Preparing for a Nuclear Attack: Determining YOUR Scenario

This is the second in a series of posts that will go over preparation for a Nuclear Attack. The first can be found here.

Determining YOUR Scenario

In our opening post we provided some background information on what can be expected in the event of a Nuclear Attack. While one isolated Nuclear Incident by terrorists or some other force is what we can hope for, as preppers we must prepare for the worst possible scenario, a real WTSHTF type of event. For this discussion that means a full scale Nuclear Attack perpetrated by at least one foreign country against us. This scenario means multiple bombs hitting us, potentially in the hundreds. After all, if they’re gonna throw one at us, why not unleash them all and finish the job? That’s what we have to assume we’re prepping for.

Determining your Proximity

While there is no way to know exactly what the targets are going to be, the next best thing is to rely on expert guesses, intel and other sources of information. While it’s rather dated, this list of Primary, Secondary and Tertiary targets provides an outdated expert guess. Visit that link, read through it, it’s excellent information, then find your state in the list of targets and determine how far you live from a primary, secondary or tertiary target. This is very important, your proximity to the cities on this target list will determine what your scenario is and what you need to be prepping for.

Proximity = Blast Zone

If you live in a Primary Target City, your best option is to be fully prepped to bug out at a minutes notice. Then you’ll need to be vigilant in ensuring that you always have the ability to get notifications – my recommendation is that you subscribe to multiple news alert services that will send you a text message of any alerts that are critical to your area. Look for your local paper or news station’s emergency alert system, if you’re in a big city chances are that you can get a text message alert. Pay attention on a national level too. If one city gets attacked by a foreign country, chances are decent that your city will be attacked too. Set up multiple, redundant notification systems so that you know when it’s time to go.

Next, you’ve got to be diligent in maintaining a bug out prep plan. You should have a kit in your vehicle, you should have rally points arranged with your family, have an evac plan, etc (we’ll go over this more later).

The optimal scenario here is that you get at least 20 minutes notice of an inbound bomb. That gives you a very limited amount of time to get to your car and drive like a mad-man through your pre-planned and tested evac route. You’ll want this to be a less than obvious route because all the sheeple will be herding themselves and their iron horses along the obvious routes. Your primary objective is to put miles between you and where the bomb is going to hit. As you distance yourself, you’ll fall into the following ongoing prep plans.

The other option here is, if you have access to a deep underground, hardened shelter – you might head there. But know in advance that you won’t be the only one trying to get there and it might just not be possible to shelter there. You don’t have time for an Option B here so make dang sure that your Option A is feasible.

Proximity = > 1 mile < 12 miles from Blast Zone

Whether this is where you live or if you’ve bugged out from the blast zone you’re in slightly less danger. Your options are to bug out of the danger zone or get into a decent shelter – this can be a well prepared basement (we’ll go into this later). Just like in the previous scenario, you should set up multiple alert systems so you have the most time possible to get ready – particularly gathering the family to safety. With limited time and only one opportunity, every minute you can buy yourself is critical.

Proximity > 12 miles

Your primary concern is going to be fallout. The closer you live to the blast zone, the less time you’re going to have to get everyone into shelter. Dangerous fallout will be landing within the hour of a detonation. You need a notification system just like the people in the blast zone, you need a family rally plan and you need to have shelter preps taken care of.

Proximity > 50 miles

Don’t think you’re safe – you’re safe from the initial hell, but you’ve now got to survive and deal with the aftermath. Your situation is better because you have a little more time to react, but you can’t be slothful – the quicker you get sheltered the better chance of survival for you and your family. The biggest advantage here is that you don’t have to have a fully stocked shelter – you’ll have time to move things into it and hunker down.

This proximity is where we’ll base the rest of this series on since from here you have the highest potential of survival and you are looking at surviving the fallout situation, which is the primary point of this series.

Planning to Survive Fallout

There are several things you need to consider in order to properly prepare for fallout survival. Most of these will be their own post in this series. Each of these needs careful and serious consideration and decisions made.

1. Your bug-out plan – based on your proximity, what do you need to do?
2. Your family rally plan – getting the entire family to the Bug Out Location – even if that is home.
3. Fallout Shelter – can you do it in your house? Possibly. What are the requirements?
4. Food, Water and Food Preparation – you’ve got up to 3 weeks, you better have a plan to eat and drink.
5. Hygiene and Waste Management – again, 3 weeks is a long time
6. Personal Health – what First Aid preps do you need to make?
7. Entertainment – if you have kids, 3 weeks of being cooped up is going to take a toll
8. Communications – how will you get incoming news?
9. Shelter Defense – what if the depraved neighbors or others come calling?
10. Venturing Out – How do you determine if/when it’s safe to exit the shelter?
11. Home and Neighborhood Defense – You’re out, now how do you stay safe?
12. Venturing Forward – You’ve survived hell, how do you soldier on?

I’ve had some feedback that this is a depressing, doomsday, negative series. My response is – no it’s not. This is a very realistic scenario, it could definitely happen, but if you aren’t prepared then yeah, it’s a depressing, doomsday negative series cause I’m telling you you’re gonna die – which you are. You’re only going to survive this scenario if 1) you are INFORMED and 2) you are PREPARED. If you aren’t doing those, you’re condemning yourself to being shot by someone who is prepared while you are trying to steal their stuff to feed your starving family. As I said before, surviving this is simple, being prepared for it is a little more involved and will pay off. Ignoring it just gets you dead.