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Bruce

DEDICATION
This pamphlet Is dedicated to Premier Bill Davis: the Solicitor General of
Ontario George Taylor; and the other cabinet ministers of Ontario to whom the
responsibility of nuclear preparedness has been shifted by the Federal Government
Gift copies are being offered to these honorable persons and also to the Prime
Minister of Canada and the members of the Federal Cabinet. Gift copies are
also being offered to certain other InftuenUal opinion makers In hopes of ameliorating
the effects of this Abomination of Desolation.
YOU WILL SURVIVE DOOMSDAY

Copyright Information
This pamphlet Is copyrighted. You are welcome to reproduce It. however.
for FREE distribution In whatever quantity you desire and by whatever means
you desire so long as you reproduce the entire pamphlet. Extensive quotes
are also welcomed so long as credit Is properly given.
Our purpose In publishing this pamphlet Is to ameliorate the effects of
a nuclear holocaust for as many people as we can reach. and to locate as
many people as we can who are willing and able to Join our nuclear survival
group.

Additional quantities of this pamphlet are available at very low prices.


(For example $100 per thousand. which Includes postage). Inquiries for orders
of twenty or more are Invited.

The cover price on the pamphlet goes almost entirely to the several levels
of Individuals In the distribution chain. mostly students. They all work hard for
their money and deserve what they get. No one Is getting rich off this pamphlet.

These are hardened underground computer


MYTH .1: Almost everyone will and communication sites that may require
suddenly be killed on doomsday. several bombs to wipe them out. Given
the number Of missiles that may be
DOOMSDAY Intercepted the Russians have sent a
handful.
You will survive doomsday. And here
you thought that if It ever happened the A better way to wipe out the
bomb would fall right on you. Probably communications of North America Is to
not. It will more likely go like this. just explode four thermonuclear devices
at a high altitude over the continent These
One day. the Inferior Russian computers will generate the EMP (Electro Magnetic
may make a mistake and decide that the Pulse) that will knock out most electric
U.S. has already launched a pre-emptory and electronic devices tied Into the power
attack against Russia. The U.S. warning grids. It will also knock out any new
system has made that same sort of mistake devices that contain IC's <Integrated
many times and a number of times we circuits) and that have an antenna over
have gotten just minutes away from thirty Inches long. That means that your
launching our retaliation before the mistake car radio. portable radio. and television
was discovered. Who is to say the Russians will be inoperable. even If the power ever
will always be so smart? does come back on.

Forty minutes after a missile Is All over the continent the power
launched from Russia It will be landing and lights will suddenly go Off. If you
on Its target in North America. Before happen to be listening to a battery
this occurs the U.S. has just minutes within operated old tube type radio (when did
which to respond or it will be caught you last see one of those?) that Is tuned
with Its missiles down. The hotline to Into a 'hardened' transmitter sight (I don't
Russia happens to be not working (this know where you will find one) that transmits
has also happened a number of times (fat chance) the EBS (Emergency Broadcast
before.> That Is one of the factors that Signal) then you will know that doomsday
entered Into the Russians decision to has begun.
launch.
Otherwise you will be standing out
So. what's his name In the White there with the rest of us survivors saying.
House reaches for a 1ellybean and pushes "Nice day. eh? Strange the power WOUld
the button. Interception missiles of course go off on a nice day like this." Silence.
try to stop the Russian missiles before The sun will continue to shine. and the
they reach their first two primary targets. birds will sing. and the breezes will blow
NORAD (NORthern Air Defense) and you will stili not know that they have
Headquarters In Colorado Springs. Colorado a bit of a prOblem up In North Bay. They
and Its backup at North Bay. OntariO. are no longer there. Silence.
2
YOU WILL SURVIVE DOOMSDAY

Eventually word may drift In. On the can, while trying to not stir up panic.
chance that there Is something to the "Yes. I understand the cash registers
rumour you decide to try to call someone. aren't working but please let me Just help
Your spouse. a friend. a relative. Don't you add this up by hand. No, that's fine
bother. Silence. The telephone Isn't working just keep the change."
either. Even if the EMP hadn't done it
in a mere power outage causes such Then, of course. if everything is really
an overload of demand on the central this calm we can take that good old plastiC
exchange that you couldn't even get a credit card and go out and buy all the
dial tone. good survival stuff that we are going to
need and should have gotten beforehand.
You are a survivor. Doomsday has Don't worry about paying for It, no one
occurred and you are a survivor. While Is ever going to send you a bill. Getting
you are waiting for the spouse and kids the stuff home may be a bit of a problem
to get home maybe you should do If the car Isn't working (the EMP. may
something practical. Uke go down to the have wiped out that fancy electronic
supermarket and lay In a bit of an extra Ignition). "No, that's fine. You don't need
stock. to deliver It. I'll just put It here In my
little red wagon." But you sure don't want
You may notice that the little corner to lug It all the way up to your
store has closed. If he has believed the thirty-second 1100r apartment. If there is
rumour. He wants to save his stock. and somewhere safe that you can stash It.
besides. your money may not be worth "Can you really believe that people are
anything tomorrow. You thought you had staying this calm? How is It that we seem
seen rapid Inflation before but this Is to be so much smarter than the rest?"
like from zero to a million In sixty seconds.
More than likely you are now back
At the supermarket. If you are early home and all you have is the fifty pound
enough. you will find pandemonium. If bag of dog food. Are you really going
not you will find practically nothing. Maybe to be able to carry it up to your
a large bag of dog food <take It) and thirty-second floor apartment? You know
some cans of floor wax (forget It>. The the elevators aren·t working of course.
rest of the stuff was all In those carts Then maybe you could hide It In the trunk
that you met come flying up the walk of your car in the garage- If no one
as you came running down. sees you.
Ah. back home In the apartment.
There won't be any girls at the cash Home sweet home. The kids are home
registers, (they have done their shopping from schOOl now. 00 you have enough
and gone) and besides the cash registers guts after that scene at the supermarket
aren't working anyhOW. with no power. to send them out to do some more
It may have taken the hired manager a scavenging? It Isn't exactly a party going
little longer to figure out that he should on out there. Old you see Watts. Detroit.
grab what he can and head home to Washington D.C.. and Baltimore after some
his family. but he has probably gone now. of their similar parties? I did. I think I
The only cops you will see are the one's would keep the kids home. Not much you
grabbing stuff themselves. can do except to walt for the spouse
to walk home. Shouldn't be more than
If on the way back you spot a shopping a few hours.
basket with something In It. -think twice
before helping yourself. If there Is an II The spouse finally makes it home.
altercation there are probably no doctors What do you mean all you got is fifty
at the hospital to sew up the lacerations. pounds of dog food? We don't even have
Everyone else Is also too busy to bother a dog." The electricity Isn't on. we can't
calling an ambulance If they COUld. and cook anything anyway. Best to eat
one wouldn't be available If they did. everything out of the refrigerator before
It spoils. Won't be anymore water as soon
Of course the trip to the supermarket as the gravity feed tanks on the roof empty.
may have been nothing like that at all. Hope you saved a few pot's full. If everyone
It may have just been a bit more active filled up their bathtubs- Its all gone. It's
than usual but if most people haven't gotte~ cold. Might as well go to bed.
caught on yet then we are very lucky. There s no light to see anything by anyway.
You Just keep mumbling under your breath. Certainly not going out In those streets
"Good people. good people. -that's the In this dark with all that noise going on
way. -that's the way, Just stay calm." down there. Hopefully. everything will look
This way we can just go about doing brighter In the morning.
wha.t we have to do as quickly as Vie
3
YOU WILL SURVIVE DOOMSDAY

Day Two Ellmmate the Jews. Sock it to the Japs.


Women. children. babies. -everybody goes.
Morning comes early with the noise
of people throwing pots and pans over Now the problem with countervalue
the sides of their balconies along with warfare Is if everybody knows they are
the blankets. pillows and other things that either going to win or die. some people
it saves them carrying down. Apparantly can get very tough. So maybe the best
some of the residents are moving out. thing is to knockout the military forces
Perhaps you should too. and hold the cities as hostage. "Now,
either surrender or we bomb the cities."
Everything looks better In the light Anyway, the Cities aren't generally the
doesn't it? T.V. still doesn't come on. first targets.
Telephone isn't working either. And you
know what- the toilet doesn't flush. Can't And so here we sit. Unscratched,
cook anything. Got to eat what you've the day after doomsday. But we can see
got. See. that wasn't so bad. Make It some problems on the horizon. Very
sort of a picnic. Eat It right out of the 'lOSSlbly the city Is going to be bombed
can. There Is not going to be any water In the next day or two. Even If It Isn't.
to wash dishes. how can we stay here? The electricity
Is off. The heat Is off. The water Is off.
But see. we survived doomsday. Didn't And It Isn't coming back on. The elevators
even see an explosion. hear a bomb, aren't working. For older people Its. "If
or anything. Maybe we should sit down we go down (if we can go down) we
together and try to figure out what we can't come back up."
are going to do from here. The bombs
may stili be coming. Probably are. There Is no more food In the grocery
store. And there won't be any more.
If the attacker's plans have gone (Unless you believe your government. which
according to schedule they have probably says they will start delivering It in about
finished with their primary targets. They two weeks- wanta bet?). Then there Is
have hit the three Titan Wings In Kansas. that horrible stuff called fallout that Is
Missouri and Arkansas (three wings, going to start showing up in about
eighteen missiles each. for a total or twenty-four to forty-eight hours.
fifty-four) or the things have landed In
Russia by now. so why bother. They have Now, we have all seen or heard
certainly been knocking the beJammers about the book and the movie "On The
out of Montanna and the Dakotas. Can't Beach", and Beach himself shows up
hear or see a thing from here of course. with the 'solution', A pocket full of cyanide
pills. If you want one he will give you
Then they will start on the secondary one for each of your kids or grand kids.
targets. All the SAC (Strategic Air There Is only one catch. There are only
Command) bases both in the U.S. and so many and I don't want them wasted.
around the rest of the world. Oh, they So you will have to line up each of your
have lots to keep them busy for a while. children or grandchildren in a row and
Cities themselves are pretty far down the pop It down their throats right while I
list. Maybe they won't even go for them. am here. How many of you will do It?
Any airport with over a ten thousand foot "Here Is your vitamin. Open wlde--- "
runway Is pretty Important however because
old SAC could land and refuel their bomber No?? Then you really are a survivor.
there. So you know where that puts us. Here you always said you hoped the bomb
They will probably get around to us In would fall right on you and then when
the next dSy or two. I offered you an easy out-- Oh. well It
won't be that bad. A world without
There are two strategies of warfare. electricity. automobiles. radio, television,
One Is called counterforce and the other telephones. and supermarkets. And maybe
Is called countervalue. With counterforce eventually with only twenty million people
you knockout the enemy's forces so he In north America. <They won't all be
can't harm you. This can be very Canadians).
chivalrous like the fighting codes of the
knights of old. You never harm the women But then, that Is the kind of world
and children. that was here In 1800. The people then
didn't have cars. supermarkets. movies.
On the other hand, with countervalue, T.V.. radio. telephones. modern medicine.
you go after everything the enemy holds airplanes. rockets, and computers. And
dear In order to demoralize him. This they survived. They may have even enjoyed
was the technique of the Mongolian hordes. life. Maybe even more than many people
Take no prisoners. Eliminate the enemy. do today with all their drugs. tranquilizers.
The only good Indian Is a dead Indian. and what have you.
4
YOU WILL SURVIVE DOOMSDAY

People generally are survivors. Put and no eqUipment. The average designated
them out on an Ice flo in the middle public shelter is supposed to shelter over
of the arctic with no expectation of rescue. three thousand people. Can you Imagine
no supplies, -nothing, and they will hold the anarchy and conditions there? Without
on. Some will even survive until they food. the first to die will be Infants who
happen to be rescued. are not being breast fed. Other early
candidates will be persons who require
So you are a survivor and you survived special medications (especially the elderly>
doomsday. But you will eventually die. and anyone who happens to be injured.
We will all eventually die. That Is the
nature of this world. The question Is not Not onlr will deaths have negative
whether or not you will die. but how long psychologica effects on the survivors.
you will live. and what will life be like they will create severe sanitation problems.
during that time. There will be enough sanitation problems
anyway If the water and sewage systems
So you have survived. And If you are not working. Most of the designated
and your kids are going to continue to shelter locations do not have sanitary
survive you had better get the heck out provision for three thousand people in
the first place.
of the city. Not only is there the posslblillty
that there will be bombs but those little
scenes down at the supermarket. or One of the greatest hazards In an
anywhere else a little bit of food happens underground shelter Is carbon dioxide
to show up, are going to become more poisoning. The designated public shelters,
and more unpleasant as anarchy prevails. almost without exception, do not have
adequate ventilation for large numbers
Moreover. without the toilets flushing of people over a considerable period of
and with no one removing the dead bodies. time. And the existing ventilation systems
health conditions are really going to reach generally depend upon electricity being
a state you Just wouldn't want me to available.
describe. So. off to the country. But. how?
And. where? There are ventilation defense and
survival techniques available. However.
Before actually departing for the country if you were to try to Implement them In
let us further consider the alternative of a large public shelter situation you would
staying In the city. Perhaps you are probably be one of the first persons killed
convinced that the Russians would never by the other survivors. The reason Is that
really get around to bombing your city. most people have misconceptions about
Or you feel you have sufficient underground either the air becoming radioactive, or
shelter If they do. Nothing. of course, containing radioactive particles that they
would protect you If there were a direct feel would be more dangerous than the
hit on your shelter. but a good bomb carbon dioxide.
shelter could certainly give you very good
protection as little as five miles from Add to these problems the fact that
ground zero. you might not have any light In the shelter.
that anarchy may become rampant. and
The trouble Is that subways and that there will almost certainly be no food,
underground garages are not designed and perhaps. more Importantly. no water
as blast shelters. They do not have blast and you will see why no trained survivalist
vents and doors. Anyone In such a place would want to be caught dead In the
at the time of blast within a couple of place.
miles distance of ground zero will be
subjected to a phenomenon called Returning to one's own high rise
popcornlng. Minute particles of greatly apartment. after the danger of blast is
accelerated sand will cause blisters to past. gives much more favourable
pop out all over exposed parts of the opportunities for continued survival than
body. This, combined with several other given by remaining In a public shelter.
pathological mechanisms. will probably If you are ten or fifteen stories above
result In a rather painful death within the ground the distance will probably
a few days. adequately protect you from any radiation
from the fallout on the ground. If there
are ten or more stories above your head
Although the blast protection In an then that distance will also protect you
underground shelter is much superior to from fallout on the roof.
being above ground there are reasons
that one Is better off staying In their The apartment dweller should try
high-rise apartment rather than going to secure an Inner room without any
to a large public shelter if they feel there windows. A blast fifteen or more miles
is little or no danger of blast.
The public sheiters have no supplies 5
YOU WILL SURVIVE DOOMSDAY
away will knock out the windows and It Those who have most prepared
Is the glass shards that will kill most themselves and have made the best plans
people. Pulling drapes and blinds are should pray that their flight does not come
all helpful defenses. A blast wave will In the winter. During a storm. or severely
be preceded by a brilliant flash of light. cold weather. It Is very likely that many
The survivor will have from several seconds more persons may be kIlled by exposure
to three or four minutes. depending upon than by any other single cause. The roads
the distance from the blast. to duck behind and highways will most likely be Jammed.
a sofa or to take other shelter. If there has been an explosion In the
vicinity then overpasses and utility lines
Training oneself to take similar may have been dropped onto the roadways
immediate defensive action can also help making them unusable.
give protection from the Intense thermal
radiation that accompanies a nuclear blast. Even without a blast having occurred.
and that can start fires fifteen to twenty traffic jams. accidents. or vehicles just
miles from ground zero. Fires. In running out of gas, will probably create
themselves. can be a problem and If you bottlenecks that completely clog the roads.
are downwind from a large fire or firestorm Once people find themselves just sitting
you have to watchout for carbon monoxide there not moving they will abandon their
poisoning. vehicles. My guess Is you can forget using
an automobile for escape unless you had
Fire defense techniques are generally a plan and Immediately Implemented it
well known so I will not dwell upon them before the general panic set in.
here. One thing you need not do. Is call
the fire department. If you could. There A motorcycle. motorscooter. or even
Is little they could do. if they were stili a bicycle might otter certain advantages
around. without central water supplies. over an automobile. One might carry a
But the thing you can do. Is Improvise smaller form of conveyance on a larger
closings to seal off all the apartments one and then Implement the smaller means
above you. and those Immediately below of conveyance. such as a bicycle. when
you. so that fallout will not blow In and that became the necessity.
settle on the floors over your head. or
otherwise near you. The most dependable means of escape
would probably remain walking. If one
Now. It may be possible to organize had to walk all the way out. and they
your activities with other survivors to were In any physical shape at all. they
become a cliff dweller like those of old. could surely do It In two or three days.
A bucket on a rope might be used to Once again. proper preparation can make
haul up water gotten from a nearby stream all the difference. Proper walking gear.
or pond. and waste could be let down proper survival clothing. a planned escape
In the same way. route. proper selection of materiel to be
packed. and proper allocation of loads.
Some Ingenuity may be required In
providing heat and light. but If you really And as before. there are better
have sufficient supplies of food for yourself alternatives. One could have pre-arranged
and your fellow survivors to hold out until piCkup points and times with co-survIvors
another crop can be planted and harvested coming from the refuge destinatIon. or
(most survivalists recommend at least two In a worsening pre-criSiS situation you
years supply). and you seriously face up may have made an early dispersal. But
to the sanitation problems created by the greater likelihood Is that anyone with
morbidity. and you and your co-survivors a practical survival plan who reacts
are sufficiently organized against anarchy. Immedlatly can get out well before the
and there are no more nearer bomb rush sets In.
blasts. -then you are probably well on
your way towards continued survival. At Just getting out into the country,
least you are many times better off than or to the other side of the mountain.
being In a public shelter. will increase the survivability factors for
many people. The threats of blast and
There may be all sorts of reasons thermal radiation will have been greatly
why you elect to remain In the city rather reduced. But blast and thermal radiation
than head for the country. If the attack while very nasty in their effects are not
comes In the winter and you do not have going to kill that many people anyway.
a planned escape route. adequate clothing Oh. they will kill millions. but as a
and supplies to make the trip. are not percentage of the people living the day
physically able to make the trip. and do before doomsday they Will, combined. kill
not have a known 'CIetttlnation of refuge. only ten to fifteen percent. And most of
well then ... these will be a considerable distance from
the blast and will eventually die as a
6
YOU Will SURVIVE DOOMSDAY

result Of Injuries caused by the broken of survival but the condition of survival
glass shards. with which we must concern ourselves.
Everyone will die eventually but it Is the
As stated before. depending upon quality of life In the interim that Is of
the time of year and the weather. many Importance.
more may be killed by exposure. But there
is stili another big killer coming. That MYTH 12 Most people would be
Is of course the fallout from the weapon quickly killed by the bomb blasts,
explosions that took place many hundreds thermal radiation. or radioactivity.
of miles away. This fallout may require
from a few hours to a day or two to By the second year after doomsday
arrive. If the weather permits. and the the combined affects of blast. thermal
survivors know what they are doing. they radiation. and fallout will probably have
may stili have time to build an expedient resulted In some Immediate. but mostly
shelter against the fallout. delayed. deaths accumulating to 35% of
the population that were living. on
Techniques for defense against fallout doomsday. Deaths that can be directly
have been developed and tested at great attributed to radiation and weapon related
expense by almost ever nuclear nation. Injuries will continue until five years after
While information on these techniques doomsday so that by that time 40% of
has been made readily available. most the population that was living on doomsday
people have not availed themselves of may no longer be surviving because of
It. the above named factors.

Two basic techniques are available.


One Is to leave the contaminated area.
But the extent of the contaminated area H0W9'i8r. the total population suMving
may be far too wide to escape. or one five years after doomsday will probably
may not have accurate information as be only 20.. of the number that was living
to the delineation of the contaminated on doomsdayt Obylously. nearly half. or
area. or they may not have the means perhaps more than half. of the fatalities
Of transportation. nor the means of survival will be directly contributable to causes
should they reach a radiation free area. other than the bombs.
The other basic means Is to provlde
shelter within the contaminated area.
Weather. ground. and time conditions
permitting It Is possible to dig a trench What then are these equally effective
and cover It with dirt supported by poles. causes of post doomsday mortality? They
wooden doors. or a vehicle. Properly are exposure. starvation. plagues. and
designed. SUCh an expedient shelter can anarchy. While the threat of chemical and
make all the difference between avoiding biological warfare Is not to be Ignored
the effects of fallout radiation. and not the primary causes of these means of
avoiding those effects. mortality can be looked upon as being
more 'natural'. That is to say they will
The details of how to build an Just result naturally from the breakdown
expedient shelter are to be found In books of the social Infrastructure that we regularly
listed In the bibliography. One of the most depend upon for day to day survival.
Important and often overlooked factors
In designing a shelter Is the matter of The four factors that will determine
providing an alrpump so as to eliminate survival are 1. location 2. knowledge 3.
the problem of carbon dioxide poisoning. preparation 4. luck. On doomsday most
The technique for building such an people will be living outside of areas that
expedient pump from materials readily will be struck In Initial attacks by blast
available In time of crisis Is also found or thermal radiation. Many others will
there. already be living In areas that will never
be damaged by blast or thermal radiation.
The effect of fallout radiation Is not Both of these groups. If they have the
always death. although many times It is. knowledge of what to do, and have made
Even If It is death It Is not Immediate the proper preparations. will very likely
death. Intense radiation causes a very find themselves In the group of survivors
painful. and horrible death (what the who are living unharmed five years after
literature calls a 'hard' death) over several doomsday when the surviving population
days. More likely the effects are drawn has once again established some
out over a period of weeks. months. or semblance of order and Is once again
even years. As the title of this pamphlet multiplying and replenishing the earth.
pOints out. all these people will have
survived doomsday. It is not a question
7
Selecting and Designing a Shelter
MYTH '3: You can build an adequate poisoning In case of fire. broken gas
shelter In your basement. mains. and the threat of fire Itself that
may result from the wide spread flrestorms
For a number of reasons. basement caused by the thermal radiation associated
shelters do not offer the amount of with a nuclear blast.
protection that Is commonly supposed.
A proper analogy between them and a There are certain advantages to a
survival Installation as described later In basement shelter. One may have access
this pamphlet would be to compare a to necessities such as food. clothing. and
plank with a well equipped and commanded blankets. stored In the home. There may
lifeboat. This Is not to say. that If someone stili be water available from the hot water
finds themselves In the water from a tank. And most Importantly. one may feel
sunken vessel. It Is not well to advise certain psychological comfort by being
them to grab hold of a plank and start In the familiar surroundings of their own
paddling in the direction that one hopes home. None of these advantages of course
there lies shore. If there Is no better hold a candle to the advantage of being
means of survival. such as a lifeboat, in a properly equipped and manned survival
or raft. center.

Similarly. there Is very little protection


afforded (starting from the rooftop down) MYTH '4: You must filter the air
by a layer of shingles. a roll of asphalt coming Into a shelter to remove the
paper, some thin pine planking. a foot fallout.
or two of light insulation (composed mainly
of airspaces for the purpose of retaining One of the general misconceptions
heat). a quarter to half Inch of plaster regarding fallout and fallout shelters Is
board. some paint. a carpet on the floor. that the air Itself may become radioactive.
another layer or two of thin boards. and ThIs Is simply not true. Those with a little
perhaps some paneling or ceiling tiles learning will then say. "Ah. yes, but It
if the basement Is finished. The distance will contain radioactive particles of fallout"
between the roof and the basement (a That Is true. but a properly designed air
two story house offers more than a Intake. even for an expedient shelter. will
bungalow In this way) does allow some cause most of the particles to drop out
additional protection. but this factor. along of the air flow, before the air enters the
with the combined density of all the matter shelter.
described. would not equal more protection
than would be afforded by six to eight Should the number of particles stili
Inches of earth. suspended In the air be a problem. an
expedient filter. such as a damp sheet
When. within SUCh a basement situation hung In the air Intake passageway. will
one starts to create an expedient shelter do an adequate job of filtering the air.
using, as Is usually advised. such materials
as bookcases and trunks (filled with earth If the air vents do not have automatic
If possible) there are certain design errors blast valves then the air passage should
that are liable to creep In. Piling dirt be quickly shut and remain shut for a
or other material on the floor above will few minutes after the brilliant flash of
help but the greatest dangers will be from a nearby nuclear explosion, (so as to
the areas outside the basement wall where prevent the popcorning effect described
the foundation extends above the ground. earlier). The air passages will have to
It Is best to keep ones shelter at least be shut In every case where there Is
three feet below the outside ground level. a large fire nearby that Is generating
and to have at least three feet of soli carbon monoxide that would otherwise
above one's head. seep Into the shelter.

The next most overlooked problem Most expedient shelters will not have
Is that of proper ventilation, so as to precautions such as those Just described.
avoid carbon dioxide poisoning. As stated The danger of carbon . monoxide poisoning
betore, most survival experts advise a Is one of the main reasons that most
location other than the basement for such survival experts recommend that even 11
reasons as the threat of carbon monoxide . one has a basement In their house It
8
YOU WILL SURVIVE DOOMSDAY

Is preferable to build an expedient shelter Doctor's would like to have their


a considerable distance outside and away x-ray machines available when setting
from existing structures In case of fire. a leg. and engineers would like to have
their surveying eqUipment. specification
guides. and computers or slide rules when
MYTH '5: Water would become they are building a bridge. So you can
radioactive. well imagine a radiological defense officer
would like to have radiation detection
As has been mentioned before. the equipment available when giving advice
materials necessary for building an In a radiation defense situation.
alrpump. and an expedient radiation
detector are available In almost every However. if the advise. expertise.
home. Anyone planning on attempting to or equipment. Is not available. one must
use the basement survival method should go on. One rule of thumb Is that H there
obtain ahead of time the detailed Is not enough fallout that you can see
Instructions for building these devices, It -there Is not enough of It that It will
and store these Instructions in their home kill you. Fallout is usually small grain
along with an emergency supply of food dust or grit. often having a light color,
and containers for storing approximately but not always. It depends upon Its source.
14 gallons of water for each Individual The best place to spot It Is on a smooth
that Is going to be accommodated. surface. like the hood of a car.

There is a similar misconception The more dense fallout Is -probably


about water becoming radioactive as there the greater the hazard although there
Is about air becoming radioactive. This Isn't necessarily a direct correlation. 11
may have something to do with may fall thick enough that quite a little
misconceptions about the nature of 'heavy heap of it may be brushed up from a
water' but we won't go Into that here. surface that Is one foot square. It Is
Radioactive particles do become suspended possible to build. from common materials
In water, hOwever. and that 15 why for found around the home. an expedient
the shelter confinement period. you must radiation detection meter. The details for
make sure that you have a sufficient store such a meter will be found in books listed
of potable water available ahead of time. in the bibliography.

During the recovery period. after Even If one has commercially available
radiation has decreased to the point where radiation detection equipment there Is
It Is safe to work outside. there are stili some considerable skill required In
techniques for letting fallout settle out Its use. For example. almost all survey
of water. and for distilling It. In order equipment Is designed to be .Ased by
to make sure that It Is safe for drinking an adult of normal stature. This means
and cooking. However. far from keeping that If the equipment Is held In the hand
air and water out of a shelter It is of a walking adult It will tell how much
absolutely necessary to life that they be radiation 15 being received 3 and 1/2
available. feet above the ground. and particularly
by the adults vital organs which are above
While an expedient shelter could that level. A child's or an Infant's vital
mean the difference between life and death organs will be below that level and will
it Is probably not something that you would be exposed to much more hazardous levels
want to continue to use for a very long than an aduit's. For this reason. If one
time. Is passing through an area that Is
suspected to have any radiation at all,
MYTH '6: There would be no a child should be carried on an adult's
shoul~ers.
dangerous radioactivity after a couple
of weeks.
There Is another rule of thumb that
There is a wide range 01 for every seven fold increase In time
misconceptions about what 15 safe and radioactivity will decrease by ten fold.
what is not. The matter Is sufficiently This Is called the sf"Ien/ten rule. This
complicated that a person should have is based upon standard decay. It is useful
professional advice. However. If there was as an example. for training. and in building
no doctor going to be available to set theoretical models. but in actual practice
a broken leg I presume you would go the decay rate is likely to be something
ahead and do the best you COUld. And quite different. It is determined by the
if one had to build a bridge to get across Isotopic composition of the matter under
a river and there was no structural consideration.
engineer around. again I presume one
would have a go at It. There Is another commonly held
misconception among semi-trained
9
YOU Will SURVIVE DOOMSDAY

individuals that low levels of radiation Sufficient radiation can cook the vital
cannot be rapidly fatal. Someone, after organs, but more often what happens is
several days In the confines of a cramped that It kills the white corpuscles and the
expedient shefter, might conclude that ability of the bone marrow to make more
because their meters now Indicate a very of them. It Is the white corpuscles that
low level of radioactivity (or perhaps no are the body's defenders against viruses,
radioactivity If It Is a high-range bacteria, and other disease causing bodies.
Instrument>. that It would now be all right
to go outside and sleep on the ground Once these defenders
In the cool breezes beneath the bright are lost the person succumbs to a disease
summer stars. they might have otherwise warded off.
and once that disease takes hold In the
The fallacy again arises from taking Individual they may become highly
measurements at a level that assumes contagiOUS.
the vital organs are well above the radiation In this manner there is grave danger
source. This Is not the case when a of plagues breaking out and all sorts
person Is stretched out on the ground of Illnesses, one does not generally see,
for long hours of sleep. These long hours becoming very threatening. For this reason
of low level radiation exposure to the vital rigorous quarantine. sanitary measures,
organs will result In a fatality In just a and health defense measures must be
few days. Imposed and enforced.
Ukewlse. perfectly healthy adults who Becoming aware of such unexpected
take Infants out of the cramped. and unpleasant snares may initially make
unpleasant. expedient shelter to allow them one feel that the situation is hopeless.
to play during the day on a blanket spread The danger really arises from a persons
out on the ground will be quite shocked unfamiliarity with the circumstances. There
to see those Infants sicken and die in Is the story of the explorer who asked
just a few days while they themselves the young native if there were crocodiles
remain healthy. The Infant's vital organs In a certain stream. He was assured there
again being close to.the weak radiation were not. While then swimming In the
source for a long period while the adults' stream he once again saw the young
vital organs are being protected by lad on the bank and asked for reassurance
distance. that there were no crocodiles. "Oh no
sirl". replied the shocked young fellow.
MYTH .7: Radiation sickness Is not "they won't come there. They are all afraid
contagious so there is n'J danger In of the piranha."
assisting those affected.
The young fellow would have found
The statement that radiation sickness himself equally in danger from things with
is not contagious is often found in the whICh he was not familiar in our society,
literature. That is true. The erroneous -like automobiles and electrical appliances.
conclusion Is drawn. however. that being It Is not that the hazards are so onerous.
around persons with radiation sickness but simply that we are not familiar with
Is not dangerous. The danger arises from them.
the manner in which radiation kills.

FOOD - Some Important Considerations


MYTH _8: Food exposed to radiation attach themselves to the fallout (bits of
becomes radioactive and Is therefore dust that mayor may not be large enough
not edible. to be seen).

Food is the most serious problem. In any case, these partiCles may
Most food that is In the house will not be simply washed off many types of foods
be harmed by the radiation, no matter that have a natural covering. such as
how Intense. There are three types of eggs, bananas. potatoes, oranges, etc ..
radiation that are found In fallout. Alpha or off well sealed foods such as those
particles. beta particles, and gamma rays. In vacuum packed cans. Foods such as
As the first two names indicate. they are grains (rice. dry cereals, etc'> that are
particles. They are minute (too small to rn partially used packag~s that have been
be seen) pieces of atomic matter that opened should be viewed with suspicion.
Fallout dust may have crept In.
10
YOU WILL SURVIVE DOOMSDAY

The food in Its unopened container


or natural covering should be rinsed under should not be so much dust Inside a
flowing water and then placed on a surface shelter as to create a hazard from gamma
that has been similarly cleansed, before rays. However, be sure to dispose of the
opening. Make sure that the hands (and contaminated rinse water that you have
under the nails have been thoroughly used for cleaning the food containers
cleansed before handling the fooo). There and persons returning from outside. It
Is little danger In handling such articles. may contain matter that is giving off
The radiation given off by these particles gamma rays.
Is so weak that it will often not even
penetrate something as thin as the There will prObably not be sufficient
cellophane wrapper on a package of fallout on the food packages (or you can
cigarettes. get rid of It quiCkly enough) that you
need concern yourself about the amount
of gamma radiation that you are going
You may then ask, "Why be to get from that source during the
concerned? II The reason Is that once decontamination process. However, the
these minute particles are Ingested Into food may have been stored in an area
the biological system they will get Into that has received very intense radiation.
the organs and the very bone marrow That can of beans or peaches may have
Itself where they can do a lot of damage. been stored right out there where It was
ThIs 15 not to say that you need not worry receiving 1000 roentgens of radiation per
about getting the alpha and beta particles hour. An amount that would have killed
on your skin. You do. Because they can you right away. But It will not be harmed.
cause skin burns. However. good hygiene
practice can eliminate the problem and That Is right. It Is perfectly edible.
they are a much more severe hazard If it were not so I would have told you.
Internally than externally. It Is only living things that radiation hurts.
MYTH '9: If you have a special Even then It depends upon the frequency
'radiation suit like you see In the and Intensity of the radiation. For example,
mOVies and on T.V. you will be there are all sorts of radio and T.V. waves
protected from the radiation. going right through where you are sitting
right now and they are not harming you.
As an aside, this Is one of the reasons
that those 'fallout or radiation suits' that The food in the can is already dead
you see in all the pictures and movies and the gamma rays are not going to
and on T.V. are such a Joke. Those things harm It. They will not make It radioactive.
are not going to protect the guy from If the radiation Is strong enough it may
anything that a couple of good garbage kill any bacteria that happen to stili be
bags wrapped around his feet and made living In the food and thus preserve it
Into a hood to go over his head, would even further. If the food is supposed to
not do as well. In fact the garbage bags contain bacteria (such as yogurt) I am
are In many ways better. They would be not sure what It would do for thatl
considered disposable.
Radiation preservation of food is a
The main purpose of the fallout suits technique that Is already being used In
Is to prevent the wearer from tracking Industry and will probably become much
the fallout Into the shelter. The user simply more widely used In future years. Many
takes the suit off at the door. If the person people already have radiation (microwave)
were to wear it on Inside, It would defeat ovens In their homes tOday. One further
the purpose. There are some clean analogy. Fire will kill living animals but
handling techniques that are beneficial we use It to cook our food. You really
to know and practice, but in a wartime shouldn't be overly frightened about
situation there Is so much of the stuff radiation, either.
around that peacetime standards of
exposure and cleanliness lose their
meaning. MYTH '10: New crops of food grown
In future years will not be radioactive.
The gamma rays are another matter.
They are very penetrating. No fallout or Food that Is grown In radioactive
radiation suit Is going to protect you from soli, or that has not yet been harvested
them. It requires much more dense matter when fallout falls on It Is another matter.
to protect you than you could 11ft, leave This food will absorb the particles of
alone lug around. This Is why one must radioactive matter Into its own structure
remain In a shelter when there Is Intense and thus become dangerous.
radiation. With good housekeeping there
11
... 10
o
z
j!
I/)
0 300 ROEHTIJIHI
is
Q 10
z
i 20
II>
I/)
o
a:
o 20 10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 120 130 140 150 160 170 180 190 200
DOWNWIND OISTANCE IN MILES

This was the fallout pattern 36 hours after a single 15 megaton thermonuclear
device (the Bravo shot of Operation Castle at Bikini Atoll. 1 March 1954) was
detonated. The eventual extension of the fallout was more than 20 miles upwind
and over 320 miles downwind. The width in cross section was variable. the maximum
being over 60 miles. This means there was substantial fallout contamination over
an area of more than 7000 square miles.
It is important to note that persons anywhere downwind would not have
had to travel more than 40 miles in a direction crosswind to be perfectly safe.
Secondly. assuming upperwinds of 150 miles per hour and descent times of
30 minutes, persons 150 to 200 miles away would have over an hour In which
to either evacuate the area or to take shelter.

As noted from the chart on the effect of radiation on humans (p. 19) the
300 roentgens per hour would cause serious illness with some fatalities after
an exposure of 1 hour and exposure of 2 hours would certainly cause a hard
death occuring in hours to days.

PERCENT Of PeOPLE:
DEAD_ HURT= SAFE

.,
10 90 100

UGHT
. DAMAGE

GROUND
ZERO

This picture shows the effect of a 5 megaton alrblast. While mUClh larger
weapons have been developed experimentally their use Is unlikely. For one thing
they are to hard to oellver and more Importantly a 20 megaton weapon wlfl
do only about one third the damage that will be caused by 4 five megaton weapons.
5 to a megatons will probably be the average size of the strategic weapons.
They will probably be detonated at some altitude around 2000 feet for maximum
effect. At 15 to 18 miles on a clear day exposed people will be blistered. and
from 18 to 23 miles the will be sunburned.
12
YOU Will SURVIVE DOOMSDAY

This map shows the principle targets in the U.S.. Major airports, military
Installations. and railway passes would be targets In Canada. The number two
target in North America is North Bay, Ontario. .
In an all out nuclear exchange CWWIID. with a multiplicity of devices being
detonated over a relative short period of time <three days to two weeks Is a
common estimate). there would most likely be wide spread areas with general
radiation levels (In the 5 to 20 roentgen per hour range) over 1000 miles down
wind from the blast sites. two to three days after zero hour. This following map
assumes 5050 megatons on the targets indicated on this map.

DO~IOOR 101-450 R 8451-2:100 R


ORNL-DWG 78-2030511
• SOOI-IO,OOOR .IO,004-20,OOOR
• ,.. 20,000

This map indicates the amount of radiation that a person would receive
In various areas by remaining In the open for 14 days following the bombing
of targets Indicated In the map above. It Is Important to note from the map
that even If Canada were not bombed that Ontario would receive 101 to 450R
from the MinuteMan sites In Montana and the Dakotas,
13
YOU Will SURVIVE DOOMSDAY
The biological food chain acts as day. He walks half of the distance to
a marvelous strainer and concentrator entrance of what was left from the previous
of radioactive Isotopes. This was well day. The question 15- When will the bear
demonstrated in certain tests that took get out of the cave?"
place at Almagordo. From some Intentional
surface bursts and because of the The answer Is. "Never." This sort
unintentional venting of some underground of regression Is what mathmetlclans call
bursts there was some fallout carried onto asymptotic. That Is to say the figures
the mllkshed for southern Utah. continue to approach zero. closer and
closer. but they never reach It. So just
The amount of fallout deposited over as the bear never gets out of the cave.
the surface was so slight that the most all of the energy is never lost. But much
selective Instruments could not detect It. (one half) of the energy Is lost in the
An atomic or nuclear explosion releases first half life. And three quarters of the
its great amounts of energy by changing energy Is lost by the end of the second
some matter Into energy. It also changes half life. Ater ten half lives a very large
certain amounts of matter Into new and percentage of the energy Is gone.
different types of matter. Without going
Into detail about atomiC theory. the nature It is because so much of the energy
of the atom with Its electron rings, and is lost In the early periods (half lives>.
Its nucleus conSisting of protons and as compared to the later periods. that
varying number of neutrons. let us simply It Is Important to be in shelter during
say that these new forms of matter are the early periods after fallout has fallen.
generally unstable Isotopes. That means We might divide the half life times of
they are going to change into another radioactive isotopes into three categories.
form of matter. Very short term. medium term. and very
long term.
Once again. the matter. In the process
of changing from one state to another. As mentioned earlier. most of the
releases certain amounts of energy. It unstable Isotopes generated by an atomic
Is this energy that we measure as or nuclear explosion are very short term.
radioactivity. The energy. depending upon They give off all their significant amounts
the Isotope Involved, may be rapidly of energy In a matter of seconds. Unless
dispelled or It may continue to be released you are within very close range of an
for a very. very long time. Most unstable atomic or nulear bomb there will be no
isotopes release their energy and transform way for this radiation to reach you. It
Into a stable state within fractions of a was this Initial radiation that caused the
second or at least within minutes after horrible radiation burns and sickness at
a nuclear explosion. Others, take hours. Hiroshima and NagasakI.
and stili others days, weeks. or months.
and some take centuries. First the good news. There will not
be any persons subjected to long suffering
Each Isotope starts out with Just from Initial radiation by the nuclear
so much energy. and for all practical weapons of today. The bad news is that
purposes we can say It Is not going to the reason why is that the weapons biast
get any more. Once that Isotope has such a large hole or create such a large
released all Its excess energy It will area of complete dlstructlon that the initial
become stable. Since the Isotope releases radiation can't escape. That is to say
Its energy at a specified rate we can the totally destructive blast extends beyond
say how long It will take to lose half the range of the initial radiation.
of Its energy. After that. It will then take
the same length of time again for It to On the other hand, the survivors
lose <give off) one half of the remalnlnH of Hiroshima and Nagasaki did not have
amount of energy. Question: When wi I much problem with fallout The first major
all of the energy be given off by the victims of fallout were some fishermen
Isotope? many. many miles downwind from the Blldnl
Island tests. Fallout is a phenomenon much
An ancient Greek philosopher posed more associated with nuclear weapons.
the same problem. He said. "Suppose
there Is a bear at the back of a cave. Nevertheless. there was fallout In
On the first day the bear walks halfway Southern Utah. As stated before. it was
to the entrance. On the next day he walks so slight It could not be detected by the
half of the distance that remained to the most sensitive Instruments. The specific
entrance after the first day. And on the matter of Interest In southern Utah was
day following the bear walks half of the the Isotope 131 of Iodine. This was
distance that remained to the entrance absorbed by minute bacteria In the 5011.
from the previous day. The bear continues In the process of filtering the Iodine out
to do this.. same thing on each subsequent of the soli they greatly concentrated It.
14
YOU WILL SURVIVE DOOMSDAY
The bacteria were absorbed by Next take an eyedropper. or a soaked
legumes and other biological forms higher piece of paper If you do not have an
In the food chain. Each in turn further eyedropper. and drop four drops onto
concentrated the iodine Isotope. a little piece of bread for an adult. Or
two drops for a Child. If you get several
Finally. after the iodine had found times that amount It Is not going to harm
Its way into the grass a cow came along you (although In much larger amounts
and ate It Now a cow Is a very complex It is a poison).
organism In Itself. There are all sorts
of biological activities going on In a cow. Now take some butter or margarine
Various organs and the bone marrow filter and make a little ball out of the bread
out different minerals for different purposes. and pop it down. Tastes awful. Ugh. Take
One of these complex systems forms milk. once a day for 100 days after the last
This particular cow. and hundreds of others bomb falls. This is good stuff and you
like it. was milked. and the milk was bottled should have It around for reasons other
and dIstributed to children all over the than defense In case of a nuclear war.
area of southern Utah.
If you live anwhere within In a couple
The children were also complex of hundred miles of a nuclear generating
biological organisms. They In turn had plant you might suddenly find yourself
numbers of specific organs that specialized needing the stuff. The U.S. department
In straining out various minerals and of Health rushed a supply of pills to Three
compounds from the food that they Mile Island and they have a standard
consumed. The end result was that their brochure all printed ready for distribution
thyrOids once again concentrated the Iodine In case It or some similar site vents.
131. And this to such an extent that If
you held a radiation detector next to their The department of defense also keeps
necks It buzzed like a rattlesnake. This a supply near the old Titan sites that
was not healthy. are deteriOrating and breaking down.
Canadians have nothing. I'll take that back.
In fact numerous problems developGd They do have lots of nuclear plants and
the distinct possibility of bombs exploding
among the population. There were a great over their heads and on their soli.
number of mentally retarded children born.
and a number of other unpleasant
ramifications. This need not have occured The reason why the potassium Iodide
from the Iodine 131 If we had known works Is that the thyroid will absorb only
what we know to day. so much iodine. After that any Iodine
taken into the body Is passed off by the
kidneys. Since the body already has all
the gOOd stuff it wants It passes out the
MYTH .11: There Is no such thing as bad stuff. This Is what we call thyroid
a fallout pili. blocking.
There Is a simple pili that would
have prevented the difficulty. It Is supplied Do not try to use the tincture of
In every nuclear emergency kit In Russia. Iodine that you put onto cuts. Taken
and available In Denmark and Sweden. Internally it will kill you. And you cannot
Unfortunately It Is not sold In North eat enough Iodized salt to do you any
America. good. You would get salt poisoning long
before you got sufficient Iodine to do the
Fortunately. however. the pill is quite Job.
simple to make. Ahead of time. obtain
a quantity of potassium Iodide from your MYTH .12: There Is a fallout pili that
local drug store. Five dollars worth should will protect you from all radiation.
be lots. When needed, take a regular
glass and fill It a fourth or less full of I wish I could tell you about another
water. and then slowly start pouring in pili that would solve all your radiation
the potassium Iodide while thoroughly and other problems. But there Is none.
stirring the water. Unless you mean the cyanide pili
mentioned earlier and things really are
Don't worry about how much you not that gloomy. As I hope I have carefully
pour In. You cannot pour In too mUCh. explained. most of the radiation we have
After a while you will notice that the to be concerned about from a nuclear
chemical no longer dlsolves In the water. bomb will decay In a matter of days or
It just lies there on the bottom. This means weeks to a level where we can deal with
that the water Is saturated. You can now It.
stop pouring In the chemical. More will
not help or hurt. 15
YOU WILL SURVIVE DOOMSDAY

MYTH 1113: There would be dangerous Little mlnature flashlight bulbs or


radioactivity for thousands of years. matches are a good analogy to fallout
particles. One or two of them In a room
You may say. "I've heard that some with you will not harm you. But surely
radiation will be around for thousands you can Imagine the situation where if
and even hundreds of thousands of years. II you had thousands and thousands the
Yes. but those Isotopes are our friends. light would either be blinding or the heat
<That may be putting it a bit strongly.> so Intense that you would be incinerated.
Anyway. they are not near so harmful
as many people think. There Is the point Fallout Is Just the same way. A few
of view that no radiation Is good for you. pieces Inside a shelter with you will not
Some dermatOlogists maintain that you harm you. but If you go outside where
should not even get a suntan. <Yes. that there are millions of the little beasts Iyllng
Is radiation that you get from the sun.> around- you have had it. The only
difference between their radiation and
There Is even the theory that It Is the radiation from a little flashlight bulb
cosmic radiation that causes both overall or a match Is that It Is Invisible radiation
genetic change. aging. and death. In any that you cannot see or feel. -like that
case we are all subjected to many sources from an x-ray machine
of radiation every day. The question is
n01 whether or not you are going to MYTH 1114: There would be no
receive radiation, but how moen and how dangerous radioactivity after a couple
quiCkly. Let us compare the raolatlon we of years.
are concerned about with another type
of radiation. Heat. After having explained all this. now
I must tell you that there are some
Just as we measure radioactivity In Isotopes that unfortuna'~ly do not fall Into
roentgens we measure heat In calories. either the short range of Initial radiation
If I were to tell you that that pipe over (which we do not need to worry about
there was going to put off a million calories because It does not extend out of the
of heat. You might say. "Let me get away blast area). nor the medium range <that
from Itl" But. If I then said that It was you will be protected from by a fallout
going to be over the next million years shelter). nor the very long range (that
at the rate of one calorie per year you decay over so many hundreds of years
would realize that you were In g,dater that their energy is too weak to concern
danger of freezing to death than 01 burning us here).
to death If you were depending upon that
pipe for heat. These remaining Isotopes are real
meanies. There may be solutions to the
It Is not how much heat Is going problems they present but there are no
to be given off (It may be a great amount> simple solutions. There will not be enough
but how much over what period of time. of them around that they will make walking
A mere two hundred calories suddenly around dangerous for most people but
Inflicted upon one point of the skin would the problem Is that they get Into the food
create a bit of a sting. but hundreds of chain and that they have relatively short
thousands might be comfortably absorbed half-lives. between five and 30 years.
from a heating pad over an appropriate
period of time. That means that during the next couple
of hundred years they are going to be
It Is the same with radiation. Most giving off most of their energy. Fortunately.
Isotopes give off their energy so rapidly some of them are rather rare, and given
that they are like flash bulbs. Flash and that they are going to be widely dissipated
they are gone. It Just happens right In In world-wide fallout we can largely Ignore
the vicinity of the bomb. Others are like their effects.
regular light bulbs that give off their light
and heat for some period of time before Others may be concentrated In certain
they burn out. They may travel a long areas. certain types of soli and certain
way from the bomb as fallout before they foods where we can avoid them also.
dissipate their energy. For these we need So they will not be that serious a problem.
a shelter to protect us If we are In their
vicinity. Nothing else will do. Some others, however. particularly
Cesium 137 and Strontium 90 present
Stili others are like those small major problems In keeping them out of
luminescent lights that some people put the food chain. Even here, there are
In their bathrooms for night lights. Only available defense techniques. For example
weaker stili. They Just sit there and barely lime. gypsum, fertilizer, or organic matter
glow for a very long periOd of time. (In practical amounts) may be applied
'\,
YOU WILL SURVIVE DOOMSDAY
to low calcium soil. or naturally high making of many foods. or their substitutes.
calcium soil may be used for growing that today are commonly gotten In prepared
certain crops which have an uptake form.
preference for calcium over strontium.
On all of these subjects one could
There are known refining and write a book, and indeed many books
purification techniques for some foods have been written on them. Even if one
and milk, and there are some new does not have time to Immediately develop
techniques which I have discussed with ail these skills they might do well to get
some of the researchers at some of the themselves a survival library and then
leading nuclear laboratories, but which as a next step acquire the essentials in
the world Isn't ready to hear about as materials listed In che.ckllsts In most well
yet. organized manuals.
These methods along with others
such as land denial. deep plowing, surface
scraping. and selective utilization, are MYTH 1# 16: You should be prepared to
harsh realities that are going to have be self sufficient and be able to
to be faced by the long range survivors. survive on your own.
MYTH .15: You are prepared If you The very best thing that a survival
have a two weeks emergency supply minded person can do, after preparing
Of food stored. for themselves an equipped place of
refuge. and developing their own survival
More Important to the present theme skills, Is to associate themselves with other
are questions as to what preparations skilled survivalists. No one person can
survivors should be making ahead of time. know everything, and almost everyone can
Since It will take a while to get crops contribute something. Agricultural. medical,
growing again because of social mechanical. communlcaton, you name It.
disorganization. ozone depletion In the all skills will be needed.
atmosphere. climatic changes. crop
adaptation. early crop failures, soli Few people could afford the eqUipment
deprivation. and similar factors, survivors that an organization can have. One well
will need a couple of year's supply of equipped laboratory for testing for alpha
food. Wheat and honey are the only two and beta particles In food costs $5.000.
basic foods, of which I am aware. that Along with other radiation detection
have an Indefinite shelf life. Thousand equipment and many other types of
year old kernels found In the pyramids emergency supplies, what individual can
have stili sprouted.) Fortunately, these afford It? Yet no nuclear survival group
two foods. wheat and honey, meet most should be without one.
adult nutrient requirements. Powdered milk Even In building a shelter the major
will be necessary If one wishes to reduce expense Is the entrance and support
the Infant mortalities. The Infants will not mechanisms such as emergency lighting,
survive otherwise, unless their mothers water source. etc.. The Incremental cost
have adequate natural milk, which Is for space for one additional Individual
unlikely. salt Is Important as a preservative. Is quite small. Thus. the greater the
among other purposes. number of people the overall cost can
be spread over, the less the average
In addition to storing the four basic cost.
survival foods (wheat honey. powdered And. moreover, no Individual has
milk. and salt) It Is highly advisable that the personal resources which a group
one also store a couple of year's supply has. If the head of a single family survival
of a variety of seeds. Some seeds will group Is Injured or lost the chances of
not store very well and need to be survival for that group are much reduced.
continually replaced. However. if It Is a large group then there
It Is equally Important to develop are numbers of people available to
certain skills. GardenIng skills. I particularly continue to give support. Just like there
recommend the area of hydrc'ponlcs are numbers of people available to
because this would be one way to grow maintain twenty-four hour watches. or to
foods free of contamination. Preserving create a well manned convoy to go aftar
...... Here I recommend learning to dry necessary supplies. One more prepared
foods using hot air- freeze-drying requires and equipped Individual added to such
too much elaborate and expensive a group is an asset, whereas In a situatIOn
equipment and freezing Itself Is not reliable like a public shelter. one more unprepared
when electrICity Is not reliable. PreparaIIOn and unequipped Individual Is Just another
_Is. Bread making. use of lentils. and liability.
17
YOU Will SURVIVE DOOMSDAY

Example of a
Basement Shelter
The effect of a mere 10 roentgens
hour (arriving two or three days after
detonation and thus having already lost
uCh of its rapid decay) would cause
rious illness after one day's exposure,
(even with continued decay) would
se certain death within a couple of
'WFunrc:t However, almost any expedient
would greatly minimize the effects,
The basement shelter shown here
d mean the difference between life
and death. As much care as possible
should be taken to make sure the shelter
roof Is below outside ground level.
Otherwise, radiation will come In at an
angle through the narrow basement wall,
as demonstrated.
Example of
SevenlTen Rule ....._______________
I hr--------------------l.OOO r/hr
7 hr ----------------------100 r/hr
49 hr (2 days) ---------------10 r/hr
2 weeks ---------------------1 r/hr
14 weeks---------------------.1 r/hr
98 weeks (2 1/2 yrs) ---------.01 r/hr
This chart Indicates that If one started The important thing to remember
off with one thousand roentgens of about the seven/ten rule is that It Is only
radiation per hour at zero plus 1 hour, theoretical. and that actual decay may
that It would take 2 weeks for the radiation follow a different slope. Secondly. In order
to get down to 1 roentgen per hour. to use It one must know the exact time
Since death would be almost certain of detonation for the weapon causing the
after exposure for even 1/2 hr (see fallout. And thirdly. it Is only applicable
accompanying chart> It is apparant that for calculating the fallout from one weapon,
shelter would be necessary. and not for multiple sources.

The above is a model of the


underground survival city
planned for 50 miles north
of Toronto. It is not nearly
so elaborate as some in the
U.S. It is like a lifeboat
compared to the Queen
Mary. Still. each family
would have their private
compartment which would
be suitable shelter for
several weeks.

18
Examples of the
Effect of Radiation
on Humans

R/hr Total Dosage Number


(Roentgens Duration of of Radiation that Deaths will
per hour) Exposure Received Will Die occur In
------------------------------------------------------ -----------------
5 - 10 2 - 5 hrs 10 - SOR none

50 4 hrs 50 - 200R less than 5% 60 or more days

100 2 - 4 hrs 200 - 400R less than 50% • 30 to 60 days

100 4 6 hrs 400 - 600R more than 50% about 1 month

100 6 - 10 hrs 600 - lOOOR all less than two weeks

200 plus 3 hrs plus 600R plus all the more Intense
tho radiation
the shorter the time
before death.
1. week lS0R none

.3 1 month 200R none

.1 4 months 300R none

1.5 week 250R 5% 3 months

.5 1 month 350R 5% 6 months

.2 4 months 500R 5% 9 - 18 months

2.7 week 450R 50% 1 - 3 months


.8 1 month 600R 50% 2 - 6 months

Example of the
Effect of Shielding

Any material can be used for shielding


against radiation. Even feathers. There
is nothing magical about lead. It Is only
the density of the material that matters.
A pound of lead and a pound of feathers
weighs exactly the same. But it takes a
much bigger stack of feathers than It
does of lead to make a pound.
Neither feathers nor lead are generally
particularly cheap to obtain, so it is usually
better to use some other material like
dirt or concrete. The more dirt or concrete
in the barrier. the greater the protection.
Since concrete is more dense (heavier)
it only takes about 24 inches of concrete
to give the same protection as 36 inches
of dirt.
Thirty six Inches <three feet) of dirt
will give good protection. Five feet of dirt
l will give better.
YOU WILL SURVIVE DOOMSDAY
A successful survival group will have want to stay In It no longer than was
to be either completely homogeneous or abSOlutely necessary. Maybe as much as
thoroughly committed to thoroughgoing a couple of weeks. If you dug a pretty
tolerance and appreciation Of a wide range elaborate hole In the ground YOU might
of Individual attitudes and preferences be able to expand upon it and make It
regarding society. economics, religion, Into a place where you could survive
and future expectations. Still. a shelter through a winter.
Is not a democratic society anymore than
Is a ship or an airliner. The captain'S If you owned space In a shelter
authority Is absolute and one should have city like there Is In southern Utah or
confidence is his credentials and ability southern California you might plan to live
before boarding.
there the rest of your life. '(he co-operatlve
Neither Is a shelter a democracy shelter that I have been describing In
In the sense that there must be much the previous paragraphs Is not sufficiently
more stringent rules regarding behavior. elaborate that anyone would want to make
Everyone must perform assigned duties. It a permanent home. Some persons would
There are no wealthy passengers along probably be able to find larger and more
for a free ride to be served by others. adequate quarters elsewhere after a few
There are many limitations to personal wee1<s.
freedoms such as contraband materials. Others might Improve upon the existing
No drugs or alcohol (except under medical structure and remain there for a year
prescription and then as approved by the or two until more adequate homes could
commander).
be built elsewhere. Decontamination
procedures would provide work areas.
All firearms and weapons must be schools. and school grounds outside of
placed In the armory and will not be the shelter where people would carry on
released except under orders from the their dally activities after a few weeks.
commander. All valuables will be receipted However. It might be beneficial for young
and stored In the locker for safe-keeping. children and expectant mothers to sleep
No private stocks of foods because under In the shelter or a similar structure for
survival conditions this can lead to social several months.
disorder. No tobacco or smoking Inside
the shelter, since It would cause discomfort Certain occupations. such as
to others. decontamination crews. farmers who work
on large un-decontaminated areas,
No loud toys. devices. or other objects 'explorers' who go Into unsurveyed areas.
that would be environmentally disturbing long distance truck drivers, and others
to others. No large bulky Items, or great who go out of well defined areas for the
quantities of any Item without the next several years. will have to be closely
permission of the commander. And no monitored to be sure their total exposure
pets or animals unless the survival does not exceed established limits.
community has made prior special
arrangements for their accomodatlon. It should be apparant to the reader.
from what has been said earlier. that
Tough. Yes, it Is tough. But not nearly a person may receive substantially larger
as tough as the conditions of survival total doses over a large period of time
will be for those who are not prepared. than over a short period of time. Just
There are many items that are not as with sunlight. a person may easily
prohibited. and In fact are ~ncouraged. recover from several small sunburns
A reasonable supply of one s personal throughout the years. resulting from staying
religious literature; the tools and resource In the sun overlong for an hour or two
manuals of their trade or professton; each time. while If they were to be exposed
survival manuals and equipment of every to the hot desert sun that many hours.
sort; additional supplies of food to be all at once they would succomb.
put Into the common larder; and extra
supplies to be put Into the common store. In the same way one may recover
from a number of small radiation bums
(although some controversy holds that
MYTH '17: Any survivors would have one never recovers -this seems unlikely),
to live the rest of their Uves and In just the same way one may recefve
underground. small amounts of radiation and never feel
ill. Just the same. certain biOlogical
Many people ask how long they might conditions dictate that certain Individuals.
expect to have to live In a shelter. There <particularly the reproductively active) should
are no fixed answers. If your shelter Is receive less radiation exposure and that
an expedient hole In the ground you might others may receive much larger amounts.
20
YOU WILL SURVIVE DOOMSDAY

MYTH '18: Life after doomsday won't MYTH '19: You need not make any
be worth living preparation because you are either
going to die In the holocaust or be
Hearing descriptions of this sort some 'saved' (religious connotation).
persons wonder If life will be worth living
afterwards. For some. most assuredly so.
Others do not find life worth living today. Men's philosophies today often go
How many times have you heard of a to one extreme or the other. Claiming
person like a famous movie star. who that all Is within man's power. Or that
had wealth. fame. beauty. health. the nothing Is within man's power. There Is
company of famous illustrious persons. a middle ground. One can simultaneously
opportunities to travel to all sorts of places. feel that nothing can be achieved except
and to participate in all sorts of Interesting by the will of God and think that the
events. The fulfilment of the very aspirations results are dependent upon his own efforts.
of thousands of young ambitious people God sets the boundaries and within those
and yet that same person committed boundaries man can have some effect
suicide. upon the outcome.
On the other hand there are many MYTH '20: The bOmbs today are so
Individuals who suffer daily from terrible large and there are so many they will
physical afflictions and all sorts of personal destroy the world.
misfortunes. Oftentimes In the greatest
poverty. And yet. the world over. down There are those who feel that the
through the centuries. they have gone holocaust will destroy everything. And well
on surviving. Many actually finding It might. for there are certainly more than
happines. meaning. and perhaps even enough nuclear weapons In the world
enlightenment In life. You will survive. to achieve that end. "Except those days
The conditions of that survival are up be shortened. none will survive. not even
to you. the very elect." But If It Is the Divine
Will, those days will be shortened. There
Und')ubtedly. the events that are about are those of us who feel that the Divine
to transpire will have a profound affect Hand Is evidenced In the dealings of the
upon the attitudes of many people and world. every moment unto every moment.
perhaps upon mankind Itself. From the
cauldron of the holocaust there may spring The Divine happenings often seem
forth a new race of men who are less quite natural. If one were to say unto
concerned with self Inter• .;t and who will a mountain. "Be thou removed and cast
come to understand man's true nature Into the sea." and It should occur, another
and his divine destiny. would sayan earthquake Just happened
to happen right then. If the forces of
Some of us may even feel that this nature should transpire so that In the
event will herald the coming to maturity midst of the holocaust the planet should
of the human race. Instead of no future. suddenly tip on Its side and place His
mankind may have a glorious future. There sign (the Southern Cross) suddenly blazing
will be great amounts of resources In the sky above the heads of the people
available. combined with man's great In the northern hemisphere there are those
advances In technology to build a new who would only recognize the natural
and glorious world civilization. Providing. causes.
of course. that he has learned from this
experience and does not just go about Such an event would certainly play
preparing for the next war in another heck with the astral, satellite based. and
twenty to thirty years. Inertial. guidance systems upon which
the Individual and MIRVed warhead delivery
But. I leave each man unto his own systems depend.
vision. While, to myself. looking upon the
Immensity of the visible universe. and Events would not even have to be
pondering the events that have happened so 'miraculous' as I have described In
upon this one single planet circling a order to limit Word War III. There Is seriOUS
SOlitary sun among the uncountable millions concern on the part of the military that
In our but one of the innumerable galaxies. they will not even be able to fight the
I cannot help but wonder If the events war because of such factors as the EMP.
that are about to transpire are not less However, I have faith In the military. I
than all that unique In the repetitive cycles am sure they will do an admirable Job
of life and nature that we see about us of trying to destroy the world.
everywhere.
21
YOU WILL SURVIVE DOOMSDAY

None of us have an Infallible insight Oh. I am well aware of the argument


Into the future or Its timetable. Whatever that that pile of bombs has maintained
will be. will be. We can but walt upon peace In the world for the last ten years.
events to prove our speculations to be and the belief that It will continue to
right or wrong. While we are working and maintain peace. Believe It If you want
waiting some of us put our trust In God. to. All the high government officials have
Others put It In the Government. there shelters. Why do they need them
If you don't?
MYTH *21: You will receive adequate If the government knew right today
warning from your government. that the RUssians were going to attack
next week. do you think they would tell
The goverment at first proposed the you? If they did. what would you and the
Individual family shelter plan. Then It millions like you do? It would only create
abandoned It. Next It proposed the panic and get In their way. No, I do not
community shelter plan. Then It abandoned think you would be tOld. Do you feel
It. Then it proposed the relocation plan. abandoned?
Then It abandoned it. Presently It has
no plan. Don't you feel abandoned? MYTH *22: You will receive no
warning. and there Is no hope If you
The government has millions to spend do.
for destruction but not a penny for defense.
The EMO (Emergency Measures The fact the government may not
Organization) has been completely shut warn you, and Is not giving you any
down. The Ontario government was assistance to defend yourself does not
allocated three berths in the Radiological mean that you haven't been warned. There
Defense Officers course (for the summer are many people who feel they can see
of 1982) given by the Canadian Emergency the 'signs of the times'. Anyway. if you
Measures College at the Emergency have read this pamphlet. consider yourself
Planning Canada Federal Study Center warned. You may still have time to prepare.
in Arnprlor. Ontario, but it didn't feel It If an attack should OCCur you prObably
could afford to send anyone even after do not live In a primary target area and
our group offered to pay expenses for will have plenty of time to escape. If you
three people. We appealed all the way have made preparation.
up to the Solicitor General's office.
Admittedly, I am authorized to teach MYTH '23: One of the primary targets
the course but during the last course will be nuclear power plants.
that I taught at one of the community
colleges (free gratis) I could not even Many persons come up with all SOrts
get any resource personnel to come from of rationalizations as to why they should
Camp Borden. who are responsible for not prepare for survival. One Is that there
administering the examinations. I feel Is a sufficient number of weapons In the
abandoned. A radiological detection kit world. that if they were all used. they
that I used to be able to get for sixty could destroy the whole of mankind. This
dollars.ln the U.S .. now costs in Canada. Is true.
with import duties (they really want you However. It may be that all the
to have one). federal and provincial taxes. weapons will not be used. Some may be
exhange rate. custom's brOkerage. and destroyed by the other side. Some may
you name it. $450. Who cares? misfire. Others may Just fall to get
launched. This Is why each side has so
The last Radiological Scientific Officers many extra. Moreover. many persons make
Course taught In Canada was in 1977. the mistake of assuming that It is all
No future courses are planned. There In man's hands and determined by man's
are no communities with a nuclear defense will. Whatever. It may be that some limited
plan. I think I can make that an unqualified amount of the potential for destruction
statement. will be used.
Another rationalization often heard
Millions for destruction and not a Is that the person feels they live In a
penny for defense. Your family's destruction target area such as In the vicinity of a
bill for this year Is $1,300 per member nuclear generating plant. In actuality the
of your family. Do you realize what $1.000 Russians have little need to target the
a year for the last ten years would have nuclear generating plants and probably
bought you in the way of nuclear survival can do more damage by not doing so.
defense? Instead, your government has A bomb on the plant would Just blow It
bought you destruction. Your family's to smithereens and the material In the
destruction. plant might add little to the radioactive
22 fallout. On the other hand, as a result
YOU WILL SURVIVE DOOMSDAY

of the EMP, If the plant Is left on its About the Author


own when It loses Its computer control
it will go into a meltdown and add The author of this pamphlet built
substantial radioactive material to the twenty-three fallout shelters In Kansas
atmosphere. and Utah in the 1960's. He completed
All of this is quite speculative, of the U.S. Office of Civil Defense course
course. There are no experts on nuclear In 1970 after moving to Canada and then
war. There Is no one living who has been the Radiological Defense Officer's course
through one. There Is general agreement. at Arnprlor. OntariO In 1976. and the
however, that It will be awfully terrible. Radiological Scientific Officer's course
It will probably take six or seven months In 1977.
lust to bury the bodies. But. there will
probably be someone around to It. While in the U.SAF. he was a control
tower operator and graduated as Honor
Student from the A.A.C.S. supply school.
Nuclear Survival Groups Because of this training he was asked
to inspect the Titan mTsslle sites after
There are probably 12 nuclear survival his honorable discharge. He refused
groups In the city of Toronto. I personally because of his understanding of what
know of four and I have heard of three the missiles could do to mankind. He
or four others. <There may be some has been a member of various anti-war
overlap. I can't be certain). My guess groups and his personal motto Is: "Bell
Is that there are another three or four the CSt and Ban the Bomb". but he thinks
I don't know about. Most such groups It Is now too late to do either.
are very secretive. For various reasons.
Anyway three of the groups are headed His master's degree Is In Economics
up by instructors. like myself. who teach from Texas Christian University. and he
survival courses at the community colleges. holds certificates In both data processing
and Information technology, the latter from
Most of the groups contain a number M.I.T.
of very wall trained and experienced
people. There are also many other groups Prior to becoming a college teacher
scattered around both the U.S. and Canada. of computer science he was a telephony
They have their own training bases and engineer and holds both U.S. and Canadian
survival courses. There is a magazine. patents.
Survtve where you can learn about some
of these g rou ps. He presently devotes a large amount
of his time to the nuclear survival group
mentioned In this pamphlet.
If you would like to know more about
our group call- our 24 hour answering
service (416) 923-2678 or (519) 925-5376.

Bibliography
What is a Radiological Defense
Officer? The two books that I most highly
recommend are:
Both In the Canada and the United
States the Federal Governments have LIfe After Doomsdav
trained certain individuals to be advisors by Dr. Bruce D. Clayton
to mayors and other public officials In trom Paladin Press
time of nuclear disaster. In Canada these Bo)( 1307
Individuals are called Radlologlclal Defense Boulder. Colorado 80306
Officers. (303) 443-7250
$19.95
Certain Radiological Defense Officers
have received additional training. so as Nuclear War Survival Skills
to become qualified to teach Radiological by Cresson H. Kearny
Defense Officers. themselves. These from Caroline House Publishers.
Individuals are designated as being Inc.
Radiological Sclentiflc Officers. The 920 West Industrial Drive
supposed requirement for becoming a Aurora. illinoIs 60506
radlololcal Defense Officer Is a Ph.D. In $9.95
physiCS. but because of a lack of
candidates. Individuals with lesser
qualifications have been selected.
23
MYTHS
Here are twen1y-three myths that are repeatedly heard
(some much more Often than others)
that this pamphlet tries to dispel.

Almost everyone will suddenly be killed on doomsday.


MYTH #1
Most people would be quickly killed by the bomb blasts, thermal radiation, or
MYTH #2 radioactivity.

MYTH #3 You can build an adequate shelter in your basement.

MYTH #4 You must filter the air coming Into a shelter to remove the fallout.

MYTH #5 Water would become radioactive.

MYTH #6 There would be no dangerous radioactivity after a couple of weeks.

MYTH #7 Radiation sickness is not contagious so there Is no danger In assisting those


affected.

MYTH #8 Food exposed to radiation becomes radioactive and Is therefore not edible.

MYTH #9 If you have a special 'radiation suit' (like you see In the movies and on T.V.>
you will be protected from the radiation.

MYTH #'0 New crops of food grown In future years will not be radioactive.

MYTH #11 There is no such thing as a fallout pili.

MYTH #12 There Is a fallout pili that will protect you from all radioactivity.

MYTH #13 There would be dangerous radioactivity for thousands of years.

MYTH #14 There would be no dangerous radioactivity after a couple of years.

MYTH #15 You are prepared If you have a two weeks emergency supply of food stored.

MYTH #16 You should be prepared to be self sufficient and be able to survive on your
own.

MYTH #17 Any survivors would have to live the rest of their lives underground.

MYTH #18 Life after doomsday won't be worth living

MYTH #19 You need not make any preparation because you are either going to die In
the holocaust or be 'saved' (religious connotation>.

MYTH #20 The bombs today are so large and there are so many they will destroy the
world.
MYTH #21 You will receive adequate warning from your government.
MYTH #22 You will receive no warning. and there Is no hope If you do.
MYTH '23 One of the primary targets will be nuclear power plants.

This pamphlet Is published by a nuclear survival group. The group is


not affiliated with any religious group or other organization. We welcome Inquiries
from all persons Interested In Joining our survival group. (See Information Inside).

We can 'sometimes' be reached (most usually In the daytime at (519)


925-5376. You can always leave a message at our twenty-four hour answering
24 service (416) 923-2678 and we will return your call.

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