HN Explorer

Ask HN: How does one prepare for a possible nuclear threat?

13 points by Austin_Conlon ↗ HN

26 comments

[ 0.24 ms ] story [ 63.9 ms ] thread
jacquesm
Not. If it happens it happens. It will change the landscape to such a degree that any preparation is likely to be utterly meaningless.
zelon88
What about high atmosphere nukes designed to trigger massive EMP? Is there a realistic defense against such a thing?
jacquesm
The Mennonites won't even notice.

It all depends on what level of tech you want to live your life. But civilization as we know it would be over for the foreseeable future. Famine would be almost certain.

[deleted]
(comment deleted)
Friday_
I wonder if there was a shelter nearby and does siren works. Both answers was no.

Shelters was systematically not invested in in my country, and sirens somewhere works somewhere not.

drra
Worst case it’s going to be much colder for a couple o years and vegetation is going to be greatly impacted. Majority of strike survivors are going to die of hunger or at hands of people looking for food. To prep: be south where you can survive temperature drop by 10-20 degrees centigrade. Have tools to protect yourself (from others and elements). Have knowledge and means to produce cold resistant food for 2-10 years.
tamaharbor
Is this a solution to global warming?
Piskvorrr
Sort of. With massive casualties, but yeah, unless you care about such trifles like global population dropping tens of percents due to famine - tada, solved! (You didn't ask about a "good solution".)
imglorp
On the other hand, having a forest nearby is helpful. You can build, cook, and warm with wood. For a while, anyway, there will be fish and animals there too. source: northerner :)
discordance
Prepare by not voting in a president who will dismantle a nuclear treaty.
imglorp
Got it, done. But at the moment there's a new madman who has just threatened the West with nuclear action if they add new parties to an old treaty.
phyalow
Procure some Iodine Potassium tablets wouldnt be a terrible first step.
Piskvorrr
Actually - useless for most scenarios. Just protects you from radioactive iodine isotopes, a bit (which is not your worry in a blast, or fallout from one). Tends to get touted as a magical all-powerful radiation shield (which it isn't).
maxerickson
And apparently isn't that big a deal at all for adults over 40?

I was reading about it recently and came to that conclusion, so asking the question sincerely, looking for a more informed opinion/understanding.

Piskvorrr
Well, it would have been a medium-sized deal in ONE specific situation where you'd have orders of magnitude bigger fish to fry.
jaxomlotus
Watch as many Primitive Technologies as you can while we still have Internet.
MrGuts
1. Take a shovel, dig a trench. 2. Throw a door over the trench. 3. Shovel dirt over the door. 4. Crawl into the trench and under the door. 5. Stay in the trench for two weeks. You'll be fine. 6. IRS and USPS have plans to resume services after a nuclear war... Look for Kevin Costner.
sb057
>IRS and USPS have plans to resume services after a nuclear war

Not only that, the IRS has plans to resume operations no more than 12 hours after such a war:

>The IRS must have the capability to be fully operational at its continuity facilities as soon as possible after the occurrence of an emergency, but not later than 12 hours after continuity operations activation.

https://www.irs.gov/irm/part10/irm_10-006-001