Surviving a nuclear attack would depend entirely on where you were at the time of the blast, and whether you got caught in it or not. Luckily, the chances of nuclear war are incredibly small and even though many countries collectively have tens of thousands of nuclear missiles, the only time a nuclear weapon has been used in warfare were the two atomic bombs dropped on Japan during the second world war. But nothing is impossible and with tensions rising round the world, so does the chance someone will finally push the launch button.
Stages of affect from a nuclear blast
Stages 1, 2 and 3 – The Blast
These all come in quick succession and involve the detonation site as stage 1, where the bomb actually explodes and vaporizes everything within its range. It is completely impossible to survive a stage 1 area of affect. Stage 2 is the main force of the explosion that first sends a huge shockwave followed by a wall of nuclear fire that will destroy anything in its path. The only way to survive this blast area is by being in something very, very heavily fortified, beyond the level of a sturdy concrete building.
Stage 3 involves the main force of the blast fading off, and being replaced by a huge pressure wave that shoots debris and nuclear particles for many miles. It is entirely possible to survive this stage by being in a strong building, or even a regular house.
Stage 4 – Initial fallout
Due to nuclear weapons containing enormous amounts of radiation, this all has to go somewhere when the explosion happens, and a lot of it gets thrown up into the air. This is the part where you’ll want to stay inside for a few days to avoid radioactive particles and debris from landing on you.
Stage 5 – Long term survival
After the initial destruction has passed, it is now time to do something to secure your long-term chances of staying alive by making a plan. Unfortunately, the plan would depend on a huge amount of factors, most important of which is where you are and what you have available to use, but there isn’t a single plan to suit everyone. Instead, hopefully the following questions and answers will help.
How much damage would a nuclear blast actually cause?
The largest nuclear weapon ever tested was the Russian Tsar bomb, which has a blast range big enough to completely wipe out the City of London and many of its neighbouring regions. An estimate of the damage it would cause is shown below:
What to do if you’re near a blast?
The first thing is to find the strongest place you can and hide in a corner. It’s important not to be anywhere near the centre of the room as the shockwave, blast or the pressure from it could send glass and other objects flying through the room faster than a bullet. Try to stay away from anything that can shatter or splinter, like wood, and remember it will be literally impossible to try and out-run it, so stay hidden and wait for the initial wave to pass.
What to do after a blast.
The short answer would be to get as far away from it as possible, along with staying away from any other cities. In the event of a nuclear war, countries would likely unleash everything they had and target as many of the enemies cities as possible, and several countries on earth possess enough missiles to hit every single city in the UK.
How long should I stay inside for after the explosion?
It would be preferable to wait for at leash 24 hours if possible, because most of the initial heavy particles would already have fallen to the ground, and the radiation in the air would have become weaker since the initial explosion.
Has anyone survived a nuclear bomb?
There were many people that survived the explosions from the atomic bombs dropped on Japan, but they were significantly weaker than the Tsar explosion above. The only person recognized by the Japanese government as surviving both the Hiroshima and Nagasaki explosions is a man called Tsutomu Yamaguchi, who is possibly one of the luckiest Japanese civilians of the entire war.
Tsutomu Yamaguchi, Died at the age of 93 after surviving two nuclear bombs.
In the most likely situation of nuclear war, there wouldn’t really be much of a point trying to make a long term plan, as it would likely be the end of the world. Even if you survived the many missiles that would rain down over the country, every single water source, acre of farmland and metal object would be too radioactive to go near, but these are things that people can’t really avoid. On the off-chance that it’s only a single missile attack, the following tips might help stop you from melting into a pile of green goo.
- Don’t use any kind of cream on exposed skin. Thick creams like moisturiser and make up can absorb radioactive particles in the air and collect them within the substance.
- Watch out for the wind if it’s coming from the direction of the blast site because it will contain a much higher level of radiation, so if you’re stuck somewhere permanently down-wind, then it’s time to move.
- Cover your mouth when outside to avoid breathing in the higher concentration of particles the air contains.
- Always close the doors to your shelter to stop radiation getting in easily, and put sheets or towels over the air vent to try and filter out as much as possible. It’s important to not let the outside air freely flow into your shelter.