Gazrok
A True Doomsday Prepper
While the threat of nuclear war is something many of us faced while kids during the Cold War, that threat has largely diminished. However, it is still possible. Worse though, is that if the grid went down, the nuclear plants in the US would eventually have a meltdown, meaning Chernobyl type events all over half the nation.
Here's what is needed of a shelter:
Then, there is the question of how long.
It's a good idea to get a Geiger Counter (can be had for around $100) to check also, in such an event.
Here's what is needed of a shelter:
A basic fallout shelter consists of shields that reduce gamma ray exposure by a factor of 1000. The required shielding can be accomplished with 10 times the thickness of any quantity of material capable of cutting gamma ray exposure in half. Shields that reduce gamma ray intensity by 50% (1/2) include 1 cm (0.4 inch) of lead, 6 cm (2.4 inches) of concrete, 9 cm (3.6 inches) of packed earth or 150 m (500 ft) of air. When multiple thicknesses are built, the shielding multiplies. Thus, a practical fallout shield is ten halving-thicknesses of packed earth, reducing gamma rays by approximately 1024 times (210).[12]
Usually, an expedient purpose-built fallout shelter is a trench; with a strong roof buried by c. 1 m (3 ft) of earth. The two ends of the trench have ramps or entrances at right angles to the trench, so that gamma rays cannot enter (they can travel only in straight lines). To make the overburden waterproof (in case of rain), a plastic sheet may be buried a few inches below the surface and held down with rocks or bricks.[13]
Blast doors are designed to absorb the shock wave of a nuclear blast, bending and then returning to their original shape
Then, there is the question of how long.
Inhabitants should plan to remain sheltered for at least two weeks (with an hour out at the end of the first week – see Swiss Civil Defense guidelines (which was once part of Swiss Zivilschutz)), then work outside for gradually increasing amounts of time, to four hours a day at three weeks. The normal work is to sweep or wash fallout into shallow trenches to decontaminate the area. They should sleep in a shelter for several months. Evacuation at three weeks is recommended by official authorities.[citation needed]
If available, inhabitants may take potassium iodide at the rate of 130 mg/day per adult (65 mg/day per child) as an additional measure to protect the thyroid gland from the uptake of dangerous radioactive iodine, a component of most fallout and reactor waste.[21]
It's a good idea to get a Geiger Counter (can be had for around $100) to check also, in such an event.