Specs. for you bunker., page 1

This handy British brochure says that 18 inches of earth is enough to cut your exposure down to 16 rads in the first hour, from a reasonable "briefcase nuke," which means a total of less that 100 rads in the first 24 hours, which is safely survivable.

I advocate a modified "tornado shelter" (that's what I tell the in-laws and neighbors) that is not under the house itself, but protrudes from it, with one entrance in the basement and the other from the garden. With enough earth on top of it (compost pile), you begin to make some real gains against the rads per hour dosages of fallout. The main thing to consider is what a fallout-trap your house becomes in the days following a radioactive dustcloud. You don't want any of the rainwater from a tarred roof, and you really don't want to breathe air from inside the home after a week or so--the outdoor air will be safer at that point.

The brochure above is quite good.

Here's the link to my thread about building your own fallout meter, which is much more valuable than a geiger counter in figuring out when it's safe to go outside (or stay inside!). And it doesn't use batteries!

.

Originally posted by Anubis Kanubis
In areas of fallout or thick nuclear radiation, hunkering down for a minimum of 13 days is necessary to allow the half-life cycle to render a radiated area safe.

I disagree completely and vehemently.

As I've posted in this survival thread, it all depends on the level of fallout you're being exposed to. Since the level of radiation decreases geometrically on an hourly basis, you'd only need shelter for three days, max for anything other than a near hit from a Russian or American-made strategic nuke of the 100+ megaton variety--most of which have been dismantled,a anyway. Not the sort of weapons that terrorists or rogues states are likely to deploy.

reply to post by dr_strangecraft

---

Don't disagree with me, disagree with the half life of radioactive compounds.

From Fema.Gov:

The three factors for protecting oneself from radiation and fallout are distance, shielding, and time.

*
Distance - the more distance between you and the fallout particles, the better. An underground area such as a home or office building basement offers more protection than the first floor of a building. A floor near the middle of a high-rise may be better, depending on what is nearby at that level on which significant fallout particles would collect. Flat roofs collect fallout particles so the top floor is not a good choice, nor is a floor adjacent to a neighboring flat roof.
*
Shielding - the heavier and denser the materials - thick walls, concrete, bricks, books and earth - between you and the fallout particles, the better.
*
Time - fallout radiation loses its intensity fairly rapidly. In time, you will be able to leave the fallout shelter. Radioactive fallout poses the greatest threat to people during the first two weeks, by which time it has declined to about 1 percent of its initial radiation level.

Continuing on.... It does have to do with the blast, so you are right...

After a Nuclear Blast
Decay rates of the radioactive fallout are the same for any size nuclear device. However, the amount of fallout will vary based on the size of the device and its proximity to the ground. Therefore, it might be necessary for those in the areas with highest radiation levels to shelter for up to a month.

The heaviest fallout would be limited to the area at or downwind from the explosion, and 80 percent of the fallout would occur during the first 24 hours.

People in most of the areas that would be affected could be allowed to come out of shelter within a few days and, if necessary, evacuate to unaffected areas.

[edit on 12/8/2007 by Anubis Kanubis]

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