For starters I seriously hope that you are never going to need anything
in this node, or at least if you ever do need to you don't try and read it
after an attack, accident or incident. No matter the terminology used to
describe an exposure or detonation, it is no joke. The guidelines set
out here are only meant to assist an individual or group of individuals
during and immediately after the unthinkable becoming a reality.
CAUTION: Protection from radiation depends on time of exposure,
distance from source and shielding at the time of exposure. All of what
is below assumes that the individual(s) in question survive the first 96-120
hours following an attack or accident.
-Things to consider during a major emergency:
DO NOT PANIC: You are in a situation that you cannot control. Losing
control of the faculties you do have will possibly cause you to die.
USE YOUR RESOURCES: There is a way to survive; however it will take a
considerable amount of effort on your part to achieve that. You may be
required to do very unpleasant things in order to survive.
DO NOT BE STUPID: Think before you act. Becoming irrational or
losing focus in a given situation will accomplish nothing other than opening
yourself up to conditions that may lead to either serious injury or death.
YOU ARE NOT GOING TO DIE: If you have the will to survive then you
probably will. If you consign yourself to death, then you are going to die.
If you have made it to the second week, it is a fairly good bet that you are
indeed going to survive, barring some unforeseen calamity.
THINGS ARE DIFFERENT: Do not sit around and whine about everyone and
everything being gone. If anything all this will accomplish is severe
demoralization. This is the last thing you need at this point.
THIS IS NOT A RELIGIOUS EVENT: If the somewhat unlikely was to occur
and The Lord(tm) has arrived on the planet, you'd know it. Be rational. By
all means continue to nurture your spiritual or religious life, do not allow
it to affect every decision made.
Blast or Notification of Major Exposure
a. FIND PROTECTIVE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.
-FIVE MINUTES EXPOSURE AT A MAXIMUM.
-DO NOT LOOK AT THE BLAST.
-DO NOT REMAIN OUTSIDE.
b. Gather any protective equipment or survival items you may
need. Think immediate survival; do not gather up such items as photo
albums, jewelry, pets or anything else that does not contribute to your
living past the next five minutes.
c. Improvised Shelter:
-Freeway drain culvert.
-Large abandoned stone or brick buildings. Preferably in a
basement, large underground parking structures in major urban centers are to
be used warily. The buildings above may collapse at a later date if
incident is a premeditated attack. If problem is a large-scale accident
then such structures are ideal for shelter. It would benefit you, (if you
are in an area that is near a large nuclear facility such as a plutonium
processing facility or major nuclear reactor it would not hurt to locate
such a place prior to an actual need.)
-Cave or tunnel covered with three or more feet of soil or dirt.
-Foxhole at least 4 feet deep. (Remove topsoil within two foot
radius of foxhole lip.
d. Radiation Shielding Efficiencies:
-One thickness, (i.e. listed measurement is considered a single
thickness,) reduces radiation exposure by ½. Every additional thickness
beyond that reduces the exposure by ½ as well.
-Use these while determining the effectiveness of a given shelter.
Iron/Steel: .7 inches
Brick: 2.0 inches
Concrete: 2.2 inches
Earth: 3.3 inches
Cinderblock: 5.3 inches
Ice: 6.8 inches
Wood (Soft): 8.8 inches Note: Assume all wood is soft.
Snow: 20.3 inches
e. Shelter Survival:
-Keep contaminated materials out of the shelter. In the event of
good weather bury contaminated clothing outside of the shelter and recover
later. If weather is bad then shake clothing strongly or beat with
branches. DO NOT WRING OUT.
f. Personal Hygiene:
-Wash entire body with soap and copious quantities of any available
water. Pay particular attention to fingernails and hairy areas of the body.
-If no water is available wipe all exposed skin surfaces with a
clean cloth or uncontaminated soil.
-If conditions are dusty or fallout is still active: be sure to keep
the entire body covered. Use appropriate respiratory protection or at a
minimum keep a heavy cloth over the nose and mouth, be sure to wear goggles
at all times. DO NOT SMOKE in a fallout affected area at any time.
g. Daily Radiation Time Table (Assuming no other equipment or
notification.)
1-3 days: complete isolation. (30 minutes on third day allowable
for acquisition of drinking water.)
4-7 days: Brief exposure. (30 minutes maximum.)
9-12 days: Brief exposure (1 hour per day.)
12-15 days: Light exposure (2-4 hours per day.)
15+ days: Moderate to normal exposure, dependant on scale of initial
incident.