What has brought on the development of this emergency action plan is the increasingly likely event of a major man-made catastrophe in or around the Washington D.C. metro area. The fact is that the world around us is spiraling toward complete destabilization. Economic factors are the most recent and disturbing contributors to the destabilization of the world. The elections, while an admitted and necessary distraction for the public, I fear will produce no real difference in the operation of our country. In one case, a man will be elected that will use even more extensive force to ensure the dominance of the U.S. in the world theatre, ironically spinning more and more countries against us and making the fight an even more uphill battle. In the other case, the elected man will most likely be eliminated by either psychotic constituents or the power elite, either way his demise would be used as an excuse for further aggression against an assuredly under-defined enemy. In any of these scenarios coupled with a continuing financial meltdown in the only remaining superpower, other countries may choose to exploit perceived weaknesses. In an even worse case we may use force to pre-emptively strike other nations to prevent the perception of said weakness, inviting coalitions to form against us and solidifying the danger of the use of weapons of mass destruction on both sides of the conflict.
In any case, I believe that this may be the most dangerous time we have encountered in our history. The Cold War was notably an extremely dangerous time, but both superpowers recognized that if war occurred, mutually assured destruction would inevitably result. The Soviet Union didn't require the quality hardware that the United States possessed. In fact there were sufficient nuclear weapons available on both sides to end humanity by simply blowing them up in place, no launch required, and the nuclear winter would take care of the rest of humanity at a slow but steady pace. The fact is that the world now has one superpower, and it is becoming less understanding of the dominance of one nation over all. Granted, the power elite around the world have a lot invested in the United States, but that becomes less a motivator when the dollar crashes and the assets they bought in the United States vaporize as the economy grows weaker and weaker. And so it goes, we all as the human race march to our inevitable doom, because at our very core we are insatiably greedy and despicable creatures.
But I, for one, plan to survive as long as possible. Just because humanity is some macabre failed experiment concocted by Mother Nature doesn't mean I want to personally go the way of the dinosaurs. The fall of mankind is likely to be a long and drawn out affair, with possibly millions to a billion being wiped out all at once with the rest limping on for a while. So I'm starting this log first as an emergency action plan and second as a document detailing my lifelong obsession with surviving nuclear holocaust. I've been thinking about this a long time, and I wanted to get as much information as possible to increase the survival probabilities of myself and my family. So, without further rambling . . .
The Situation
For now, I will simply assume a situation and try to ascertain the relevant effects and correct actions for that situation. Since Soviet MIRV warheads have a range of power ranging from 500 to 750 kilotons (http://www.cdi.org/nuclear/database/nukestab.html), I will assume the case of 500 kilotons ground burst, since if an air burst occurs at this magnitude or above the pooch is pretty much screwed. I plugged this into the HYDESim blast effect calculator (http://meyerweb.com/eric/tools/gmap/hydesim.html) and came up with the following blast radii. It even afforded me a google maps destructogram. So outside the beltway we're all good, except for all of our windows being shattered and subsequently crapping a brick when we awake to see a gigantic mushroom cloud over what used to be a pretty cool place to hang out. Plus our city friends have been either vaporized or crushed by the barometric pressure, the lucky bastards.
| 15 psi: | 1.25 miles |
|---|---|
| 5 psi: | 2.3 miles |
| 2 psi: | 4.03 miles |
| 1 psi: | 5.94 miles |
| 0.25 psi: | 15.24 miles |
| 0.1 psi: | 31.22 miles |
Overpressure Key
| 15 psi | Complete destruction of reinforced concrete structures, such as skyscrapers, will occur within this ring. Between 7 psi and 15 psi, there will be severe to total damage to these types of structures. |
|---|---|
| 5 psi | Complete destruction of ordinary houses, and moderate to severe damage to reinforced concrete structures, will occur within this ring. |
| 2 psi | Severe damage to ordinary houses, and light to moderate damage to reinforced concrete structures, will occur within this ring. |
| 1 psi | Light damage to all structures, and light to moderate damage to ordinary houses, will occur within this ring. |
| 0.25 psi | Most glass surfaces, such as windows, will shatter within this ring, some with enough force to cause injury. |
If you live through the first part, on comes the fun of radioactive fallout, which the effects can be calculated for varying wind speed and direction at http://www.fas.org/programs/ssp/nukes/nuclear_weapon_effects/falloutcalc.html. Using 15 mph winds headed straight for Baltimore from Washington D.C. and the 500 kt blast, here are the results for contours of 1, 25, and 300 REM given by the simulator.
Based on the following table, obtained from http://www.atomicarchive.com/Effects/radeffectstable.shtml, as long as you're not in the smallest contour, you'll be ok. At least for now. If you are there, you're toast but most likely have been either incinerated or crushed by flying debris or the building imploding on your hapless corpse.
Effects of Radiation Levels on the Human Body
| Dose-rem | Effects |
|---|---|
| 5-20 | Possible late effects; possible chromosomal damage. |
| 20-100 | Temporary reduction in white blood cells. |
| 100-200 | Mild radiation sickness within a few hours: vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue; reduction in resistance to infection. |
| 200-300 | Serious radiation sickness effects as in 100-200 rem and hemorrhage; exposure is a Lethal Dose to 10-35% of the population after 30 days (LD 10-35/30). |
| 300-400 | Serious radiation sickness; also marrow and intestine destruction; LD 50-70/30. |
| 400-1000 | Acute illness, early death; LD 60-95/30. |
| 1000-5000 | Acute illness, early death in days; LD 100/10. |
So, we've survived the initial blast, moved all our supplies and weaponry into the basement, and sealed off as much of the basement and house as possible with plastic sheeting and duct tape. A layer of plastic was also installed in the attic before any fallout could accumulate. Wind direction was monitored to ensure that the house is not directly downwind from the initial explosion, and that the wind does not change for the worse. If wind is favorable, stay put, but if it changes, it's time to stick your neck out . . . . big time.
If the wind is coming directly for you from the point of impact, evacuate the area immediately. Use any motorized vehicle to get as far as possible from the projected path of the radiation. If necessary, use bicycles or motorcycles to get to the C&O canal and keep going as long as possible. Carry enough supplies and ammunition for protection and four days of travel. Ration all available resources. If possible find a way to a refugee encampment. If no federal encampments have been made then find your way to nearest relatives or friends well outside of the blast zone. If necessary, and with any information necessary, make contact with relatives at homes still intact and well outside of the blast and fallout zones.
Supplies needed:
The cornerstone of any survival package is equipment and supplies. The necessary equipment will vary depending on the situation on the ground. First, we consider what we would need if we decide to ride it out in the basement or another suitable fallout shelter. The stay will be of a significant duration, perhaps weeks, and should provide all of the necessary supplies for protection and immediate evacuation if necessary.
Food: 2000 calories for 21 days + 3000 calories / day for 4 days emergency evacuation supplies, preferably concentrated
Water: 2 gallons per day for 21 days + 2 liters / day for 4 days emergency evacuation supplies. Portable water treatment filter.
First Aid: Medical first aid kit, iodine capsules to last for 21 days, sterilization alcohol, sewing kit.
Ammunition: 250 rounds handgun, 100 rounds shotgun, 100 rounds rifle + 100 rounds HG, 50 rounds SG, and 50 rounds rifle for evacuation.
Shelter: tent and sleeping bags for evacuation if necessary.
Transport: 2X bicycles for emergency evacuation if motorcycle is not available. If motorcycle is available, ride two people on bike with extra fuel can, supplies in storage bags and backpack on passenger. Both passengers should be armed at all times with similar weapons. Long range weapons should be stowed but easily accessed if necessary. Use routes that are nonconventional and unlikely. Try to stay out of path of projected fallout with best information available. After danger zone is cleared, move only at night if on bike or foot to avoid contact with nonfriendly units.
Communication: 5 mile walkie talkies at all homes of family members. Set a common signal station to ensure ability to contact family members. Radio for government updates and information. All electronics should be kept in a hardened container (metal box enclosing all electronics) such as safe to minimize effects of EMP pulse. Hand actuated recharger for batteries is a must, plus extra stores of current non-rechargeable batteries for all equipment.
Of course if you don't want to go through all the trouble, you only need one round. I recommend the soft point .30-06 for giving your ceiling a fresh paint job.