Basement Fallout Shelter

[jazzy]

ok, i was down in the basement yesterday doing some much needed cleaning. when i was done and cathicng my breath i started thinking, hmmmm, What If.....what if some bad things started happening with bombs going off, could we shelter in the basement?

we are not in a blast zone radius so wed just have to be concerned about fallout from west and maybe north of us and depending on jet stream.

anyone thinking about their basement for a shelter? i went to shanes site and looked up a bunch of info (thanks shane for a great site!) and it was a great help, i printed out a bunch of stuff.

the house is on a slope and the basement has 3 walls fully in ground, with one wall that has half of it above ground. that wall with its door and 2 windows would need some mass like sandbags or earth berm about 3 ft thick to have protection inside. the ceiling is another problem, the house has 3 levels but thats not much protection, from what ive gathered its the first 48 hrs that some kind of shelter covering inside the basement would be necessary, then depending on survey readings and decay rate of radiation the rest of the basement could be lived in afterwards until it is safe to go outside temporarily.

i think i got a good understanding of sheltering requirements and its needs, but what im not too clear on is when afterwards is it safe to go out or use the rest of the house?

i read where the radiation is accumulative and that in most cases an exposure of 100-150 rads or less is survivable if no further exposure and it takes the body about 2 weeks to recover itself.

but what is considered the 'safe' level for leaving a shelter? ive been searching but cant seem to find a solid answer so far, unless im missing it. except for one site that said wait for the levels to get to .01 and then it sill be safe to be outside, but i cant find that repeated anywhere else. others said to keep a radio nearby and wait for the authorities to tell you its safe to come out.

ive got a rad meter from shanes place and some of those nifty stickers, but im feeling like im missing a piece of the puzzle.

have any of you guys delved into this? id sure love to hear your findings. i did a search to see what might have been posted before but didnt see this, if i missed it and its alreday done i apologize.

[Faroe]

When I bought Shane's kit, it included a book by C. Kearny, a FEMA manual from 1983 (VERY helpful), and dosiometers (spell). If you don't have the kit, see if you can get these items separately. The books will show you how to keep track of exposure with the dosimeters

I studied these materials about a year ago, when they arrived, and obviously need to review. Someone else will be able to give you better specifics.

[BugoutBear]

One of the big issues with a basement shelter is the giant pile of wood sitting on top of it (house).

[jazzy]

thanks faroe, i think the book is Nuclear Survival Skills or something like that, i had a copy years ago but who knows where it is now, i think i lent it out, i best get another.

BOB, lol--yeah, i know, big pile of wood for sure but the good Lord put us here so i reckon it will work out..

[grower]

Don't know if this is what you're looking for, jazzy, but it gives a time element, rather than a radioactive reading:

Radioactive Fallout Will be The Killer
Like the more than 160 million Americans who live within the danger zones, your greatest concern following a nuclear attack comes from radioactive fallout. That's the main reason you will need a well-constructed, underground bomb shelter. It's true that taking shelter under the coffee table or in the basement will increase your chances for short-term survival, but these structures will not keep you alive. Only an underground bomb shelter will guarantee your survival. Once you understand the penetrating abilities of radiation via fallout, you will be far more motivated to build a shelter underground. The concept is fairly simple - separate yourself from fallout with at least 36 inches of dirt (or varying amounts of other materials such as concrete, lead, etc.)
While the initial blast could kill a million people, tens of thousands more will die from radioactive dust which will drift for several hundred miles downrange from the point of detonation. The track it follows, just as in a volcano eruption and even the weather, is one relevant to the jet stream, a prevailing pattern of winds and weather coming from the west or north west. In other words, the fallout will most likely travel from west to east.
Fallout will begin appearing within 5 minutes (or less) after the initial blast. Depending on the size of the bomb, type of detonation (underground, ground level, or air burst) and height of the mushroom cloud which, as mentioned earlier, is filled with radioactive debris, gamma-charged dust particles can travel across several states before falling to the ground. As time goes by, the radioactive energy literally burns itself out as the powdery surface left will return to near normal levels. This can take as long as several weeks, but typically should not last more than 4 or 5 days. The immediate blast area will be uninhabitable for thousands of years. A lot of factors will play in determining the level or radiation at different intervals of time and distance from the blast. Included are weather, temperature, wind speed, and size of the weapon. You best defense against fallout? A carefully planned, well-constructed, and fully stocked underground bomb shelter.

http://undergroundbombshelter.com/bo...the-killer.htm

[grower]

You're right, nobody seems to have a radioactive reading that they say is safe. Here's another one with a time factor:

TIME - Fallout from a nuclear explosion has a surprisingly rapid deterioration of its effectiveness. Within the first 24-72 hours the fallout will lose one half of its radioactive effectiveness. The problem is that it will take another 50 years or so for the other half to die out. An all-out effort should be exerted to maximize protection during the first three days. Short departures from the shelter should occur once advised by local authorities or no earlier than 7-10 days after the event if authorities are not available. Any departure from the shelter should be for very short duration and only when needed for emergencies. Curiosity is not a good reason to leave a shelter.

Read more: http://www.bukisa.com/articles/37940...#ixzz1q54pDhcg

[1911user]

thanks faroe, i think the book is Nuclear Survival Skills or something like that, i had a copy years ago but who knows where it is now, i think i lent it out, i best get another.

BOB, lol--yeah, i know, big pile of wood for sure but the good Lord put us here so i reckon it will work out..

It is public domain. You can download a digital copy of NWSS here: http://www.oism.org/nwss or http://www.ki4u.com/nwss.pdf
I'm not sure it has all the drawings and figures.

You can also order a physical copy of the book for about $20 plus shipping from the www.oism.org website. I'm sure other places sell it also.

[independent]

They line the walls with sheet lead to keep the radiation from getting out of x-ray rooms. I have a walk out basement (3 walls under ground and 1 wall exposed). I lined my exposed wall with sheet lead and then dry walled over the sheet lead. As far as the wood floor goes, I have read that you should turn over your tables and I have extra sheet lead that I can lay on the floor over the area that we would shelter in. I know it's not a perfect plan, but it's better than most.

[grower]

Where can you buy sheet lead? Is it expensive?

[TomNTam]

Holy cow, independent, where did you get those sheets of lead. I could use 1 or 2 of those for the melting pot, for casting bullets.LOL