A flash of bright white light.
A mushroom cloud growing in the distance.
What do you do?
Where do you go?
From Lifehacker,
this is the Disaster Manual.
Your first move:
Find shelter and quickly.
Nuclear fallout moves fast so this must be your first priority—
especially if you're downwind from ground zero.
You only have about 15 minutes.
Look for shelter within the thickest,
most dense building material possible.
Brick or concrete is better than
wood or aluminum.
And the fewer the windows, the better.
If you can,
head underground to a cellar,
basement, or sub-basement.
Unless you think you can drive away from the area before your 15 minutes are up,
do not try to hide in a car or
any kind of vehicle.
Once you're inside,
stay away from doors and windows
and block them off with any dense materials you can find.
The idea is to be as far away and blocked off
from the outside as possible.
Remove your contaminated clothing,
seal it in a plastic bag,
and get it away from you and others.
Take a shower or wipe down exposed parts
of your body with a wet cloth.
And be sure not to scrub too hard
or scratch your skin.
Use shampoo and soap but
do not use hair conditioner.
It will bind radioactive material to
your hair and skin.
So you can't wash or wipe it away.
Once clean,
wipe every nook and cranny of your face
and ears to remove any leftover material.
You should expect to stay put for
at least 24 hours.
It could be a few days or
it could be a month.
It all depends on the radiation levels in your area.
When it's safe to leave,
you'll be instructed to do so by
emergency personnel.
While you wait,
make sure you only drink bottled water
and only eat food from sealed containers.
Listen to the radio to stay up to date
on where you can find help and eventually
get screened for contamination.
So keep calm and good luck.
