Where to Hide If a Nuclear Bomb Goes Off In Your Area

This is advice I hope you never need but should know anyway. A nuclear attack is everybody’s worst nightmare, and the immediate aftermath is just as bad, if not worse, than the explosion itself. Here’s what you should do if you survive the initial blast.

You’ll know a nuclear bomb went off near you if there’s a sudden flash of bright, white light, which may or may not give you flash blindness if you’re within 50 miles or so of ground zero. If that bright, white blindness eventually clears up, and you don’t suddenly feel at peace, you’re alive. Other signs of a nuclear blast include near instant first-degree to third-degree burns if you’re within 10 miles or so, and of course, the trademark mushroom cloud looming over the skyline.

As soon as you realize what’s happening, researcher Michael Dillon, from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, suggests you find shelter immediately in order to escape nuclear fallout. In his report for the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, Dillon recommends hiding within the most dense building material possible. The thicker the better.