Opinions Please: Any good web sites on Nuclear survival and building nuclear shelters?

June 4, 2003 | tame

[tame]

I'm not an alarmist, but let's face it: We live in a far more dangerous world since 9/11. The possibility of a rogue Nuclear strike is a real possibility, and I for one don't want to be unprepared. So, I ask you for your advice: What are the most reputable "nuclear shelter/survival" web sites? What are the least reputable websites? What area of our country is least vulnerable to a strike? What are some tips you would give for basic survival in such a situation.

If you are an engineer, scientist, etc., please feel free to post your information.

Freepers are a knowledgeable bunch, and we can all benefit for your insights.

[tame]

Have you come across some great info/web sites regarding nuclear survival?

[tame]

I figured you might know something about this???

[SAMWolf]

<===Mash This

[tame]

Thanks fot the link. Yes, it still could happen--especially now!

[Poohbah]

What area of our country is least vulnerable to a strike?

That is a very difficult question to answer, because you have to answer another question: what is the intent of the attacker? Is it a classic large-scale Cold War counterforce laydown? If so, the danger areas are: the Federal Arc (Washington DC and immediate environs); Cheyenne Mountain and points downwind (NORAD's Combat Operations Center); areas immediately around heavy bomber bases, ICBM silos, and Offutt AFB (STRATCOM combat assets); Bangor, WA and Kings Bay, GA (SSBN bases); areas downwind of ICBM silos (fallout from high-kilontonnage surface bursts); et cetera.

If you're worried about a terrorist nuke, the most dangerous areas are high-density population areas and points immediately downwind of them (a terrorist nuke is likely to be low-to-medium yield, but it is likely to be a surface burst, which implies lots of fallout).

So the danger areas you will worry about will vary with the type of threat you think is most likely.

As for how to survive the immediate consequences of a NUDET...try not to be near the blast hypocenter, for starters. Avoiding the blast and thermal pulse is much easier than resisting them with brute force.

Fallout is a worry in terrorist attacks; the main thing you would need if you're not near a likely blast hypocenter is the ability to stay alive without outside air, water, or food for two-three weeks, until the count dies down to an acceptable level--and then you need to vacate the fallout zone promptly.

[tame]

Hopefully flurry will show up.

[tame]

Do you have some books/web sites to recommend regarding homemade nuclear shelters (best ways to purify air/water, best long lasting non perishable foods, materials for building walls, info regarding radios, power sources, etc.)?

[tame]

Hank, do you have a lot of knowledge in this area and can you ping a list of people who would know?

[Poohbah]

Do you have some books/web sites to recommend regarding homemade nuclear shelters (best ways to purify air/water, best long lasting non perishable foods, materials for building walls, info regarding radios, power sources, etc.)?

No, I don't.

Just out of curiousity, which of the two scenarios I outlined do you find more immediately threatening? Do you live in a region that would be directly affected by the scenario you deem most likely to happen?

[tame]

I'd like to know the best ways to purify air/water, best long lasting non-perishable foods, materials for building walls, info regarding radios, power sources, etc.

What materials and plans are best to build walls that could resist radio activity, etc.?

Are there any radios, power sources that would work well in communications from such a shelter?

[Poohbah]

However, withn radiation, you have two problems: neutrons are best reduced by low-density materials (styrofoam, paraffin, wax), but gammas are best reduced by dense materials such as lead. Your radiation shelter would need to be completely surrounded by layers of both kinds of material if you're going to survive in an extremely hot area.

[tame]

I fear most a terrorist threat, and I'm in an area largely populated.

[freedumb2003]

This is sort of a how-to guide:

[Michael Barnes]

backhoe has some great links...

[tame]

I loved that movie ;o)

[Poohbah]

OK, you need to take account of the prevailing winds in your area, and how far you are from the center of gravity of population for your area.

Are you directly or nearly directly downwind of the where most of the people are?

Are you within or extremely close to the likely blast or fireball radius? Be advised that if the answer to this question is "yes," the only advice I can give you is "move elsewhere." You can't afford to make a shelter hardened against close blast/thermal effects unless you're a large government.

Look up the High Energy Weapons Archive on the Internet. They have an Excel spreadsheet and a couple of MS-DOS programs that let you do some nuclear weapons effects modeling.

[cherry_bomb88]

just the www.ready.gov

[cherry_bomb88]

hmmmmmmmmmmmmm ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME????? lol

WWW.READY.GOV