community can I truly count on?
- Why is bugging-out not always the best option?
Before diving into specific
scenarios and trying to figure out everything you need, it’s important to know
the basics of nuclear survival. There are endless calculations that go into a
nuclear explosion, but there are three basic parts to recap:
- The Blast: This includes size, burn effects, and the area is immediately affected
- The Shock: This includes EMP, wind/shockwave, and social structure damage
- The Fallout: The gamma rays and irradiated dust that travel all over the place
***To give you a better idea of how
a nuclear bomb would affect your area, you can use Alex Wellerstein’s
NUKEMAP.***
Another foundation to nuclear
survival is having a plan but not just any plan– a very specific plan. It’s
easy to say, “We’ll just go to the desert or forest and bug out”, but how is
that going to be executed? What are the specific steps of action you would have
to take to get there?
Survival, in a nuclear conflict,
should never be approached with a mind focused on the short term. Knowing what
you are going to do after everything you’ve planned for has happened is
important. For example, if my family and I make it out to the forest to our
super secret bug-out spot and survive for a month or two, then what? What
happens when the food runs out, ammo runs out, or fallout is carried to our position
via atmospheric travel. Not all of us have a nuclear bunker to run to, but even
if we did would we be able to survive the psychological pressures of living
underground for so long? These are all things to consider.
The last foundation for nuclear survival
is having a backup for everything, just like you would on your computer. If one
of your suits gets torn or the road you picked is blocked, having a backup can
save you from a lethal situation. Some people even like to have backups for
their backups, and that is not such a bad idea!
Deciding what type of radiation
protection suit to get for your nuclear survival kit is one of the most
important steps towards preparedness. Should I get disposable or non-disposable
suits? The important word there is “suits” (in the plural tense), as every
person should have at least two of any kind of suit.
Choosing which type is something
each person must decide for themselves, but here is a list of fundamental pros
and cons to help when making a decision:
Disposable Pros:
- Can be disposed of instead of extensive decontamination
- Cheaper price -Will stop fallout dust, alpha, and beta particles
Disposable Cons:
Non-Disposable Pros:
Non-Disposable Cons:
Another point to consider, when
buying a suit, is how will I eat, drink, and go to the bathroom during extended
periods of time within the suit? Even with a good mask that allows you to
eat/drink, how can you do that without exposing the edibles. The real answer
depends on the scenario and what you are up against. If it’s just fallout, then
a basic suit will suffice and eating, drinking, and relieving yourself could be
done under thick cover. If it’s lots of gamma radiation, then advanced suits,
complete decontamination, and an extremely thick shelter are the only way to
complete those tasks safely. Some protection is better than no protection in
any scenario, and knowing how to use the gear you’ve purchased is vital.
Have I practiced breathing and
working in my mask? How long do my filters last? Do I have enough? Taking the
time to practice using and fully assessing the items we have can prevent a load
of problems created by panic during a disaster.
Do I stay where I’m at or leave
during a disaster? This is one of the biggest choices to be made, and the
answer varies widely depending on your current location. Here are a few things
to consider when making the choice to hunker down or high-tail it:
This will be the toughest area to
make a choice, but at one point or another a decision to leave must be made. As
we know, traffic will be at a standstill, panic will set in quickly, looters
will take advantage of the chaos, and police will have hard time controlling
anything. This is one scenario where staying put may be the best idea in the
short term. This will give the city time to quiet down after the initial shock
and potentially clear out some roads. Staying for too long could be a very bad
choice, because over time gangs will form and looters will move from commercial
stores to residential areas. Supplies are the driving force behind survival in
a nuclear disaster, and cities are going to run out the fastest. For those
living in the city, having a remote location to get to is the best goal. Here
are the pros and cons of being in a city during this type of disaster:
City Pros:
- They will be the first places where order is established, if the government still remains
- Ethnic, religious, and family groups will band together faster
- Cities will be targeted first for supplies and recovery, if order can be created again
City Cons:
- There is not a strong sense of community
- High population meaning more looters, chaos, and congestion
- Pre-established gangs can quickly take advantage of the situation
City Final Thoughts:
- Plan to leave 1-3 weeks after an attack, when streets are clear
- Have many pre-planned routes out of the city to avoid major roads and highways
- Community is extremely important here, so band together with neighbors
- Have a destination goal with supplies pre-planted for your mid- to long-term survival
The suburbs are where most of us
will be during a nuclear strike, and it’s better than being in the city.
Supplies will dwindle slower, but that doesn’t mean it’s a great choice to stay
for long. Once a city is ravaged, the suburbs will be the next staging area for
crime, wanderers, and the search for supplies. Here are some points to consider
about a suburb after a nuclear attack:
Suburb Pros:
- Less congestion, which means more mobility and time to react
- There are established communities
- It won’t be the first priority for looting, until cities are empty
Suburb Cons:
- Generally located very close to cities
- Long-term survival is not an option here, due to lack of supplies
- Infrastructure will not be repaired until the nearby cities are under control
Suburb Final Thoughts:
- Leave immediately or when supplies get low, but don’t stay for more than 2 months
- Will you be able to handle neighbors requesting supplies and help?
- A weapon is essential for survival in an area longer than a couple weeks
This is where everyone wants to be
during a disaster, and in the end most people will end up here. Once cities and
suburbs have run their course, people will move further away and into rural
areas. Even though these small towns are great for short- to mid-term survival,
it’s got a share of problems, too. Here are some pros and cons when considering
a rural town during a disaster:
Rural Town Pros:
- Less likely to be targeted, due to there not being a large population or military bases
- Lots of reaction time and preparation for mid- to long-term survival
- Community can quickly come together from it’s established social connections
Rural Town Cons:
- Will be the last place to receive aid from outside sources
- Will attract gangs or looters who can outnumber or outgun a small town
- Must be self-sustaining or it will quickly disperse and collapse on itself
Rural Town Final Thoughts:
- This could be a great place to stay long term, as long as the community is strong
- Community defense and supplies are crucial to maintaining infrastructure
- Taking in wanderers and/or turning them away will be an important town decision
Lastly, one of the most crucial
things to consider when planning for a nuclear strike is what type of community
you will be a part of. Will you be a lone ranger? Will you have a small group
(3-25 people)? Or will you even be a part of a town’s group (25+ people)? Each
has a list of pros and cons that must be weighed, while also recognizing that a
person’s community is greatly affected by their location.
Going Solo Pros:
- Only responsible for yourself
- Easier to remain hidden
- Moving locations is quicker and easier
- Decisions can be made much faster
Going Solo Cons:
- An easy target, if found by any bad group
- Doing things with one person is harder than doing it with five
- It’s proven to be a mental and psychological challenge
Small Group Pros:
- Bonds and trust are held together better than in a large group
- Defense and concealment from other groups is possible
- Jobs can be diversified
- There is a larger skill pallet
Small Group Cons:
- Can quickly be snuffed out by a larger group
- Will have a hard time making decisions, if someone isn’t the “final say”
- If someone gets sick or hurt, it will affect the entire group much more than a larger one
Large Group Pros:
- An even bigger skill pool to work with
- Can split to cover more area and create a formidable defense
- Will be the first to establish long-term survival communities
Large Group Cons:
- Making group decisions is not an easy process, unless everyone’s goals are aligned
- “Compromise” is a word everyone in a larger group must know well
- It’s much more susceptible to conflict, which can lead to the collapse of a community
Every person is a part of a
community in one way or another and when something like a nuclear attack
happens, it will either strengthen the community or erase it completely, due to
dispersement. Planning and communicating with your community beforehand about
what actions will be taken after a disaster is extremely important. Obviously,
this is not possible 100% of the time, because not everyone has a community of
like-minded people. In this case, it might be best to go solo during a
disaster, in an attempt to join a small/large group by providing value.
This guide is not meant to be an
all-inclusive step-by-step handbook to any survival situation, but rather it’s
here to spark ideas and put people in the right mindset when thinking of
preparedness. Asking a question like “where are we going to put the waste” is
important, because it’s not something we would normally think about. Having a
long term and specific approach to nuclear preparedness will increase chances
of survival and put you 1,000 steps ahead of the average person. Asking the
right questions and taking the appropriate actions are essential to nuclear
survival. Take the time to sit down and evaluate your plan, while going through
every possible scenario to not only give you a physical preparedness advantage
but also a mental one.
From the Survival Blog
No comments:
Post a Comment