The last thing you want is to be Googling “nuclear shelters near me” when you’ve got mere minutes to seek out protection. Nuclear shelter: Find a nearby place to shelter from the bomb or fallout What can you do personally to get ready? These three steps can help you carefully and soberly prepare for one of the worst scenarios imaginable. Others agree that - no matter what - basic readiness is invaluable: “With some very simple public messaging, we could save hundreds of thousands of lives in a nuclear detonation,” Irwin Redlener, director of Columbia University’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness, told NBC.

THIS IS NOT A DRILL.” Though it was sent mistakenly, many Hawaii residents spent more than 30 minutes in fear that the alert was real, some regretting they had not prepared an emergency kit or “go bag.” The message read: “BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. 13, when an emergency alert was sent out to phones of Hawaii residents - a message that was actually a false alarm, as Hawaii Rep. One reminder of the importance of preparedness emerged Jan. “Despite the fear surrounding such an event, planning and preparation can lessen deaths and illness. For instance, most people don’t realize that sheltering in place for at least 24 hours is crucial to saving lives and reducing exposure to radiation.” “While a nuclear detonation is unlikely, it would have devastating results and there would be limited time to take critical protection steps,” the CDC warned in its original release. 16 event to help individuals and local authorities prepare for an unexpected nuclear attack - called Public Health Response to a Nuclear Detonation, a type of workshop the CDC last provided in 2010, according to the New York Times - the CDC canceled the event on Friday, replacing it with a session about influenza.

No matter how unlikely the worst case scenario, if the risk is greater than zero, you get informed, make a plan and line up preparations.ĭespite an initial posting by the Centers for Disease Control announcing it would host a Jan. Others caution that the United States is sleepwalking toward a conflict that could involve intercontinental ballistic missiles and, yes, nuclear weapons.įor the purposes of this story, likelihood isn’t the point: Being prepared for any devastating event - by buying insurance, saving cash in an emergency fund or simply keeping a first-aid kit around - is first and foremost about limiting risk. How likely is the threat of nuclear war? Despite escalating tensions with North Korea, some experts say fears are overblown.

Removal of fallout shelter signs