How to Survive Nuclear Winter in the Wake of Mass Nuclear Explosions
Albert Einstein is often quoted as having said that "I know not with what weapons World War 3 will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones." Nuclear war is often something mankind refuses to ponder because they believe it to be the end of it all. The team here at MIRA Safety refuses to acknowledge that inevitability.
The global consequences of the mass release of nuclear weapons will be severe. Nuclear winter is no joke and nothing to be scoffed at. However, we believe in the power of mankind. We don't prepare the way we do because we think the end of humanity is inevitable.
We believe that humans can survive the fallout and consequences of nuclear war. Most importantly, we believe we can help humanity in that endeavor. Here's how to survive the day that most people refuse to even consider.
Surviving the Initial Strike of a Nuclear War The Initial Stages of Nuclear Winter The Medical Implications of Nuclear War Plan to Survive the Decade or Not at All How Likely is a Nuclear War in 2024? Beyond the First 30 Days of Nuclear Winter The Importance of Community in Nuclear Winter Prepare for the Social Order to Not Return Anytime Soon A Summary Conclusion of Surviving Nuclear WinterTable of Contents
Surviving the Initial Strike of a Nuclear War
In October of 1983, renowned scientist Carl Sagan and others introduced the world to the idea of nuclear winter. When smoke, dust, and ash is projected into the atmosphere the Earth will cool and life will become extremely difficult for every species. Humans are no exception.
Researchers Owen Toon and Richard Turco have concluded that a regional war with just 100 Hiroshima sized weapons would be a worldwide threat. A superpower confrontation with thousands of weapons would be catastrophic for the world.
This means that survival will be a one day at a time affair. If you find yourself underneath the immediate impact zone of a nuclear exchange, congratulations, your battle is over. What remains of you will become dust floating through the stratosphere and you have nothing to worry about.
A great deal of survival in the immediate aftermath in an exchange of nuclear warheads will boil down to luck. What happens after that is purely up to you and how much you have prepared for this day. If you have not prepared for this scenario, then perhaps it would have been better to go in the initial strike. It is going to be hard, but you can survive the effects of a nuclear war.
The Initial Stages of Nuclear Winter
The reality is that the initial stages of life when a nuclear weapon detonates will be remarkably similar to most natural disasters. The government will not be there to save the day and the next 72 hours are all on you. Do you have enough food, water, and medicine to ensure that you don't have to travel anywhere? If the answer is no, that's a problem.
With hospital resources overwhelmed at this point, your goal is now to not add to the problem. Radiation is going to be your immediate concern and you have to know where you can travel and where you cannot. As such, radiation detection is as important to you as water and food. A handheld Geiger Counter like the one we offer is worth its weight in gold.
Next is to understand that because the enemy didn't ask your permission before initiating global nuclear war, you may not be able to avoid the radiation. Exposure may be inevitable and as such, potassium iodide tablets are a necessity. Most people won't have them. You will and you will survive as a result. This is stage one. Survive the strike. Survive the week to come. Move on with the long-term in mind.
The Medical Implications of Nuclear War
The death toll of a nuclear exchange is horrifying, but the wounded and injured is a more terrifying prospect to consider. Buildings crumbling, bridges collapsing, and the devastation caused by the shockwave will be substantial. Trauma of all sorts will be the norm.
Next comes the thermal radiation and burns from the severe heat. Medical resources will be overwhelmed and a month's stay in the burn unit will not be an option. The images of burned bodies after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are hard to forget. Modern nuclear weapons are more than 30 times more powerful.
Next comes radiation sickness. Hair loss, fatigue, and immune depression. Dying from radiation sickness is a terrible affair and it is the inevitable fate for thousands and perhaps millions in the wake of a full-scale nuclear war.
Finally comes the famine and starvation. With food supplies and water sources contaminated from the nuclear fallout, this is where most suffer and die. Acute agricultural poisoning will become the norm and a global medical catastrophe will ensue. Surviving nuclear winter is not about surviving the initial blast. It is about long-term survival and nothing else.
(Image source: National Institutes of Health)
Plan to Survive the Decade or Not at All
This article is designed to help you survive nuclear winter. As such, we're not focusing on the short-term. Everything you have done to survive an earthquake, hurricane, or civil unrest will help you in the short-term. Apart from a Geiger counter and potassium iodide tablets, you don't need to change your short-term plan when the northern hemisphere is blanketed with nuclear weapons.
Survival of the human species and your family will be determined on how long you are prepared to survive. Nuclear winter is expected to last between 10 to 15 years. When the ozone is full of dust and debris, crops won't grow and the masses will starve. Sure, we'll see a drop in skin cancer due to ultraviolet radiation from the sun being blocked, but the life expectancy of the average human will plummet.
Immediately, though you may have a large stage of emergency MREs or other survival food, you have to start thinking about growing your own source of renewable food. Remember, survival is a decade long affair. Your emergency supplies buy you time. What you do with that time matters. Start preparing for the long-term right away.
How Likely is a Nuclear War in 2024?
Because surviving nuclear winter is a long-term affair, it will require considerable resources on your part. So, you may ask the question, how likely is this scenario in 2024. It is not fear mongering to stay that we are as close to a major nuclear exchange as we have ever been.
Dr. Gary Ackerman has long reported on the threat of a non-state actor obtaining a nuclear weapon. Russia just launched a new ICBM against Ukraine. China has completed military exercises where they have physically encircled Taiwan.
You assess for yourself just how close we are to nuclear war. Just know that back in 1983, Sagan, Ackerman, Pollack and more in a scientific group known as TTAPS warned us about this threat. It's been 40 years and the doomsday clock has only been moving closer to midnight as of late and not further away. Choose for yourself how you prepare. As for the team here at MIRA Safety, we're getting ready for the long-term.
Beyond the First 30 Days of Nuclear Winter
At this point, if you've survived the initial exchange of nuclear weapons and you are not on your deathbed from radiation poisoning, now comes the hard part. Without a doubt, most people have not prepared for the effects of a major nuclear war. Whatever food they had, they've run out. Safe water is scarce. Your fellow humans are now your greatest threat.
The climatic consequences of nuclear war are severe, but your concern right now is a hungry human. While you are preparing for the long-term, you have to be ready to defend yourself against your neighbor who is only concerned about the here and now.
Firearms, body armor, and ammunition will be premium assets in the months to come. You have to be able to survive the initial stage compared to those who were not prepared. This is no different than any long-term crisis you will face. Your neighbor tells funny jokes at the weekend BBQ. He will come for you when his children are hungry. Be ready to survive those who didn't prepare.
The Importance of Community in Nuclear Winter
Just as we suggested to start focusing on the long-term right away, so it is that one must focus on building community early into the affair. It is not the prepper with 10,000 rounds of ammo who will survive the decade. Rather, it will be the community with 100 rounds each who wins the day.
One person can't do it all. You've survived the immediate effects that follow a nuclear war. You've survived your fellow humans who didn't prepare and are coming for your supplies. Now, you need your fellow humans.
Start looking early on for the fellow prepared. Your job is not to take on the suburban dad who didn't bother to consider the needs of his own children. However, look out for the person who asks nothing of no one. Find the person who endured the nuclear fireballs with the same level of resilience as you and initiate the conversation.
Prepare for the Social Order to Not Return Anytime Soon
So much of the preparedness space focuses on surviving the immediate crisis. Nuclear winter is a different animal. It is not a matter of individual survival. Rather, it is a matter of species survival. The prospects of the nuclear winter hypothesis look grim for humanity. It is not going to be easy.
Modern cities would burn in the short-term, but a new ice age is what would result in the long-term when the average global temperatures drop. It is going to be difficult to grow and sustain agriculture. It will be difficult to sustain livestock.
The social order as you know it will be gone. Government as you know it will be nowhere to be found. Your family and our species' survival will come down to how well you prepared for this day with the long-term in mind. There is no good scenario one can draw up. Prepare, prepare, prepare, and when nuclear arms are unleashed on the world, prepare for the long-term survival of the species.
A Summary Conclusion of Surviving Nuclear Winter
Science and technology brought us nuclear weapons and yet, the survival of the human species will boil down to food and water. If you are not in the immediate blast zone of a thermonuclear weapon, surviving the impact will not be difficult. Just luck really.
If you have prepared for most survival scenarios, then surviving the first 30 days will not be that difficult. Have enough food and water to not rely on anyone and enough ammunition to outlive those who do not. It's beyond that where it gets really difficult.
Our best hope is that a limited regional nuclear war could be more likely than a full exchange between global superpowers. India nukes Pakistan and Pakistan retaliates. That is survivable for most of humanity. If Russia and the United States go all in, we're in the long-term survival game or not game at all. Either way, your only choice is to prepare, prepare, prepare. The team here at MIRA Safety is here to help to that end.
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