Surviving a Nuclear Attack - Essay Example

Surviving a Nuclear Attack Submitted: The following paper discusses the essential surviving measures to take in case of a nuclear attack. The steps will be divided into two categories which include steps before and after an attack respectively. Moreover, the paper takes two fundamental situations in question, the first when the nuclear attack is expected and the government has warned its people about attack, and second, when the attack is sudden and unexpected. INTRODUCTION: It is imperative to understand that the survival measures in a nuclear attack can be and are not possible if certain assumptions are not taken at the beginning of the paper. The very first assumption to take is that the individuals concerned are at least five miles away from the point of attack or explosion. This is because there is just no possible survival possible for anyone who is closer than the above mentioned distance. The second assumption is that the people are aware of the political scenario of the world including the current affairs. This is because, if the people are not updated regarding their surroundings, chances are that they will not following most of the steps shown below. The second assumption will be catered to afterwards. However unlikely this may sound, but people must make some prior arrangements for a nuclear attack (Bruno, 2010). This rational may not sound logical without the above mentioned assumption. This step is only possible if the government takes strong initiatives when the international environment is viable for a nuclear attack (Evans, 1980).The government must educate the people about the effects of the nuclear reactions and the radioactivity, thus ensuring that the people are planning ahead about a possible attack. The logic is that when the people will be warned and informed about the danger and the level of threat, then only the people can and will think about planning for their survival. Once it is clear that the people are planning for the survival techniques then the next step originates, which is, what are the measures? The answer to this question will give the details about the primary topic. The first part of the planning requires the people to make some basic changes to the structure of their houses. It should be clear that the surviving techniques apply only to those who have survived the initial explosion as mentioned earlier. The best advice for anyone is to stay in his or her house because an open space is the last place to be in a nuclear attack (Roberts). Now, when it is clear that people do need to make changes to their buildings, the question is what changes are necessary? The fundamental change to make is to include basements in the houses (Wiseman, 1980). The basements are necessary to give way for a fall out room. A fall out room is place which is specifically designed for the purpose of getting a shelter from the disasters, in this case, a nuclear attack. There are certain requirements which the fall out room must fulfill in order to shelter an individual from the radioactive explosions (Kearny, 1999). Firstly, the shelter must be made from the material which can not only provide flexibility to the building but also which can prevent the radioactive gases to seep through the walls. In addition, the room should be as far away from the main walls as possible. Moreover, the room needs to be well insulated because the houses affected by the radioactive material have the tendency to catch fire. It is also imperative that the room allows sufficient amount of oxygen to pass through it. Finally, even all the above mentioned preventive designs cannot stop the radioactive decay from entering the room. But, these are the best available steps that a person can take. But what if the building does not have a basement? The next best measure to take is to develop a room in the building which can act like a shelter room. One of the essentialities of that room is that it must have walls which are made of the same material which can prevent the radioactivity and the aftershocks. The next degree in this regard is the ways to survive in the basement or the fall out room. But before any further advancement can be made in this regard, the aspect which needs consideration is that after the attack, people may need to take shelter in these rooms for even more than two weeks. The reason is that the radioactive gases will continue to spread even after the explosion has subsided. The first measure is to take up is to arrange a ration for the period of shelter. This, as declared earlier, may extend to a minimum of two weeks. In addition to the food, it is a must that sufficient water should be kept in the room. Water is not only important for the drinking purpose, but also for the sanitation reason. The word sanitation leads to another point which states that as soon as one takes shelter in the fall out room, he or she must take a comprehensive bath and should wash away any possible radioactive material. Furthermore, it is advisable that a source of communication is carried along while taking shelter. This is recommended as it will allow a possible contact with the rest of the world (Dunfey, 1980). In addition to the supplies for the fall out room, it is crucial that a person must be trained in the first aid techniques. This is especially critical when there are one or more injured people around. First aid techniques can be vital in these situations. Otherwise, it can be very difficult and sometimes impossible to find an expert in medical knowledge in these turbulent times. The recommendations that the paper analyzed were based on the assumption that the nuclear attack was known to the people. But what if these were not true? What if the nuclear attack was completely a surprise? What are the measures that one can take in a sudden explosion? There can be few extremely important steps to take when a sudden nuclear explosion has taken place. It is imperative to understand that the initial reaction of a blast is due to its air pressure than the radioactivity itself. Thus, the people who are more than twenty to thirty miles away from the blast must find shelter in the nearby trenches, dugouts or even the gutters (Leonard, 2008). One of the strategies could be to take shelter behind buildings. This may expose the people to the debris of the buildings, but the direct effect of the blast can be prevented. After the initial burst has subsided, the people must than find shelters in the buildings and should wash away the radioactive material (Cushner, 2008). CONCLUSION: The fundamental concept that needs to be analyzed is that a nuclear attack just cannot be survived when there is not a warning or a proper planning done before the actual blast. The steps that can be taken in regard of this assumption are that a proper basement or a fall out room must be designed. The fall out room should have essentialities for the survival period of around two to three weeks. Moreover, people should also be trained about the first aid techniques in case of emergencies. In addition, if the nuclear attack is sudden and not accepted, then the best practice can be to look for dugouts or the more readily available gutters and then after the initial blast has subsided, place should be searched for safety and shelter. References: 1. Wiseman, J, (1986), SAS Survival Handbook. 2. Bruno, G. (2010), SURVIVE ANYTHING! Chapter 1: Nuclear Attack, retrieved from http://www.shtfplan.com/emergency-preparedness/survive-anything-chapter-1-nuclear-attack_04022010. 3. Roberts, J. "If You Hear a Large Explosion, Dont Run to the Window to See What it Was - Youll Get Shredded by the Blast", How to Survive a Nuclear Attack retrieved from http://www.secretsofsurvival.com/survival/nuclear_attack.html. 4. Kearny, C. H. (1999), Nuclear War Survival Skills,Oregon Inst Science & Medicine. 5. Evans, P. (1980) Civil defence-1: Government to give greater priority to protect millions of people. The Times. 6. Helmenstine, A. M. How to Survive a Nuclear Attack retrieved from http://chemistry.about.com/u/ua/nuclearchemistry/Surviving-A-Nuclear-Attack-How-To-Survive-A-Nuclear-Attack.htm. 7. Leonard, B. (2008), Recovery from Nuclear Attack. 8. Cushner, A. (2008), Under Nuclear Attack.Parker Books. 9. Dunfey, D. M. (1980), How to survive nuclear attack: a family guide to survival in the event of nuclear war.Radiological Survival Advisory Service. . Read More