Preparing For & Protecting from Radiation

Disasters are bound to happen and the Fukushima fallout is a typical example that will remain indelible in our minds for a long time to come.

While no one wants to dream about the idea of a nuclear crisis, it should be accepted that globally, nuclear tensions are rising and it would be best if we are prepared against eventualities.

The movies have always portrayed nuclear attack as a one-time event that will wipe out the entire human population at a go with little or no survivors. The truth about the matter is that unless you are situated very close to the blast zone, there is every probability that you will come out alive.

The key to surviving a nuclear event is to avoid radiation poisoning – in the event that it happens, you need to limit your amount of exposure to the radiation. If possible, take shelter in a house with proper shielding and wait out the decay of the radioactive material, you’ll increase your odds of survival significantly.

In essence, nuclear disasters are survivable. It lies on your shoulders to make the effort to survive when it happens. If you are prepared, you will know what to do when the doomsday eventually comes.

Top tips to protect you and your family from radiations

1. Seek proper shelter

If you live near a nuclear facility, it is best to prepared ahead by building a shelter in advance. The most important thing is that your shelter should protect you and your family from radiation and provide basic support for the next two weeks.

Your fallout shelter should have the following basic requirements: shielding, water and food, radiation monitoring devices, potassium iodide, first aid, ventilation, sanitation products, radios, tools and weapons.

2. Reduce the amount of exposure

 The lesser the amount of radiation you are exposed to, the more you are protected. One of the ways of reducing exposure is by keeping a good distance between you and the radioactive site; the greater the distance, the better. Seek shelter with shielding. Your shielding should be made from heavy and dense materials like concrete, bricks, thick walls, water and books.

Stay indoors in your shielding. If your house has a basement, that’s even better because facilities below the ground can reduce exposure to radiations by as much as 90%. Don’t go out during fallouts to reduce the amount of radiation you are exposed to. The good news is that radiation fallouts losses it strength quickly so you should be ready to move out of your shelter soon.

3. Alternate indoor shelters

In cases where it may not be practical to build a fallout shelter, seek protection in your basement; the further below ground your basement is, the better for you.

If there is no underground facility in your present location, find a spot in your apartment that is far away from the windows and seek protection there. Ideally, this should be the center of your home away from the windows and exterior doors.

Trailer homes offer little protection against radiation; it is advisable to seek studier protection elsewhere that has brick or concrete. For those living in a high rise building, it is best to move to the middle section of the building. Avoid rooftops and first floors since there are likely to be accumulation of fallout in these places.

4. Few tips on building an emergency shelter

Here are a few tips that will help you construct an emergency shelter in case of radiation fallout or nuclear attack.

Have a large table or workbench ready to set up in the location you have chosen to build your shelter. If there is no ready table available, pull together some furniture, books, appliances, boxes or even file cabinets and leave a space at the center. The aim is to build a shelter that will take the shape of a table. Put doors on top of your shielding. Reinforce with supports if necessary.

There should be a crawl space so it would be easy for someone to crawl inside. Block the space with shielding materials as well. Leave small spaces of 6 inch for ventilation.

Your shelter must have water, food, first aid, radiation detection devices, battery operated radio and sanitation supplies.

Foods that help protect against radiation

Foods that are rich in sulphur are very good sources of antioxidants that help remove impurities from the body.

Consider stockpiling on these foods: garlic, onions, ginger, eggs, green vegetables, berries, yogurts, seaweed, and watercress. These foods will keep you hydrated, nourished and at the same time provide antioxidant properties that will help purify your body.

What to do when exposed to radiation

If you are already exposed to radiation, still follow the advice above and keep calm.

Avoid further exposure by washing your clothes and shoes. Most of your exposure is likely to be found in your external apparel. Change into new clean clothing and seek medical attention immediately as soon as it is proclaimed safe to move out of your location.

This article has been written by Joy Tochi for Survivopedia.

Photo sources: 123RF.com