This is a scary potential event that has been around since August 6, 1945 when the first atomic bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
Atomic bombs and nuclear bombs are two completely different things, but we kind of lump them together in our minds because of the amount of devastation and the appearance of the blast.
I grew up in the nuclear age at the tail end of the Cold War, and I remember all the realistic movies about nuclear holocaust and the fear that the Soviets were going to nuke America at any moment.
It’s not like that anymore.
It’s worse.
- Nine countries (that we know of) have nuclear weapons.
- The US admits that there are six nuclear bombs unaccounted for in our own arsenals.
- No one knows how many nukes and backpack nukes went missing over the past few decades from the Soviet Union now Russia.
- Backpack and suitcase nukes are a real thing.
- Dirty bombs are just as bad and can be created by terrorists and small nation-states.
I’m not saying all that just to scare you. What I want is to make you aware that a nuclear explosion or nuclear fallout are something that you actually do still need to prepare for.
You don’t need to dig a bomb shelter in your backyard like in the 1950s (unless you want to), but you do need to understand that a nuclear event is a likelihood, especially in large cities or target areas.
As in all things, you prepare for you and your family. Don’t trust that the government can protect you completely from this. After all, it was that same government that lost half a dozen nuclear bombs that they still can’t find.
Here’s some tips on what you can do to be ready, and there’s a lot more on the one page round-up that you can download.
Nuclear Fallout Preparation Checklist
1. Use your emergency radio to find disaster relief stations in your area and also monitor news on weather conditions and water safety.
Tenergy Multifunction Emergency Radio
2. The middle of the home is the safest place to be during a radioactive fallout event. Plan accordingly. Have enough supplies, food, water, extra clothing, bedding for each member of your family easily accessible and available.
If you’ve been through my online Bug Out Bag course, this should all be readily accessible. Just bring all your Bug Out Bags to the safe area.
3. Have items on hand in a box to secure areas where fallout could enter the house or your safe room, such as duct tape and sheets of plastic to cover vents, windows, and doors.
4. Flashlights with extra batteries, because there is a good chance electric service will be out.
I still recommend a supply of Maglite flashlights. Small, economical, and uses AA batteries.
5. Ready to eat food.
Mountain House meals are great for this. Just add water. They taste better if you heat them, but you don’t have to.
6. Remember pets and their food. If they use canned food, remember a can opener.
7. Stored water with filtration. Filter any water you consume. Tap water and any outside water sources should be treated as contaminated until authorities say otherwise.
A Sawyer Mini should be in each one of your Get Home Bags.
8. The same goes for wood and any fruits and vegetables outside. They are also contaminated.
9. Towels, for hygiene and to dry off after decontamination. Towels used to dry off after decontamination need to be stored outside.
10. Medications. Plan for 3 weeks’ worth of medications if possible.
This is easily possible with a Jase Case.
11. Stock potassium iodide tablets for radiation exposure.
I recommend Thyroshield.
12. Porta potty with extra plastic bags, toilet paper, baby wipes, and hand sanitizer.
This is a very inexpensive potty that my family used for years as a camping and road trip bathroom for the kids. It attaches to a five gallon bucket.
13. Bedding, like blankets, pillows, and blow up mats.
14. Have at least 2 extra sets of clothing for each family member
Download the One Page Round-Up for Surviving a Nuclear Event:
Real Life Case Study: Countdown to Zero
I make no claims, good or bad, about the politics in this documentary. It’s still a good watch because of the information presented regarding the threat of a nuclear event classified as Madness, Accident, or Miscalculation.
The movie includes a hypothetical sequence of a nuclear explosion in New York City’s Times Square, timed to coincide with the New Year’s Eve countdown.
Watch it HERE, if it’s still available.
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