{"id":26119,"date":"2017-05-29T07:07:27","date_gmt":"2017-05-29T11:07:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=26119"},"modified":"2017-05-29T07:07:27","modified_gmt":"2017-05-29T11:07:27","slug":"surviving-a-nuclear-disaster-go-in-stay-in-tune-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/05\/surviving-a-nuclear-disaster-go-in-stay-in-tune-in\/","title":{"rendered":"Surviving a nuclear disaster: “Go in, stay in, tune in”"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

There are so many reasons having a reliable radio at the ready\u00a0is a good idea.<\/p>\n

We radio geeks get it.<\/p>\n

This morning, an item from Business Insider UK<\/a> appeared in my news feed. The focus of the article was what not<\/em> to do after a hypothetical nuclear detonation. Researchers discovered that the knee-jerk reaction from most would be to get in their car and drive away from the affected area as quickly as possible. Turns out, this is about the worst thing you can do because vehicles are such poor insulators from deadly nuclear fallout.<\/p>\n

Here’s what’s\u00a0recommend instead, according to Brooke Buddemeier, a health physicist and radiation expert at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory:<\/p>\n

“Your best shot at survival after a nuclear disaster is to get into some sort of “robust structure” as quickly as possible and stay there, Buddemeier said. He’s a fan of the mantra “go in, stay in, tune in.”<\/p>\n

“Get inside … and get to the center of that building. If you happen to have access to below-ground areas, getting below ground is great,” he said. “Stay in 12 to 24 hours.”<\/p>\n

The reason to wait is that levels of gamma and other radiation fall off exponentially after a nuclear blast as “hot” radioisotopes decay into more stable atoms and pose less of a danger. This slowly shrinks the dangerous fallout zone \u2014 the area where high-altitude winds have dropped fission products.<\/p>\n

(Instead of staying put, however, a recent study also suggested that moving to a stronger shelter or basement may not be a bad idea if you had ducked into a flimsy one.)<\/p>\n

Finally, tune in.<\/p>\n

“Try to use whatever communication tools you have,” Buddemeier said, adding that a hand-cranked radio is a good object to keep at work and home, since emergency providers would be broadcasting instructions, tracking the fallout cloud, and identifying where any safe corridors for escape could be.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Read the full article at Business Insider UK.<\/a><\/p>\n

Regardless of the scenario, a preparedness kit\u00a0should always include radio<\/a>. Mobile phones have limited utility when the network infrastructure is disrupted or overloaded. TVs aren’t practical or portable.<\/p>\n

Radios are a simple way of main-lining\u00a0life-saving information during disasters.<\/p>\n

But again, we radio geeks get it!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There are so many reasons having a reliable radio at the ready\u00a0is a good idea. We radio geeks get it. This morning, an item from Business Insider UK appeared in my news feed. The focus of the article was what not to do after a hypothetical nuclear detonation. Researchers discovered that the knee-jerk reaction from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,553,26],"tags":[593,4500,1333],"class_list":["post-26119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-preparedness","category-radios","tag-disaster-preparedness","tag-emergency-preparedness","tag-radio-preparedness"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-6Nh","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15480,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/11\/reminder-emergency-radio-and-a-chance-to-win-a-prepper-radio-package\/","url_meta":{"origin":26119,"position":0},"title":"Reminder: Emergency radio and a chance to win a prepper radio package","author":"Thomas","date":"November 9, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Let\u2019s imagine that\u00a0your area suddenly loses power\u2013as well as cell phone and internet service\u2013for an indeterminate period. Home and personal electronics remain\u00a0unaffected, but must be powered off-grid (without mains power). \u00a0Moreover,\u00a0you may be required\u00a0to evacuate your home\u2026perhaps even on foot. In preparation for this event, what portable radio kit would\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Click to enlarge","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/FullSizeRender-1024x580.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/FullSizeRender-1024x580.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/FullSizeRender-1024x580.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9173,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2014\/04\/international-sw-disaster-test-june-4-5-2014\/","url_meta":{"origin":26119,"position":1},"title":"International SW Disaster Test: June 4-5, 2014","author":"Thomas","date":"April 4, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"SWLing Post reader,\u00a0Mehmet Burk, has just published information about the upcoming international disaster test on shortwave radio, coordinated by the\u00a0High Frequency Coordination Commission (HFCC)\u00a0for the International Radio for Disaster Relief project. Mehmet has details of this June 4 - 5 international radio event on his website:\u00a0Relief Analysis Radio.","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"300px-Hurricane_Isabel_from_ISS","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/300px-Hurricane_Isabel_from_ISS.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4327,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2012\/08\/severe-weather-are-you-prepared\/","url_meta":{"origin":26119,"position":2},"title":"Severe Weather: Are you prepared?","author":"Thomas","date":"August 28, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"As I was listening to reports of tropical storm (now hurricane) Isaac this morning on the radio and a lot of emphasis was placed on preparedness for those who lie in his path. Of course, it's difficult to prepare this close to a weather event as supplies are typically low\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Isaac-300x233.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4753,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2012\/10\/hurricane-sandy-getting-prepared\/","url_meta":{"origin":26119,"position":3},"title":"Hurricane Sandy: Getting prepared","author":"Thomas","date":"October 26, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"I don't know of many people living in eastern North America who aren't a little nervous about what Hurricane Sandy could bring in the next few days. Several models point to some pretty severe weather and predict power outages in the wake of storm surge, high winds and rising water\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/GrundigFR200TecsunGreen88.gif?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":30801,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/02\/nbc-hawaiis-communication-breakdown-and-how-going-ham-could-save-us\/","url_meta":{"origin":26119,"position":4},"title":"NBC: “Hawaii’s communication breakdown and how going ham could save us”","author":"Thomas","date":"February 9, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Curtis, who shares the following video from NBC Left Field: Hawaii's recent false nuclear missile alert showed us how reliant we are on cell phones and modern technology\u2014and how unprepared we are if they become inaccessible. But in case the unexpected happens, an unlikely\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Emergency Preparedness"","block_context":{"text":"Emergency Preparedness","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/emergency-preparedness\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Icom-IC-7300-Display.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Icom-IC-7300-Display.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Icom-IC-7300-Display.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Icom-IC-7300-Display.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":55102,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2022\/12\/alexanders-pov-community-disaster-preparedness-favors-ham-radio-in-germany\/","url_meta":{"origin":26119,"position":5},"title":"Alexander’s POV: Community disaster preparedness favors ham radio in Germany","author":"Thomas","date":"December 27, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Alexander (DL4NO), who writes: A Message from Germany: Growing Disaster Preparedness favours Ham Radio For a long time most radio amateurs in Germany found themselves in the defensive: Building regulations, combined with EMC standards, heavily restrict antenna possibilities. Neighbors fear \"dangerous\" radiation, often going\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ham Radio"","block_context":{"text":"Ham Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/ham-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Yaesu-FT-817ND-1-3.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Yaesu-FT-817ND-1-3.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Yaesu-FT-817ND-1-3.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Yaesu-FT-817ND-1-3.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Yaesu-FT-817ND-1-3.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26119","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26119"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26119\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}