I don’t want to scare you but…

What if the unthinkable happened here?

If you live in or near a big city, this is for you. Imagine your kids are at school, you are at work several miles away and there is suddenly a flash of bright light and the sound and tremble of an explosion—a nuclear explosion. What you do in the next few minutes and hours may mean the difference between life and death or serious injury.
Because the explosion may cause outages of power and communications systems, there may not be time or means for local officials to warn the public about how to avoid dangerous exposure to radiation. You have to take care of yourself until you can get more information through radio or emergency alert messages.
You probably remember the public relations debacle early in the life of the Department of Homeland Security when officials told Americans to buy plastic sheeting and duct tape to prepare themselves for a terrorist attack. The world laughed. Worse yet, people worried about making rooms so airtight that families risked suffocation. So, how do we talk about what to do in the event of nuclear or radiological bomb or accident without a) scaring the bejeezus out of you or b) creating more fodder for the Daily Show?
The bottom line is that the chances of being killed or injured by a terrorist attack of any sort is relatively low, so we shouldn’t panic or rule our lives by fear. Still, 9/11 and the Boston bombings serve as a reminder that it’s a good idea to educate yourself and your family about basic protective actions you can take after an explosion—especially if you live near a big city or other potential target. We participate in fire drills and practice duck and cover if we live in earthquake country. It’s time we talk about what to do after an explosion.
While the explosion itself would be obvious, the presence of radiation may not be known until trained responders with specialized equipment arrive. People cannot see, smell, hear, feel or taste radiation. The radioactive material in fallout can be carried long distances by wind before it falls back to the earth. Whether you are indoors or outdoors, home or at work, it’s safer to assume radiological contamination is present at the outset after an explosion. What should you do?

Remember 3 things:
1. Go inside 2. Stay inside and 3. Stay tuned

1. Cover your mouth with your shirt and get inside and stay inside a building—a brick or concrete structure is best. Go to the basement or an interior space—away from windows or doors.

2. Remove your outer layer of clothing. That can remove up to 90% of radioactive material. If possible, shower and change into clean clothes. Bag up the removed clothes.

3. Stay tuned to television, radio, or internet news for updates and instructions from public safety officials.

If radioactive contamination is confirmed, you should plan to stay in your initial shelter for at least 12–24 hours or until authorities tell you that it is safe to go outside.
If you are a parent, you’ll want to get out to pick up your kids from school and assure yourself they are safe — you must resist that urge for your wellbeing and theirs. They are safer staying indoors sheltered at their school or daycare until public safety officials announce it is okay to go out or evacuate. Do you know what your children’s school disaster plan is? Now is a good time to communicate with your daycare or school to assure yourself that they have a good plan and resources to care for your children if sheltering in place is necessary.
What’s your plan to reunite with your family after a disaster that hits while you are at work? Do your kids know what that plan is? Sometimes we get nervous about talking to our kids about emergencies. You can empower your children with information and education about how to behave and protect themselves in emergencies so they will actually be less afraid. Do the people who care for your children during the day have emergency contact information for relatives or friends whom you’ve designated to assist if you can’t be reached? Pick at least one contact who lives outside the immediate area. Have you signed up to get emergency alert text messages from your local government? Texts may be the only way to communicate when systems are overrun and power is out.
Lastly, did you ever get around to putting together an emergency kit at home and at work? If possible, you should keep a battery- or hand crank-operated radio, a flashlight, food, water and medicine to last you and your family for at least one day and possibly longer.
I’ll say it again. I don’t want to scare you. But isn’t it better to know in advance the simple things you can do that might save your life if it really did happen here?

photo credit: U.S. Army Air Forces Photographer, Library of Congress