(Anti-flaming troll discloser) Please keep in mind that this is my personal opinion, from experience and training . And I am in no way trying to fear monger .......Please take any information or subject given here in this thread and research it for your self ....
This generation really don't have the all out nuclear war possibility like the last generation . But the risk for a terror attack or a small war with nuclear weapons in one city or multiple city is just as great now and the future.
The threat of a ground nuclear explosion in a large city is something we all should now how to prepare for and know how to react to it . Ok lets say you are in the suburbs of a major city you see a bright flash . Don't look at flash this is harder then you think for alot of people will look out of curiosity, this flash will be bright there is no doubt you will know somethings wrong make your self look down. If you are in the open lay down with your feet to the area you seen the flash .If there is a wall or something very close you can get behind do it, remember thermal radiation travel in a straight line. In both cases you want to cover skin, time is not on your side you may have just enough time to drop down or take cover before thermal radiation hit you.
If its a 1MT nuclear blast the thermal radiation pulse will give first-degree burns (a bad sunburn) at a distance of about 11 miles to exposed skin .Second-degree burns (producing blisters ) at distances of about 9 miles to exposed skin and third-degree burns (which destroy skin tissue) at distances up to 7 miles to exposed skin and the pulse will last for 2.5 seconds. A 20MT nuclear explosion will give first-degree burns (a bad sunburn) at a distance of about 32 miles. Second-degree burns (producing blisters ) at distances of about 27 miles to exposed skin. and third-degree burns (which destroy skin tissue) at distances up to 23 miles to exposed skin and the pulse will last for 6.5 seconds. remember Third-degree burns over 24 percent of the body, or second-degree burns over 30 percent, will result in serious shock, and will probably prove fatal unless prompt burn treatment is given.
One other note cloths color does matter light colors like white ref lets alot of the thermal energy.Now depending on your location to ground zero you have 10 to 20 seconds before the blast wave hits you.Also remember in this time there will be fires from the thermal pulse alot of wood house and objects will be on fire .One finally note on thermal radiation pulse how much heat there was on you and around you and how much items are on fire is around you is a good why to get a ideal how far you are away from ground zero. This is the time you need to find cover and protection from the blast wave you have about 20 seconds find the best protection there is and get to it in that time. alway remember to keep your mouth open for overpressure injury to protect your lungs.About 50 seconds after the explosion, when the fireball is no longer visible, the blast wave has traveled about 12 miles out which is about 784 miles per hour (blast wave speed).
Now were you took protection and you survived the blast wave stay put there will be another wave shortly from the fireball sucking up the oxygen there will be a wave going past you to ground zero that will make the mushroom cloud and pull alot of material up the mushroom cloud to make fallout .Now the blast wave is over keep in mind there will be major damage on civilian building up to 30 miles yes the blast wave put out a the original fire but more will start right away. The primary ignition sources will be flames and pilot lights in heating appliances (furnaces, water heaters, stoves, etc.). Smoldering material from the thermal pulse can be very effective at igniting leaking gas etc.
Ok you survived the blast now we need to think about distance ,shielding,time .......a old Fema saying but true you need to protect your self from gamma rays and neutrons and fallout. If you lived through all this and you were only 10 miles away from ground zero you still will not make it you have had a lethal dose of gamma and neutrons sad to say. at this point you have 15 minutes before full scale fallout rains down on you.Now take note of mushroom cloud location and the damage around you to get a rough guess how far you are from ground zero then you must get wind direction. Side note at ground zero if it was just a 1MT bomb at ground level At the center lies a crater 200 feet deep and 1000 feet in diameter.
If you can get to a better location for protection do so if you can't make it out of area in that time frame you need to shelter in place under ground if possible with alot of shielding above you like concete, dirt, etc. this will be a life or death decision .Like i stated before if you can get out of the area and the fallout in 15 min do so .If not you got to shield yourself from radiation and fallout radiation. You need to mark the outside with information and the number of people inside the shelter so responders can find you make it as big as you can so it sticks out .Also before you shelter in you need to get all the radioactive dust off your hair and cloths use water if you can just get it off you...... also seal of the shelter the best you can from the outside dust like vents etc.
It will take the government response to fully deploy 48 to 72 hours lets face it you wouldn't send in life saving responder until 24 hour for two big reasons first the responder lives and ability to do there job second in 24 hours those who wouldn't make it no matter what will have died . the resource's can be used on those who have a chance on making i know that sound evil .... its just a sad fact. fallout will build up out side which will increase radiation penetration of you shelters shielding remember you may not get rescued until 72 hours or longer.
Remember if you shelter in in the effected area rescue team getting you out of there and sending you to a Decontamination area and then treated for radiation sickness will be the only thing to save your life. The other problem will be water , food and injury's cuts, burns. as you are waiting for rescue water heater good source for water .sinks etc .water is a must . SO in closing if you live through the blast remember distance,shielding, time...........if you can get away from area before fallout do it if not shelter in with as much shielding as you can find .......make it easy for responders to find you so you can be rescue in the time you need to survive through the event.
as always here some research links:
http://www.nationalterroralert.com/nuclear/
http://www.fema.gov/areyouready/nuclear_blast.shtm
http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/do...fm8-9/1ch4.htm
http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Nwfaq/Nfaq5.html
http://emergency.cdc.gov/radiation/emergencyfaq.asp
http://undergroundbombshelter.com/radiation-fallout.htm
http://emergency.cdc.gov/radiation/shelter.asp
http://emergency.cdc.gov/radiation/nuclearfaq.asp
http://www.fema.gov/hazard/terrorism...u_protect.shtm
http://www.atomicarchive.com/Effects/effects1.shtml
http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/in...ke-thermal.htm
This generation really don't have the all out nuclear war possibility like the last generation . But the risk for a terror attack or a small war with nuclear weapons in one city or multiple city is just as great now and the future.
The threat of a ground nuclear explosion in a large city is something we all should now how to prepare for and know how to react to it . Ok lets say you are in the suburbs of a major city you see a bright flash . Don't look at flash this is harder then you think for alot of people will look out of curiosity, this flash will be bright there is no doubt you will know somethings wrong make your self look down. If you are in the open lay down with your feet to the area you seen the flash .If there is a wall or something very close you can get behind do it, remember thermal radiation travel in a straight line. In both cases you want to cover skin, time is not on your side you may have just enough time to drop down or take cover before thermal radiation hit you.
If its a 1MT nuclear blast the thermal radiation pulse will give first-degree burns (a bad sunburn) at a distance of about 11 miles to exposed skin .Second-degree burns (producing blisters ) at distances of about 9 miles to exposed skin and third-degree burns (which destroy skin tissue) at distances up to 7 miles to exposed skin and the pulse will last for 2.5 seconds. A 20MT nuclear explosion will give first-degree burns (a bad sunburn) at a distance of about 32 miles. Second-degree burns (producing blisters ) at distances of about 27 miles to exposed skin. and third-degree burns (which destroy skin tissue) at distances up to 23 miles to exposed skin and the pulse will last for 6.5 seconds. remember Third-degree burns over 24 percent of the body, or second-degree burns over 30 percent, will result in serious shock, and will probably prove fatal unless prompt burn treatment is given.
One other note cloths color does matter light colors like white ref lets alot of the thermal energy.Now depending on your location to ground zero you have 10 to 20 seconds before the blast wave hits you.Also remember in this time there will be fires from the thermal pulse alot of wood house and objects will be on fire .One finally note on thermal radiation pulse how much heat there was on you and around you and how much items are on fire is around you is a good why to get a ideal how far you are away from ground zero. This is the time you need to find cover and protection from the blast wave you have about 20 seconds find the best protection there is and get to it in that time. alway remember to keep your mouth open for overpressure injury to protect your lungs.About 50 seconds after the explosion, when the fireball is no longer visible, the blast wave has traveled about 12 miles out which is about 784 miles per hour (blast wave speed).
Now were you took protection and you survived the blast wave stay put there will be another wave shortly from the fireball sucking up the oxygen there will be a wave going past you to ground zero that will make the mushroom cloud and pull alot of material up the mushroom cloud to make fallout .Now the blast wave is over keep in mind there will be major damage on civilian building up to 30 miles yes the blast wave put out a the original fire but more will start right away. The primary ignition sources will be flames and pilot lights in heating appliances (furnaces, water heaters, stoves, etc.). Smoldering material from the thermal pulse can be very effective at igniting leaking gas etc.
Ok you survived the blast now we need to think about distance ,shielding,time .......a old Fema saying but true you need to protect your self from gamma rays and neutrons and fallout. If you lived through all this and you were only 10 miles away from ground zero you still will not make it you have had a lethal dose of gamma and neutrons sad to say. at this point you have 15 minutes before full scale fallout rains down on you.Now take note of mushroom cloud location and the damage around you to get a rough guess how far you are from ground zero then you must get wind direction. Side note at ground zero if it was just a 1MT bomb at ground level At the center lies a crater 200 feet deep and 1000 feet in diameter.
If you can get to a better location for protection do so if you can't make it out of area in that time frame you need to shelter in place under ground if possible with alot of shielding above you like concete, dirt, etc. this will be a life or death decision .Like i stated before if you can get out of the area and the fallout in 15 min do so .If not you got to shield yourself from radiation and fallout radiation. You need to mark the outside with information and the number of people inside the shelter so responders can find you make it as big as you can so it sticks out .Also before you shelter in you need to get all the radioactive dust off your hair and cloths use water if you can just get it off you...... also seal of the shelter the best you can from the outside dust like vents etc.
It will take the government response to fully deploy 48 to 72 hours lets face it you wouldn't send in life saving responder until 24 hour for two big reasons first the responder lives and ability to do there job second in 24 hours those who wouldn't make it no matter what will have died . the resource's can be used on those who have a chance on making i know that sound evil .... its just a sad fact. fallout will build up out side which will increase radiation penetration of you shelters shielding remember you may not get rescued until 72 hours or longer.
Remember if you shelter in in the effected area rescue team getting you out of there and sending you to a Decontamination area and then treated for radiation sickness will be the only thing to save your life. The other problem will be water , food and injury's cuts, burns. as you are waiting for rescue water heater good source for water .sinks etc .water is a must . SO in closing if you live through the blast remember distance,shielding, time...........if you can get away from area before fallout do it if not shelter in with as much shielding as you can find .......make it easy for responders to find you so you can be rescue in the time you need to survive through the event.
as always here some research links:
http://www.nationalterroralert.com/nuclear/
http://www.fema.gov/areyouready/nuclear_blast.shtm
http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/do...fm8-9/1ch4.htm
http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Nwfaq/Nfaq5.html
http://emergency.cdc.gov/radiation/emergencyfaq.asp
http://undergroundbombshelter.com/radiation-fallout.htm
http://emergency.cdc.gov/radiation/shelter.asp
http://emergency.cdc.gov/radiation/nuclearfaq.asp
http://www.fema.gov/hazard/terrorism...u_protect.shtm
http://www.atomicarchive.com/Effects/effects1.shtml
http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/in...ke-thermal.htm