up as that 1936 Ford starting that is parked behind your garage your spouse never misses a week demanding to know “what year are you going to start restoring that hunk of junk?” So the former U.S.S.R. “nuclear engineers” (many were junior technicians or not even technicians but they have a badge in Russian that says “nuclear” so they collect $200,000 from terrorists each month to act like they are “maintaining” that equivalent of an hunk of junk 1936 Ford. On the other hand, the estimate of the total number of nuclear weapons in the world is 23,335 (who took THAT count!). It only takes ONE to ruin the day of millions of people. “Nuclear” anything remains a real threat as country after country race to join the “club” of having nuclear weapons in their arsenal so this is NOT a “past tense” danger. “Experts” (exactly who are these mysterious “experts”?) claim the chances of at least one nuclear blast occurring in a densely packed urban area within the next twenty years to be 100%. So definitely prepare for nuclear radiation. Fortunately, the danger and longevity of nuclear radiation is vastly overblown by our wonderful bunch of scare mongers in Hollywood and Washington D.C. Unless you are in the damage zone, follow the instructions in this book buying and using all the equipment specified and stay upwind from nuclear clouds and you’ll be fine. Your life will be forever changed and survival in future years may be almost impossible but, near-term, you’ll be fine.
Unless you are in the actual blast area where buildings are damaged and people hurt or killed, your concern for some time will be radiation fall out. By the time it hits the ground it has already begun to decay (spent radiation). Still, depending upon the type of radiation, it can range from very dangerous and long-lasting to not dangerous and no longer harmless after a relatively short period of time. I encourage you to go to the page on “nuclear fallout” on the Wikipedia Web site and print it out for reading and reference. It may not be needed or may become invaluable. That’s the way information is!
Also, depending on how serious you wish to treat radiation beyond PI tablets, physical precautions, cleanliness and N95 masks you may wish to purchase anything from full Geiger counters to radiation monitor cards (they turn colors indicating how much radiation they’ve been exposed to – not accurate like a Geiger counter but also much less expensive. There are always a large number of circa 1955 vintage Civil Defense detectors for sale on eBay and several on-line stores. The government bought millions of these back then and, today, are selling them as junk in surplus auctions. You’ll read the words “untested” on almost all of them. That means they don’t work and are junk. The buyers of these auction lots may find one in 50 that works and then prices it accordingly. There are now new technology radiation detectors and monitors that are good value for the prices charged. But the prices are still not cheap so invest in such equipment if you wish. Perhaps if your group is a member of several nearby other groups you can go together to buy equipment. Radiation at your house is going to be the same level as at the next safe area of a friend two blocks away you communicate with using a walkie-talkie radio. In fact, there are a number of more expensive items groups may want to consider buying together. Google the term “Geiger counter” and start from there. But I would encourage you to buy new and not waste your money on Civil Defense cast offs from 1955.
There are many things to consider when it comes to radiation. Once it enters the food chain you are vulnerable to it no matter how well you’ve protected your thyroid. That goes for eating plants (you’ve been able to grow some of your own food or you found a great patch of wild berries that are safe to eat - or maybe not. If you munch on a radioactive