Zer0 said:
Is there a formula to figure this out? Or an app? I need it in layman's terms since math isn't my strongest subject.
Let's see if we cannot figure it out here. That way, if we f**k it up, someone can correct us.
1. Calculating fallout in your location
I find Nukemap to be rather good. https://nuclearsecrecy.com/nukemap/ Or you can draw the plume yourself on a map using the standard tables: https://durdenanded.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/table1.jpg
I would start there. You would need to know your closest probable target(s) and what kind of yield it/they would recieve in your plan. If you want worst case fallout-scenario, you choose a surface burst and the worst possible wind-direction. Now you know the apox RAD/hr (Rad is the amount of radiation absorbed). These tables are for open terrain.
2. Calculating amount of dirt and stuff
You then use a halving-thickness chart to calculate the amount of matter needed. http://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/WO2013052024A1/imgf000038_0001.png
With kids in the house, you need the first 24/hrs to be
well below 50 RAD, meaning your shielding should be thick enough to reduce to under 2 RAD pr. hr. as a minimum. Remember that you can combine stuff. You need to store water anyways. Why not stack the containers up against the walls? Discarded car batteries from the local scrap yard is excellent.
Remember too, that the shelter doesn't need to be that big. There will be nothing to do out and about in the house anyways. Might as well lie prone and read. If you lost your windows in the blast, be sure to have something to board them up with. Your house doesn't have to be air-tight, just dust-tight.
Should you do this calculation and find that you will be unable to produce enough shielding, evacuate. The table above gives you the apox time you have to make that call.
My own calculation as example: I am 160 km from the capitol. The capitol has a secret bunker where the entire top brass will be hiding out. It is quite possible that it will recieve a Topol warhead (800 kt), surface detonation in a all out war with russia.
According to nukemap and the table above, I have to get ready for apox 80 RADs/Hr (I am just outside the 100 RAD plume). Halfing thinkness is then: 1 = 40 RADS, 2= 20 RADs, 3 = 10 RADs, 4 = 5RADs, 5 = 2,5 RADs, and finally, 6 halving-thinknesses is 1,25 RADs pr. hr.
I need 6 halving thinknesses if all odds are stacked against me. Using the table under 2), that is 6 cm of lead (a couple of car batteries), 36 cm of concrete, 13 cm of steel, 60 cm of soil, 108 cm of water and 2 meters of wood. Or any combination.
Was this understandable?
(PS: I belive you would absorbe Iodine the way you described. The object here is to saturate the Thyroid gland of anyone below 40 years of age with regular Iodine, so that Iodine 131 is not absorbed. If you check the salts at your local grocery store, you will probably one one that containes Iodine. You can use that. Just remember that more salt = more pee = more water stored. If you need the correct dosage for kids and it isnt online, I can produce that for you from the old sivil defence materials.)