Protecting Yourself From Nuclear Radiation Exposure

With many nations of the world today claiming to have nuclear capabilities, and the constant bombardment of negativity floating through the mainstream media the thought of a nuclear event seems to be creeping back into potential disasters we need to be prepared for. Well, in my mind it always has been, especially lately.

Thinking about how so many countries seem dead set on destroying not only their own country, but others as well, it has lead me to seriously consider the possibility of WW3 being a nuclear war.

This is an area I had not really given a lot of thought to in the past, I believe mostly because being prepared for something like this seemed either to overwhelming, but preparing for a nuclear attack really is worst case scenario.

And if you are close to the area where the nuclear even occurs, unfortunately there isn’t much you can do, but if you do survive, the other events that we prepare for, and that will follow a nuclear disaster could be far worse.

But thinking like this is not the correct way of thinking, in my opinion. I am a survivor, and I am going to do whatever I can to better the odds of survival for myself and my family. Having a plan, and preparing for the worst is what we do, and I want to share that with you.

Also keep in mind that not all radiation comes from nuclear bombs, other possible sources of high-dose radiation include the following:

• An accident at a nuclear industrial facility
• An attack on a nuclear industrial facility
• Detonation of a small radioactive device
• Detonation of a conventional explosive device that disperses radioactive material (dirty bomb)

When preparing for a nuclear attack or nuclear accident the areas you will need to think about, shelter, water, food, and exposure.

Fallout / Root / Storm Shelter

Let’s plan that you will be sheltering in your own home. You have all of your supplies here, this is your contact point for all of your family or group. You can better your situation by having a root cellar, or underground shelter.

By having your shelter underground, you will protect your group from the radioactive fallout by having at least 24” of compact earth covering all sides of your shelter.

I found instructions for how to build a root cellar (image above) here: http://robertsprojects.blogspot.com/2010/02/root-cellar.html

This site walks you through step by step of how to build your very own root cellar. And with a few modifications, this can also double as a tornado shelter, as well as a fallout shelter. You can keep your immediate need supplies stored down here, and have what you need to last several weeks.

Temporary Radiation Shelter

If you are lucky enough to be able to afford an underground bunker you will be set. But for the majority of us, we will not have this option.

Unfortunately many of us do not have the time, space, or money to build something as elaborate as this. But if you have a basement in your home, you can still make it safe in case something such as a nuclear war were to happen.

Food & Water

Food and water are a necessity, and you can never have enough of either when you are preparing to live after a nuclear event. If this is what you are planning for, plan to store at least 6 months to 1 year of food for EACH member of your family. The radiation and fallout will dissipate fairly quickly, but as I said earlier, the events to follow could be far worse.

Keep your food stored in covered containers, like plastic storage bins, or 5 gallon plastic buckets with lids. This will make it easier to move the food, as well as keeping a barrier of protection around the food you will be eating.

Also, don’t forget to include heirloom seeds. Having seeds will be vitally important in case there is no more grocery store. So be sure to plan for the worst and store seeds.

You will need to prepare the ground for is planting after the event also. If you have a garden area, protect the ground by covering it with heavy plastic sheeting. This will prevent the radioactive fallout from seeping into the dirt. The other alternative is to grade off the first 12inches of soil, but I would rather spend $20.00 and buy as much plastic as I can afford and cover the garden plot.

Not only is this easier, but it is also more cost effective, and a lot less labor intensive. So if you can, have a lot of plastic to cover where you will be gardening in the future.

Water is probably one of the most important things you need to store, whether it is for a nuclear event, or even just storage. You need to have enough water for yourself, family members, animals, hygiene, and water for your garden, worst case scenario.

If you can start storing water now, do it. You can store it in 55 gallon food grade barrels, as well as having hand pump wells, and other ways to find water that is deep underground.

If you Are Exposed to Radiation…

Once you have your shelter, food, and water situation managed, now it is time to turn your focus to what you can have that will help get the radiation out of your body in case you are exposed, either directly, or through ingestion.

You can protect your body from the damage of radiation by including simple everyday items in your nuclear protection kit:

By having these items on hand, and incorporating them into your nuclear preparedness, you will be helping to keep yourself and your family healthier, and hopefully reduce the radiation exposure you may be exposed to.

The information on the above substance have been proven from prior nuclear events, such as Chernobyl, and Fukushima. Both of these events were not from nuclear weapon attacks, but the radioactive fallout was the same. So maybe we can learn from these disasters and help to protect the ones we love.

Lisa,

SurvivalistPrepper.net