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Strategies for surviving a nuclear attack include “duck and cover,” waiting before going outside, taking potassium iodide, and avoiding broken glass and flying debris. Radioactivity is not always fatal, and the greatest danger is from heat and explosion. After the attack, don’t panic, avoid exposed food and water, and help fight fires to minimize further casualties.
There are several strategies one could use to survive a nuclear attack and maximize one’s chances of survival after the attack. These strategies come from books and public information campaigns, including US Survival Under Atomic Attack (1950), “duck and cover” (late 1940s to 1980s), Nuclear War Survival Skills (1979 ) and UK’s Protect and Survive. (1980). While some of these campaigns, notably “Duck and Cover Yourself,” have been criticized by non-experts, experts on the effects of nuclear weapons have generally argued for their veracity.
There are a couple of myths about nuclear weapons that should be immediately debunked. These myths are 1) that radioactivity is the greatest threat from an atomic bomb, 2) that radiation exposure is always fatal, and 3) that atomic bombs are always completely destructive within their range. The greatest danger from a nuclear attack is the effects of heat and explosion, not radioactivity. Even with exposure to severe radioactivity, eventual recovery is likely with proper medical care.
The first thing anyone can do to survive a nuclear attack is duck and hide. The first sign of a nuclear bomb exploding is an extremely bright flash. If you see a flash this bright, you should duck—preferably in a basement or subway, but otherwise along the side of a building—and cover your eyes and face. This will protect your head, especially your eyes, from being damaged by the heat of the blast and the overpressure. The shock wave should arrive in a few seconds, maybe even 45 seconds.
One concern in the event of a nuclear attack is that students rush to the windows to look for the cause of a large flash, only to be shattered when the glass shatters from the pressure wave. In the perimeter of the blast radius, sharp glass will be a major hazard and likely to kill more people than the heat.
Critics of the “duck and cover” approach argue that a nuclear strike will kill everyone anyway, so dodging and covering is futile. This is false. In most of the area of a nuclear weapon explosion, the pressure and heat will not be enough to kill. At these distances, death or injury is more likely to occur from broken glass, heat, pressure, or flying debris.
After the explosion, it’s important to wait before rushing out. For an airburst, you would have to wait about a minute, then go out and help fight the fires. For a ground-level explosion, you should wait at least an hour before going outside, for the radioactivity to subside. At this point, you should be taking potassium iodide, if you have it, which will help protect you from environmental radiation. If you don’t have any, you should try to get some.
As you fight fires and gather with other people to get information and guidance on what to do next, keep three things in mind: don’t take chances with exposed food or water, don’t panic, and don’t start gossip. If you survived the initial explosion, chances are you’ll be fine, unless the chaos is sparked by rumors or panic. Maintain calm and order so that no further casualties occur. Help fight the fires, which will preserve as much infrastructure as possible and minimize further casualties.
