Practical Strategies for Long-Term Survival
Chapter Fifty-Nine
A Practical Discussion about
Nuclear Fallout, Radiation, and Geiger Counters
Copyright © January 7, 2025 by Robert Wayne Atkins, P.E.
All Rights Reserved.
Chapter Fifty-Nine in my book Practical Strategies for Long-Term Survival contains twelve pages of practical useful information on how to survive a nuclear war.
However, only four pages of that information is included in the following brief summary article.
If the following brief summary contains information that you believe is of practical value then perhaps you should consider purchasing the book from which the following information was extracted.
Introduction to Nuclear Weapons
Most Hollywood movies that are based on the exchange of nuclear bombs between nations realistically show the devastation of a nuclear bomb at ground zero. And they also realistically show the destruction caused by the blast wave that travels outwards for many miles away from ground zero.
However, these Hollywood movies then show most of the people within a thousand miles of ground zero dying within one year due to radiation poisoning. Therefore many people have decided that they are not going to do anything to survive the detonation of a nuclear bomb because they falsely believe that they are going to die in the first blast or they will die from radiation poisoning in just a few days.
The truth is that most people in many countries around the world have received some basic education on how to survive until the nuclear fallout gradual burns itself out. Therefore there will be lots and lots of people who do not die due to radiation sickness (and who were not at ground zero or close to ground zero). On the other hand, many people will die due to starvation, or from drinking polluted water, or from exposure to the weather, or from being murdered by other people. The reason they will die is because they decided they would not make any realistic preparations to survive the types of problems that will begin after the nuclear fallout has burned itself out.
Basic Definitions
- Nuclear Explosion or Event: This includes the detonation of a nuclear bomb or the meltdown of a nuclear power generating facility. An explosion will produce an intense bright flash of light at ground zero, a shock wave that will radiate out in every direction, and it will send tiny nuclear particles into the upper atmosphere.
- Nuclear Fallout: Very small radioactive particles will gradually descend from the upper atmosphere down to the ground over a distance of many miles away from ground zero, and over a period of many days. Fallout usually looks like gray sand or ash.
- Nuclear Radiation: It is the invisible energy that emits outward in every direction from a radioactive particle. Radiation is harmful to living organisms (people, animals, birds, fish, vegetation, bacteria, and viruses) and radiation can contaminate food and water if it gets onto or into the food or water. However, it is not harmful to things that are not alive such as a rock or some dirt or a piece of wood or to canned food or bottled water. However, fallout may have settled on the outside of a can or bottle that contains food or water and the outside of the container should be wiped clean before you open it. If you can avoid most of the radiation then you can avoid the short-term and the long-term health problems caused by that radiation.
How to Survive World War III
This chapter will discuss the following major topics:
- What to do immediately if you are not at ground zero but you can see the mushroom cloud from your location, or you hear the news about the explosion on your radio, cell phone, or television.
- A reasonable way to protect your family and keep them safe from the nuclear fallout that may eventually reach your area.
- The things you should consider doing when it is safe to venture outdoors and make contact with other survivors.
- Practical things you should do before a nuclear explosion to increase the chances of the long-term survival of your family.
The Blast and the Mushroom Cloud
A ground level nuclear explosion will create an intense blinding light, a huge crater in the ground, extreme heat that will result in many fires, one or two significant shock waves that will last from a few seconds to a few minutes, and a mushroom cloud that will be filled with nuclear radiation and debris.
If you look directly at the blast it will probably blind you. The damage would be worse than staring directly at the sun.
The explosion will push radioactive nuclear particles into the upper atmosphere where they will travel for many miles. The radioactive particles will begin to fall to the ground in a few minutes just a few miles from the blast, and in a few hours, days, and weeks in areas that are hundreds or more miles away. However, most of the fallout will fall onto the ground in the area near the blast, and approximately 80% of all the fallout will reach the ground within 24 hours. The fallout will look like gray sand or ash and it will emit harmful radiation that cannot be seen, felt, smelled, or tasted. The radioactive particles will gradually decay and burn themselves out.
The area within a three mile radius around the center of ground zero will probably be completely destroyed. The blast wave and the heat from the explosion will cause significant damage for about seven miles outwards from ground zero in every direction. At a distance of seven miles people could get first-degree burns if they are exposed to the heat of the blast. Radioactive fallout will be the heaviest at a distance of 10 to 20 miles from ground zero depending on a variety of factors.
If a bomb explodes in the air at a reasonable distance above the ground then it will create an electromagnetic pulse (EMP). An EMP weapon has a different design than a nuclear bomb. There will be no “ground zero explosion” and there will be no “mushroom cloud” and there will probably be minimal “nuclear fallout.” An EMP will be a significant flash of light (much brighter than lightning) and it will result in a burst of energy that will travel through the air in a “U” shape away from the blast and most of the damage will be east, south, and west for many miles in the northern hemisphere. As the EMP makes contact with power lines on the ground then it will destroy the electrical circuits inside almost everything that is plugged into an electrical outlet. However, cell phones, battery-operated radios, and cars will probably not be impacted. People who are outdoors and who are below the blast high up in the sky may receive some damage to their bodies.
If you see an extremely bright flash of light then you should not turn towards the flash of light to see what it is. If you are outdoors then you will only have a few seconds and you should immediately lower yourself to a safe place on the ground and lie down flat on your stomach with your face towards the ground and with the palms of your hands firmly pressed against your ears. Close your eyes. Then start counting silently to yourself as follows: 1 second, 2 seconds, 3 seconds, and continue until you get to 500 seconds, or until two blast waves have passed above your body. The blast wave, or waves, will usually arrive within 30 seconds or less but you should remain flat on the ground until you no longer hear the sound of objects falling to the ground. It may take a few minutes for the damaged buildings to finish falling to the ground. More people are injured and killed by airborne objects, and by small pieces of glass when windows are violently shattered, and by falling objects, than by the shock waves of the blast. If you are lying on your stomach facing the ground then there is a good chance that all, or most, of the deadly objects will pass through the air above your body.
If you are driving then pull over to the side of the road and stop. Close all the windows to keep potential fallout from getting on your clothes, body, and hair. Turn off the engine. Bend over and lower your body so that your body is below the level of the windows and facing the seat or floor of the vehicle. If possible, put something above your head and body to protect your body from possible glass fragments if your car windows shatter. Close your eyes and put the palms of your hands over your ears.
After the shock wave has passed, immediately put on some type of breathing mask or tie a piece of cloth over you mouth and nose to minimize the inhalation of harmful stuff. If the cell phone towers are still working, then you may be able send text messages to the people you care about to let them know your location and that you are okay.
Nuclear Fallout
Nuclear fallout contains weaker gamma radiation than the original gamma radiation at ground zero. For example, at ground zero the radiation may emit 1000 Rads per hour. But by the time the radiation reaches your area the fallout may only emit 10 Rads per hour.
The "seven-ten rule" says that in seven hours the radiation will decrease to 1/10 of its original strength. In 49 hours (7x7 or 2 days) the radiation will decrease to 1/100 of its original strength. This includes particles that are still airborne and particles that have already fallen to the ground. Therefore if you can remain inside a safe area for 2 days after a blast then you will have avoided 99% of the radiation and you will have significantly increased your chances of long-term survival. This does not mean it is safe to go outdoors. It just means that the worst part is over. After 343 hours (7x7x7 or 14 days) the radiation will have decreased to 1/1000 of its original strength. Therefore, if possible, your family should remain indoors for at least 2 weeks to avoid long-term radiation damage to your bodies.
Although most of the original airborne radiation will expire in 2 weeks, some of that radiation will continue for 3 to 5 weeks depending on the type of bomb that exploded. And the area close to ground zero will be contaminated for 20 to 30 years or more because the majority of the deadly radiation will be concentrated at that location.
Concentration of Fallout
The concentration of fallout in your area is more important than the rate at which the fallout will decay. There are five factors that will impact the amount of fallout that will descend on your area:
- Distance From Ground Zero: Areas that are closer to ground zero will probably receive more radioactive fallout compared to areas that are further away from ground zero.
- Direction of the Wind Away From Ground Zero: A nuclear explosion may or may not disrupt the normal wind patterns in the area of the blast. Therefore it will be important to determine the actual direction of the wind immediately after a blast, and the actual direction of the wind for at least seven days after a blast. For example, if the wind blows due south away from the blast for one day, and then the wind blows due west for three days, then areas that are southwest of the blast will receive the majority of the fallout. Areas to the north and east will receive minimal or no fallout during this four day time period. However, the direction of the wind could change at any time.
- Speed of the Wind Away From Ground Zero: The speed of the wind will determine how far the fallout will travel before it makes landfall. If the wind is blowing at a speed of 5 miles per hour, then the fallout could travel about 120 miles in one day. If the wind is blowing at 20 miles per hour, then the fallout could travel about 480 miles in one day.
- The Topology of the Land: If the land is relatively flat in the direction that the wind is blowing towards, then the fallout will be able to travel further and the fallout will descend at a steady rate as it travels. But if the land is mountainous then the air currents in that area will cause unpredictable amounts of fallout to descend in various places.
- The Amount of Rain: If the weather is dry and there is no rain then the fallout will be able to travel a long ways. However, if it rains in an area through which the fallout is passing, then the rain will carry a lot of the fallout down to the ground in that area. And a lot less fallout will travel to areas beyond the area that received the rain. The rainwater will be contaminated with the fallout and it will not be safe to drink or to use in any way. Boiling the rainwater, or adding chemicals to the rainwater, will not remove or neutralize the radioactive particles and the rainwater will still be deadly. Pets and animals and birds that drink that rainwater (stream or pond) will die an agonizing death. Their bodies will not be safe to eat. Fish in ponds, lakes, and rivers will die and their bodies will float to the surface and they will not be safe to eat. The radiation in the rivers will flow into the sea or ocean and result in an ecological disaster.
The above factors are not factors that can be known until after a blast has occurred. Therefore a family should have some way to remain informed about what is happening to the fallout during the two-week period after an explosion. If you have a battery-operated radio or cell phone that works, then you may be able to get periodic updates on what is happening to the fallout in relation to the area where you live, such as how the average radiation level in your area is changing. For example, is the radiation stable at pre-blast levels, or is the radiation gradually increasing each day, or has there been a sudden and significant spike in the amount of radiation to an extremely dangerous level?
End of Summary
This concludes the very brief summary of some of the information in chapter fifty-nine of my book. Chapter fifty-nine includes an additional eight pages of detailed practical information on how a family can survive a nuclear war. If you are interested in reading that information, plus a lot of other very useful information, then please click on Practical Strategies for Long-Term Survival.
Grandpappy's e-mail address is: RobertWayneAtkins@hotmail.com