Not really sure where this should go, so just going to put it under tips and hope for the best.

One of the things most on the minds of some people in this day and age of nuclear proliferation is surviving after a detonation goes off. Whether the detonation is set off by a legitimate government, a rouge nation, or terrorists to the common person who needs to deal with the effects during and after the detonation it will be the same.

On military made nuclear weapons, beyond the initial blast wave caused by such a detonation there is thermal radiation (high heat), and nuclear radiation which causes casualties. On a low tech weapon (A dirty bomb), the initial force of the blast and the thermal radiation will be minimal compared to a military tactical or strategic nuclear detonation.

Detonations can be normally classified in 3 types, Air burst, surface burst and underground detonation.

A surface burst is one where it is set off and the fireball reaches the surface, causing a crater. While Hiroshima and Nagasaki were low altitude are air bursts, they were very low level and the fireball did reach the ground making them a surface burst. A surface burst is the most dangerous type for those trying to survive afterwards, because the amount of particular matter drawn up into the blast and scattered through varying time around the area, from a few miles to longer ranges, depending on the bombs power.

A high altitude air burst (above 30,000 meters) poses the least concern through radiation and blast effects, but poses the most danger of EMP( Electrical Magnetic Pulse) effects. EMP will effect unshielded electronics and most likely burn the circuitry out.

Radiation associated with a nuclear burst include; Alpha Radiation, which travels only a few centimeters and poses only internal hazard if breathed in or ingested, Beta Radiation which travels only a few meters in the air and has limited penetration usually posing only a hazard to eyes and skin. Gamma Radiation, which travels at speed of light and which can only be shielded by heavy materials such as concrete, lead or steel. Neutron Radiation which can travel between hundreds of yards to several miles. Neutron Radiation acts as bullets which penetrate the human body at high speeds causing massive cell damage. Neutron radiation is best shielded with materials that contain hydrogen, like plastics, water and fuel.

A nuclear attack will most likely occur without any warning to the general public. It is doubtful even if the government knew before hand, they would warn citizens because of the panic which would ensure. I am not justifying it, just stating that this was the last known official policy I was aware of.

In the event of an burst, and you are not in the initial blast zone and have any warning that something major has happened, the first thing to do is drop to ground, face away form the blast point keeping feet pointed towards it, and cover your face with hands and arms. There should be a bright flash, which gives you a moment to react. Then there will be a wave of heat and wind which will come. A large part of the casualties expected form a nuclear attack will be from flying objects pushed by the blast wave and the heat. There will be a wave that may pass over you, and then a moment of calm and then a returning wave of wind and debris which will be caused by the vacuum of the initial blast wave. Once the second wave has passed you, it is time to move and move fast.

Depending on the distance you are and type of blast you may have minutes to hours to prepare or get to a better safer area. As always, the more distance you have from the blast, the better off you are. Getting under cover if you can not get out of area immediately is the best thing to do. A ditch is better then laying on the ground, a culvert is better then a ditch, a prepared fighting position is best if you have no better shelter and have to dig one yourself, quickly. Concrete buildings with basements are best, the Lower you are to ground or the lower below ground you are, the better your chances of surviving. No matter where you take cover, LAY DOWN as much as possible in the lowest area you can. Laying down will half the effects of the radiation you will may absorb.

Being in the center of a building will reduce your expose over being near a external wall if you are above ground. In a basement of a home or a building, you can reduce the exposure by a factor of 10, compared to being in the above ground portion of the home.

Radiation is accumulative. Each time you are exposed, you keep the damage and it accumulates until it becomes hazardous or fatal. Minimize your exposure.

For survival you must reduce your exposure as much as possible. This means making sure you have some kind of filtering device over nose and mouth. Even wet towels will capture dust particles and is better then just breathing in particulate matter. Having a air filtering mask with industrial filters is better, a military grade protective mask (think gas mask) is better yet, and having tanked air system is best of all.

A emergency plastic poncho can be used to help keep exposure to dust and small particles down. Trash bags can be used for the same thing. A bio hazard suit made of Tyvek is preferable with glove, bootie sand hood. They are fairly cheap and do not take up much room when stored.

If you have been outside and exposed, decontamination is a must. Strip off all clothing and jewelry. Gold is an isotope and are several other metals used to make jewelry. This means, they absorb radiation and they will become radioactive themselves. Get rid of it! Take anything you have been wearing and place it into trash bags and then into a marked trash can and place it as far away from people and living spaces as possible. Shower and get all dirt and dust off you. Pay particular attention to hair. All of this shower water has to be considered contaminated and must be placed into receptacles, marked, and then set as far away from people and living spaces as possible.

There are places you can go to buy radiation detection equipment, or buy books on how to build your own home made radiac meters from at home items. If you are concerned about nuclear detonations, having a means to check for radiation is a prudent move. Guessing is not the smartest way of going in deciding if something has been exposed and is dangerous or not.

Unlike what most people think, unless a material can be an isotope it will not become radioactive by exposure, but it may contaminated with radioactive particles, which you can clean off and then use the item safely. Canned food, bottled water, etc, may all be safely used, if you clean it off before opening the container. Fresh vegetables also can be used, if decontamination procedures are used.

Do not drink or use fresh milk provided by animals where they may be eating contaminated feed or grass. The milk with carry strontium and can kill you.

There are many books on the subject available on the subject if you wish to study further on the subject.

This article is to just get you thinking and hopefully, if your concerned about the subject, to prepare and gain knowledge and equipment to handle it.

I recently had printed (about 58 pages) "The KFM, A Homemade Yet Accurate and Dependable Fallout Meter" by Oak Ridge National Laboratory. KFM stands for 'Kearny Fallout Meter'. There were updates made so search for 'ORNL-5040 (Corrected)'.
Another good book is 'Nuclear War Survival Skills' by Cresson H. Kearny
Another good book is 'Maintaining Nutritional Adequacy During a Prolonged Food Crisis' by C.H. Kearny and K.B. Franz ORNL-5352