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Making your shelter #4-1

TCharley300

Well-known member
Before I start on this section, take a look at the illustration. This came from the Castle Bravo shot. It was a 15 meg ton ground bust blast, which was accidental. It was “supposed to be” about half that amount for the test. I SEROUSLY DOUBT that large yields like this would occur, unless you live near a hardened location like Norad, etc. I placed this in here to just at least illustrate how unpredictable nuclear warfare could possibly be.

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Improvised sheltering would not help much in this case, even as far as 300 miles downwind from ground zero.

This section is only going to be on the build aspect—not supplies, protection, etc. I will quickly touch on radiation, but that will go on section #5 when it’s completed and revised for more modern conditions, versus 20 years ago.

There are 3 types of radiation that you will have to be concerned with. In order of danger, from least to most is the following Alpha Beta Gamma. Without getting too scientific, and trying to keep things simple, I”ll explain. When a bomb explodes, it produces neutrons. These neutrons will impact other atoms, making them unstable. Like I said in the earlier series, Nature has to find a way to balance itself out. In the process of nature trying to get back in balance, the unstable atoms emit radiation. The first type of particles are alpha particles. They can easily be stopped by even a piece of paper, But a hot particle can be dangerous if swallowed or inhaled.

The second type is Beta radiation. It’s a tad stronger, but can still be stopped by clothing. Yes, like alpha, it’s dangerous if inhaled or ingested. If a Beta particle touches your skin, it can produce a burn on the skin very similar to a bad sunburn.

The third type is the bad boy---Gamma radiation. And this is what will be concentrated on further in Section #5 The only way to protect yourself from Gamma radiation is mass mass mass mass. Also, time, distance and shielding. That’s where the mass mass mass comes into play. Think of Gamma radiation like a brand new battery, but that battery is constantly discharging over a period of time until it ‘runs down’. A good example is the 7-10 rule. This means that for every 7 hours, the strength of the radiation will reduce by 10% Here’s an example. 0800 hrs--detonation. Reading 1,000 rads. 1500 hrs the same day, the radiation has reduced by 1/10 or 10% --meaning it’s lost 100 rads, so the reading should be now 900 rads. 2200 hrs (still same day) the strength or rads should have dropped 90 rads, giving a reading of 910 rads. The pattern continues, etc. Here’s a simple chart:

Day 1 Detonation first reading @ 0800 1000 rads figures rounded up a tad

time reading time reading time reading time reading

Day 1 0800 1000 1500 900 2100 810

Day 2 0400 729 1100 656 1800 590

Day 3 0100 531 0800 477 1500 429 2100 386

Day 4 0500 347 1200 312 1900 280

Day 5 0200 252 0900 226 1600 203 2200 181

Day 6 0500 162 1200 145 1900 130

Day 7 0300 117 1000 105 1700 94

Day 8 0000 84 0700 75 1400 67 2000 60

Day 9 0300 54 1000 48 1700 43

Day 10 0000 39 0700 35 1400 31 2100 27

SEE< The point is that even with those simple figures, you are going to have to stay sheltered AT LEAST until the beginning of the 8th day. Sure, you could leave your shelter by 1700 on Day 7, because your limit is below the 100 mark, which is considered the highest level people can take before dying off. But, if you stay put 3 more days, you’ve cut that number by almost 2/3.

Now, let’s build a shelter. No two buildings are the same, no areas are the same, etc. IF you have a basement, thank your creator, because that’s going to give you the best chance of surviving. The key factors to making a simple shelter are going to be two points. The lower, the better. If you are in a house, go to the center point away from windows as much as possible. Depending on your location, the windows could have possibly been blown out by the blast. The center point of any typical house is going to have the best areas for protection. For your entrance to the shelter, that point needs to be in at least a 90 degree angle from your area. Gamma rays and radiation like to run in straight lines. Why? I don’t know. Get a heavy desk, hopefully two to start your shelter. ON the top, put as much mass as possible. Take doors off the hinges and put that on top of the desks. Sand bags, concrete, etc. JUST DON’T overload the desk causing the risk of collapse. We want a shelter, NOT a tomb. I will mention a basement. Make your safe spot in a corner which has the most dirt from the outside around the walls, ideally away from windows. Still use that 90 degree angle entrance is at all possible. Take plastic tarps or drop cloths or whatever to cover your entrance. Below is a good illustration.

1642194571466.png

Understanding this table above, it only takes almost ½ inch of lead to cut the penetration of gamma radiation in half. Steel would be an inch, Concrete would take almost 2 ½ inches. Radiation, as you can see LOVES wood. Wood really isn’t that thick.

I found my mom and dad’s civil defense booklet from 60 years ago from the Cuban missile crisis time period. I copied and put it in PDF form, which is in the attachment. It does a real good job in explaining how to build a shelter. With possible time constraints taking place, I thought this would be quicker in case all hell breaks loose. ( reflecting back, I was 5 years old and still remembered those pictures in the book to this very day)

That will have to be broken down in two parts one for section #4-2 and then #4-3. The file restraints won't allow me to insert as an attachment.
 
was it "the family fallout shelter"? white paperback? I have about six of them..lol and the blue pamphlet and the stickers for the basement.
 
I’ve always found this a rather preposterous ordeal, constructing such a pathetic looking thing in a period of extreme stress, and with little flexibility depending on your income or living situation (where the hell are you getting sand bags and concrete from?!?). I remember during the leak of Protect amd Survive (which offered identical advice to this and helped fan the flames of a peace movement) during the beginning of the second cold war of the eighties, a civil servant apparently dismissed such concerns as “egalitarian nonsense”. I always like to wonder how this advice would play in a actual war situation, there is evidence that people viewed air raid precautions as equally pathetic as Protect and Survive was viewed when it was leaked. all in all, this seems like a miserable place to die and even more miserable waste of your final days.
 
not a lot i can do in the UK with almost no basements. besides, when im not at home (12 miles from a target...), i live in an apartment block with a shared kitchen and a tiny room on the bottom floor LOL but hey i'll do what i can
 
I’ve always found this a rather preposterous ordeal, constructing such a pathetic looking thing in a period of extreme stress, and with little flexibility depending on your income or living situation (where the hell are you getting sand bags and concrete from?!?). I remember during the leak of Protect amd Survive (which offered identical advice to this and helped fan the flames of a peace movement) during the beginning of the second cold war of the eighties, a civil servant apparently dismissed such concerns as “egalitarian nonsense”. I always like to wonder how this advice would play in a actual war situation, there is evidence that people viewed air raid precautions as equally pathetic as Protect and Survive was viewed when it was leaked. all in all, this seems like a miserable place to die and even more miserable waste of your final days.
DEFCON Warning System - Personal attack removed. Do NOT debate the person. Only the argument.

But, I"m going to ask you a few questions. I"m only doing this to make you think a little.
Do you really want to just wonder through life, and take things as they are, knowing that there's a real possibility that some sort of a confrontation might take place?? If something does happen, God forbid, do you really want to go through the suffering of the effects of radiation poisoning? I got news for you buddy---it's a horrible way to go. Your body just basically turns to a form of jelly if your dosage is very high. Your skin rots and falls off--you lose your hair--you lose your teeth--and actually your brain gets to a point that you just barely function like some sort of a zombie. You lose body coordination. You start bleeding with open sores and wounds that will not heal. You see, working for 35+ years in the fire service, I've seen the really horrible stuff that most never see. Combat vets would be the closest thing that might compare to the horrible things that I've seen through the years. I've personally seen the effects of radiation poisoning. I've treated patients who have had smaller doses. So yea, my attitude would certainly be different from yours. On lower dosages, you will more than likely get some form of cancer, so in other words, it's a suffering that might be halfway quick or could last for years depending upon your dosage.

I don't go around and promote my beliefs and religious perspective on others. But, I would make a suggestion to you. Get on your knees, and have a serious talk with your God. Ask him for wisdom and guidance and naturally forgiveness. It's your life, your choice and your decisions. I respect that. I will not interfere or judge you. But don't have a attitude that things are useless. There's always a better way somewhere, somehow.
 
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not a lot i can do in the UK with almost no basements. besides, when im not at home (12 miles from a target...), i live in an apartment block with a shared kitchen and a tiny room on the bottom floor LOL but hey i'll do what i can
You may want to watch it since your in the U.K, can't imagine preparing for a nuclear war hasn't changed much over time. This is official UK government civil defense infomercials about what to do to prepare for a nuclear attack during the event of high tensions & what to do and expect after a nuclear war:
 
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not a lot i can do in the UK with almost no basements. besides, when im not at home (12 miles from a target...), i live in an apartment block with a shared kitchen and a tiny room on the bottom floor LOL but hey i'll do what i can
Train, that's so close from what you told me, I'd try to see if you could bug out if possible and get some distance between you and that target area. Friends, relatives or a getaway in the country somehow???
 
@Train you really should watch this. I am, wanted to see if the information still holds up, the beginning is obvious stuff. But goes into greater detail later. This does still hold relevant information on how to prepare in your country, your countries protocols, and general useful information all around for the UK. Plus most of the west has not changed any of its civil defense it very long time.
 
Train, that's so close from what you told me, I'd try to see if you could bug out if possible and get some distance between you and that target area. Friends, relatives or a getaway in the country somehow???
None I can think of right now but I’ll have a serious think.
I didn’t think this place would be a target for a long time until I remembered it’s the home of Britain’s paratroopers. Although it really is a tiny garrison.

The only place I’d be other than my home is canterbury, where I study. But that’s where I live in an apartment building on the ground floor. It’s not really near any targets I can think of other than Dover… The UK really is a shit place to be in this regard.

@Train you really should watch this. I am, wanted to see if the information still holds up, the beginning is obvious stuff. But goes into greater detail later. This does still hold relevant information on how to prepare in your country, your countries protocols, and general useful information all around for the UK. Plus most of the west has not changed any of its civil defense it very long time.
i’d given it a watch after watching Threads, almost finding it grimly comical at parts. Never thought I’d be recommended it. But I’ll have a look regardless. I’m just pretty sure our civil defence plans no longer even exist.

If they even did in the first place…

It’s just difficult. I ain’t got the funds to have my own property with a back yard yet, since I’m still at University. But even if I did, there’s very few houses in Britain with basements because the water table is so high and they’re a pain in the ass to keep maintained. I’d assume the same would be true with fallout shelters.

I’ll try and figure something out though.
 
civil defence plans no longer even exist.
The video is almost entirely survival tips on what to do in the U.K. Not really civil defense. But a educational video on how to prepare with what you have immediately in or around your house. I would advise your friends to watch this and anyone from the UK reading this should also watch and refer others due to current international crisis.
I’ll try and figure something out though.
The video above can give you some good ideas. It may be from the 70's but not much has changed in how we prepare for nuclear war and being in the UK your situation is to put it lightly not good and the video goes into detail on that as well.
 
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Protect and Survive lies about homeless people being billited in your house if you left it, there were no plans for this to happen, they just wanted to scare people who live in cities to stay where they were and die. It’s advice on EMP protection is also gibberish (though i believe this is limited to the first edition of the booklet only).

Also why did they make the jingle so terrifying?!?!
 
I don't go around and promote my beliefs and religious perspective on others. But, I would make a suggestion to you. Get on your knees, and have a serious talk with your God. Ask him for wisdom and guidance and naturally forgiveness. It's your life, your choice and your decisions. I respect that. I will not interfere or judge you. But don't have a attitude that things are useless. There's always a better way somewhere, somehow.
Prayer is a very childish coping mechanism, just like a homemade fallout shelter.
 
You might have a change of heart if you hear the sirens going off. But then, it's too late.
Yeah much too late, better get into the shelter when you read messages like on Twitter like "We gonna end western civlization).
I'm going to shelter now, you too?
 
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