Nuclear War

[ThisDay]

Figured I would start this in hopes of getting some information, seeing as we are in a bit of a volatile position with Russia. For Responses please dont give me links. Just copy and paste if you really need too.

My questions are;

1.In Canada What are the Most likely targets?
2.Where would "safe" spots be?
3.What would be some precautions that might need to be taken?
4.What should i expect?


Thanks

[General Grim]

1.In Canada What are the Most likely targets?

Military institutions and populated areas such as cities, it really depends on the intentions of the opposing force.

2.Where would "safe" spots be?

Underground Bunkers, neutral countries and rural areas- anywhere that's not threatening or of particular value.

3.What would be some precautions that might need to be taken?

I'd like to give an answer but I haven't exactly experienced nuclear warfare yet. Obviously a clean water supply, rations, ability to live in the bush and other survival skills will be needed.

4.What should i expect?

Death? Besides, as if Canada will get into nuclear war, they don't even independently own nukes. If the going gets hot then I'm going back to St.Lucia.

[Draven]

Originally Posted by ThisDay

1.In Canada What are the Most likely targets?

Cities, Military Bases, locations with Chemical Company, Oil Piping Stations etc.

Originally Posted by ThisDay

2.Where would "safe" spots be?

In a cave nothing with whats mentioned about and heavily agrocultural areas that produce food is not the place to be, even if in rural because a nuke would damage national food production.

Originally Posted by ThisDay

3.What would be some precautions that might need to be taken?

Shelter First;
Dispite any claims to the contrary Nukes will not fuck up the planet for 100 years or start a second ice age. But they make heck of a boom.

By SFC Red Thomas (Ret)

"Nuclear bombs. These are the only weapons of mass destruction on earth. The effects of a nuclear bomb are heat, blast, EMP, and radiation. If you see a bright flash of light like the sun, where the sun isn't, fall to the ground! The heat will be over a second. Then there will be two blast waves, one out going, and one on it's way back. Don't stand up to see what happened after the first wave; anything that's going to happen will have happened in two full minutes.

These will be low yield devices and will not level whole cities. If you live through the heat, blast, and initial burst of radiation, you'll probably live for a very, very long time. Radiation will not create fifty foot tall women, or giant ants and grass hoppers the size of tanks. These will be at the most 1 kiloton bombs; that's the equivalent of 1,000 tons of TNT.

Here's the real deal, flying debris and radiation will kill a lot of exposed (not all!) people within a half mile of the blast. Under perfect conditions this is about a half mile circle of death and destruction, but, when it's done it's done. EMP stands for Electro Magnetic Pulse and it will fry every electronic device for a good distance, it's impossible to say what and how far but probably not over a couple of miles from ground zero is a good guess. Cars, cell phones, computers, ATMs, you name it, all will be out of order.

There are lots of kinds of radiation, you only need to worry about three, the others you have lived with for years. You need to worry about "Ionizing radiation," these are little sub atomic particles that go whizzing along at the speed of light. They hit individual cells in your body, kill the nucleus and keep on going. That's how you get radiation poisoning, you have so many dead cells in your body that the decaying cells poison you.

It's the same as people getting radiation treatments for cancer, only a bigger area gets radiated. The good news is you don't have to just sit there and take it, and there's lots you can do rather than panic. First; your skin will stop alpha particles, a page of a news paper or your clothing will stop beta particles, you just gotta try and avoid inhaling dust that's contaminated with atoms that are emitting these things and you'll be generally safe from them.

Gamma rays are particles that travel like rays (quantum physics makes my brain hurt) and they create the same damage as alpha and beta particles only they keep going and kill lots of cells as they go all the way through your body. It takes a lot to stop these things, lots of dense material, on the other hand it takes a lot of this to kill you.

Your defense is as always to not panic. Basic hygiene and normal preparation are your friends. All canned or frozen food is safe to eat. The radiation poisoning will not effect plants so fruits and vegetables are OK if there's no dust on em (rinse em off if there is). If you don't have running water and you need to collect rain water or use water from wherever, just let it sit for thirty minutes and skim off the water gently from the top.

The dust with the bad stuff in it will settle and the remaining water can be used for the toilet which will still work if you have a bucket of water to pour in the
tank."

Water/Food;
I say you need 3 to 6 months of canned food and bottled water, get some seeds and be prepared to grow your own food for anything after said 3 ot 6 month period. I suggest using a bow or crossbow for hunting if need be.

First Aid/Medicine;
Of course three first aid kits are good for such injuries, and a possible SF field surgury kit for major issues and some training in that area.

Survival Skills;
Learn to live in the bush... Fabricate basic technologies...

Defensive Prep;
Learn some MA and buy a few guns, use the bow for hunting reusable ammo but keep the gun for dealing with the various drgrees of ass holes, rioters and criminals.

Originally Posted by ThisDay

4.What should i expect?

Big boom, fire and nothing electircal to work...

[CyberWar]

Before I answer to the given questions, I must point out that situation has changed much since the Cold War. Most of strategic nuclear weapons were not built to actually be used, but to intimidate and deter the potential enemy back then. This is even more so today, when all superpowers increasingly reduce the size of their strategic nuke stocks in favour of low-yield tactical nukes.

If a nuclear war was to take place these days, it would most likely be limited to conventional warfare with a casual use of low-yield tactical nukes delivered at high-value military and industrial targets, with little deliberate damage to population centres.

Canada is a relatively safe spot since it has no nukes of its own and is less likely of becoming a target unlike USA, whose ICBM silos obviously are a prime target for a nuclear bunker-busting attack. Since most of Canada's industry and population is concentrated along the Great Lakes and the East coast, staying away from there would be a wise move, as there are only a few cities in Central and West Canada.

To determine precisely where the safe spot would be, you should look for an agriculturally-suitable backwater place with no major cities up the prevailing wind direction - you would not want your water supply and soil contaminated with fallout.

Stock on fresh water, food, medicine and weapons, fuel (if you plan to use a vehicle or electrical power) and, if the stay is expected to be long, tools for agricultural and construction work. Learn the basics of farming, hunting, carpentry along with survival and first aid. It is preferrable to form a small community, as that will make survival simpler. You may also want to include a clockwork radio or other means of communication in your equipment. A radio transmitter is also a good idea, if you are dead certain the war will wipe out most of civilization in your place. And most importantly, include a Geiger counter in your equipment - it will help you determine if the land, food or water around is safe to use.

In case of all-out nuclear holocaust, expect some form of fallout and noticeable drop in temperatures, often coupled with snow or heavy rain. Fallout looks similar to volcanic ash, a grey, fine dust that feels rough to the touch. While it is not dangerous to be covered in fallout (alpha and beta radiation that fallout emits is unable to penetrate the skin), utmost caution should be taken to avoid inhalation or ingestion. The most radioactive fallout occurs shortly after the blast within a limited area downwind, and the radioactive elements in it decay rapidly within about 3 days, after which it becomes relatively safe to traverse. However, it is advised to stay in cover for at least a month until the majority of enviromental damage ends. Of course, if the war takes on the likely scenario of using low-yield tactical weapons, there will be no noticeable climate changes at all.

[Core Entropy]

Originally Posted by ThisDay

1.In Canada What are the Most likely targets?

Canada is not what would be expected to be attacked because its not a high life of war, etc. But Cities, and Military bases just what Grim said.

Originally Posted by ThisDay

2.Where would "safe" spots be?

Bunkers, Basements in rural towns, most likely the desert or a barren land scape, the safest would be in a valley with mountains surrounding.

Originally Posted by ThisDay

3.What would be some precautions that might need to be taken?

Gallons upon Gallons of fresh water. Enough Rations to last you for your life (not exaggerating), Weaponry, Guidelines if people are there with you.

Originally Posted by ThisDay

4.What should i expect?

As no one truly knows you should not expect anything too light, and you should not expect anything too serious. There are a limited amount of nukes but the length of time the radiation lasts depends on the type of source.
Uranium-238 Half-Life 4.46 billion
Uranium-235 Half-Life 704 million
Uranium-234 Half-Life 245,000

These are the half-lives of only uranium. Most nukes use 234 and a small dose but it would spread over a wide land area. This would last for hundreds to thousands of years of contamination so yes it would last long. Plus when a nuke goes off it releases an EMP discharge that knocks out all communications or anything electronic so remember that.

[CyberWar]

BTW, it is U-235 that is NO LONGER used in nukes.

The nuclear fuel disintegrates into elements of lesser atomic mass during the process of fission, such as Krypton-92 and Barium-141 (as in case of Uranium-235), which have significantly lesser half-lives, lasting no longer than a few years. Besides, most of isotopes created in a nuclear blast emit alpha or beta radiation which is a limited hazard when compared to the lethal gamma radiation emitted by the blast itself.

This means it is relatively safe to walk around in the blast area after a few days without a rad-suit, presuming you do not inhale or ingest the fallout. After about 5 years, the area is safe to resettle, although increased radiation levels will be observable for centuries.

[jrly]

Off topic, but if it is safe after a five years, then what happened in Chernobyl?

[Random]

Originally Posted by jrly

Off topic, but if it is safe after a five years, then what happened in Chernobyl?

Something completely different to a weapon explosion. As I understand it, various events and misunderstandings compounded resulting in the reactor outputting a dangerous amount of power...followed by the emergency shutdown mechanisms failing. The energy inside the reactor rose, as did the heat, resulting in a powerful steam explosion.

Regarding the radioactive materials released...

* All of the noble gases, including krypton and xenon, contained within the reactor were released immediately into the atmosphere by the first steam explosion.
* About 55% of the radioactive iodine in the reactor was released, as a mixture of vapor, solid particles and as organic iodine compounds.
* Caesium and tellurium were released in aerosol form.

Two sizes of particles were released: small particles of 0.3 to 1.5 micrometers (aerodynamic diameter) and large particles of 10 micrometers. The large particles contained about 80% to 90% of the released nonvolatile radioisotopes zirconium-95, niobium-95, lanthanum-140, cerium-144 and the transuranic elements, including neptunium, plutonium and the minor actinides), embedded in a uranium oxide matrix.

Source: Chernobyl disaster - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

That same article suggests that the intense heat from the reactor caused part of the reactor, including some radioactive materials, to melt into a lava-like substance, which later re-solidified. In its ceramic form, that material is not emitting as much radiation as it could, but experts aren't sure how long the radiation emissions will be stopped by that ceramic substance.

CyberWar, where did you source your information from?

[Shepherd]

If you are really worried about the effects of nuclear fall out, remember to buy potasium iodide. Potassium iodide is available via the internet in several locations, or you can buy it at a local pharmacy (not a Wal-mart, but a pharmacy that is locally owned) and make your own capsules.This is used to saturate your thyroid, thus avoiding thyroid cancer later in life. Radioactive products generated by a nuclear explosion or criticality incident, be it from war or man-made disaster, include strontium, cesium, and thorium. Uranium and plutonium are actually the least of your worries. Avoid injesting or inhaling the fallout, and you might life a long and fruitful life.

As for the rest of the questions, they are all answered at several different websites. Just Google Nuclear War, Fallout, and Survival.

Hope this helps.

[jrly]

Chronic overexposure can have adverse effects on the thyroid.

Cite: Potassium iodide - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[CyberWar]

Chernobyl is a different case, as the primary contaminant was radioactive Caesium, which is gamma-radioactive and has a significantly-greater half-life.

In either case, Chernobyl area is now relatively safe to traverse, presuming you avoid wooden buildings, structures with open windows facing the reactor and certain spots where the reactor rubble was buried. The area has become a kind of wildlife preserve, wild horses, deer and even wisents dwelling the place with no apparent deformations.

So, presuming you know the hazards and means to avoid them, and always keep a Geiger counter at hand, Chernobyl area is no more dangerous to live in than a conventional military proving ground.

[billisbackbaby]

In the case of canada most of the population lives along the boarder with the U.S so any where north. Alot of the arctic bases in the north are not in existance any more. When the soviet union broke apart was there was no need for monitering as much in the arctic. Chernobyl I think it was some russian scientist doing a test and shut off the pump that cools the reactor and it exploded.