You may not be able to afford our kits, but our advice is free:
In a Nuclear Blast,
" . . . close windows and doors, turn off air conditioners, heaters or other ventilation systems. Stay where you are, watch TV, listen to the radio, or check the Internet for official news . . . "In a Flood
Listen to the radio or television for information . . . If you have time, bring in outdoor furniture . . . Disconnect electrical appliances. Do not touch electrical equipment if you are wet or standing in water.In a Hurricane
Moor your boat if time permits . . . [and then] . . . lie on the floor under a table or another sturdy object.Every day in September there's a "Tip of the Day." Today's tip says
. . . remember to practice your tornado, fire escape or other disaster plans.With thanks to David Isenberg, who didn't make this up.
25,000 body bags were ordered by 8 Sept, as the floodwaters of 29 August receded.
The silly warnings above from a 2005 Dept of Homeland Security Webpage were taken down long ago in response to withering criticism. New Orlean's slow-motion catastrophe that very same month made the flood and hurricane warnings all the more ludicrous (Katrina's landfall was 29Aug2005). Nevertheless, the silly advice is repeated straight-faced on civic, local and state government pages all over the country today. The information is all but useless; its value is to create the illusion of doing something. Like some of what we do at airports, it is security theater for the masses.
Here is the full nuclear blast advice from our nation's Department of Homeland Security, followed by a nuclear blast description that is grounded in reality.
Department of Homeland Security, September, 2005, on the now-defunct page,
http://www.ready.gov/nuclear.html
If there is advanced warning of an attack: Take cover immediately, as far below ground as possible, though any shield or shelter will help protect you from the immediate effects of the blast and the pressure wave.
If there is no warning: Quickly assess the situation.
Consider if you can get out of the area or if it would be better to go inside a building to limit the amount of radioactive material you are exposed to.
If you take shelter go as far below ground as possible, close windows and doors, turn off air conditioners, heaters or other ventilation systems. Stay where you are, watch TV, listen to the radio, or check the Internet for official news as it becomes available.
To limit the amount of radiation you are exposed to, think about shielding, distance and time.
- Shielding: If you have a thick shield between yourself and the radioactive materials more of the radiation will be absorbed, and you will be exposed to less.
- Distance: The farther away you are away from the blast and the fallout the lower your exposure.
- Time: Minimizing time spent exposed will also reduce your risk.
Use available information to assess the situation. If there is a significant radiation threat, health care authorities may or may not advise you to take potassium iodide. Potassium iodide is the same stuff added to your table salt to make it iodized. It may or may not protect your thyroid gland, which is particularly vulnerable, from radioactive iodine exposure. Plan to speak with your health care provider in advance about what makes sense for your family.
--end
Robert S. McNamara, Foreign Policy magazine, 5 May 2005
Robert S. McNamara was U.S. secretary of defense from 1961 to 1968 and president
of the World Bank from 1968 to 1981.
The
destructive power of nuclear weapons is well known, but given the
United States’ continued reliance on them, it’s worth remembering the
danger they present. A 2000 report by the International Physicians for
the Prevention of Nuclear War describes the likely effects of a single 1
megaton weapon—dozens of which are contained in the Russian and U.S.
inventories. At ground zero, the explosion creates a crater 300 feet
deep and 1,200 feet in diameter. Within one second, the atmosphere
itself ignites into a fireball more than a half-mile in diameter. The
surface of the fireball radiates nearly three times the light and heat
of a comparable area of the surface of the sun, extinguishing in seconds
all life below and radiating outward at the speed of light, causing
instantaneous severe burns to people within one to three miles. A blast
wave of compressed air reaches a distance of three miles in about 12
seconds, flattening factories and commercial buildings. Debris carried
by winds of 250 mph inflicts lethal injuries throughout the area. At
least 50 percent of people in the area die immediately, prior to any
injuries from radiation or the developing firestorm.
Source: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=2829
Rev 13Aug2011 better links