1) Understand Fallout
Fallout is radioactive dust that takes the worst road trip ever: up, out, and back down on everything. Good news: exposure risk drops fast with time (rough rule: after about 7× the time, ~90% less dose). Bad news: it’s still dust—don’t breathe or eat the apocalypse.
- Hazards: external gamma exposure; internal if you inhale/ingest.
- Controls: time (wait), distance (back up), shielding (concrete, brick, earth—your quirky landlord’s drywall does not count).
2) Pre-Incident Preparation
- Know your thick places: basements, interior rooms, center of large buildings.
- Cache: sealed water (3+ days), shelf-stable food, radio, lamps, first aid. The artisanal sourdough starter is not a survival item.
- Have N95/P2 masks, gloves, bags, plastic sheeting, tape, wipes, spare clothes.
- Paper copies of contacts, maps, medications, and key docs—batteries fear paper.
3) Immediate Actions: Shelter-in-Place
- Get inside. Go deep and central, away from windows. Pretend you’re a nocturnal cryptid.
- Seal smart. Close intakes and unfiltered HVAC. Lower airflow, higher survival—sorry plants.
- Wait. Often 24–48h. Let physics do the heavy lifting before you do any.
4) Decontamination Basics
- Before entering the “clean” zone, remove outer clothing and bag it like it owes you money.
- Shower with soap and lukewarm water. No conditioner—it can trap particles in hair. Chic, but cursed.
5) Food & Water Safety
- Use sealed bottles/cans. Wipe before opening like a germaphobe with a PhD.
- Indoor covered sources beat outdoor anything. Boiling doesn’t remove radionuclides.
- Outdoor produce during deposition? Consider it avant-garde glitter. Discard.
6) Ventilation & Filtration
- Kill intake fans that lack filtration. If you DIY a filter, seal edges—air is lazy and will cheat.
- Pick one doorway as a “dirty” airlock. Fewer door opens = fewer sparkly gamma sprinkles inside.
7) Evacuation & Movement
- When told to move, go on their timeline. Dose rate falls fast; patience beats bravado.
- In vehicles: windows up, air on recirculate, then decon at arrival like it’s a nightclub with a hose.
8) Communications & Info Hygiene
- A battery or hand-crank radio is the cockroach of comms (a compliment).
- Stick to official channels. Rumors spread faster than fallout maps.
9) Minimalist “Go/Stay” Kit
- Water (sealed), canned food, opener, utensils, electrolytes.
- Radio, headlamp/flashlight, spare batteries, power bank.
- N95+, gloves, soap, wipes, bags, tape, sheeting, scissors.
- Clothes change, sturdy shoes, first aid, essential meds.
- IDs, emergency contacts, local maps, a little cash (paper still works offline).
10) Mental Resilience
Keep tiny routines. Assign roles. Schedule check-ins. Write steps down. Doomscroll on a timer or the doom wins.
Reminder: This is information, not instructions. Follow authorities; we’ll handle the wardrobe.