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Protect & Survive (Nuclear War Preparedness)

Well I'll be usein' lead 'co if it's conreate I won't ave enough space fer an 'art shaped bed an' that to enitice the ladyzz in.
 
Aha!

Can't believe I didn't see this post before, since this is one of my interests! Being someone born in the mid 80s, I grew up just as the Cold War was ending, so there never seemed a 'real' threat for me. Which is why I find it so fascinating to look back at the stuff that I could have been terrified by had I been born a few years earlier :D

I bought "Threads" on DVD, but frankly found it quite boring. I suppose you had to 'be there'. I managed to find a copy of "When The Wind Blows" in a charity shop for a quid, which is great and much more conveys (to me) the kind of fear I was looking for! :)

I've also visited "The Secret Bunker" in Scotland (a converted nuclear bunker) which was amazing, and also a military "secret bunker" near Buchan, which isn't that secret since Subterranea Britannica have covered it. Interesting to see an active nuclear bunker - I got to have a look at the decontamination room with all the scary suits and things.
 
Several of the Royal Observation Corps nuclear war observation bunkers are currently up for sale starting at a measly £3k. Not the nicest of places to live but, hey you never know when you might need one...
 
Pi23 said:
Several of the Royal Observation Corps nuclear war observation bunkers are currently up for sale starting at a measly £3k. Not the nicest of places to live but, hey you never know when you might need one...

I've been in an abandoned one a few years back (details on request), it had all mod cons but they had pulled the air filter system. Went to show it to a mate a year ago and the lid was pulled and a boulder wedged into the entrance, probably to stop kids getting in, and getting trapped.

Happy memories of the cold war. Does anyone remember survivalists / survivalism? Were we really that stupid? Ahh pass me ma rifle woman , looks like societys about to collapse yeehaaw!:blah:
 
Several of the Royal Observation Corps nuclear war observation bunkers are currently up for sale starting at a measly £3k. Not the nicest of places to live but, hey you never know when you might need one...

cheap accomodation for the homeless or first time buyers

unfortuneatly if the end comes and all men above ground are killed, society will have to restart on a philosophy built on paranoid men in parkas ranting about how goblins are stealing their thoughts and frosty jacks and tennents lager will be the only food stuffs available !!!
 
Demon Avenger said:
cheap accomodation for the homeless or first time buyers

unfortuneatly if the end comes and all men above ground are killed, society will have to restart on a philosophy built on paranoid men in parkas ranting about how goblins are stealing their thoughts and frosty jacks and tennents lager will be the only food stuffs available !!!

:rolleyes: Well, if it comes to nuclear war, a world rebuilt by schitzophrenics who couldn't cut it in the world that just killed itself couldn't possibly do worse than the idiots that had just offed themselves, now could it?

It'd be interesting to see how that scenario plays out, though.
 
Most likely I would be thier Tennants toting govenor:_pished:
 
This threads survives after a long sleep.

It’s the end of the world as we know it. But you’ll be fine. That’s the implicit message of the Luxury Survival Condo, which offers a “life assurance” policy to those who can afford it.

That policy comes in the form of a living unit in a decommissioned Kansas missile silo, along with survival training (mandatory), a five-year food supply per occupant, two floors of hydroponic gardens and an aquaculture system to farm fish, a swimming pool, an indoor shooting range, a dog “park”, a gym, a game arcade and a “minor surgery centre”, among other features.

It’s all encased in up to nearly three metres of special concrete, a “nuclear-hardened” space that plunges 14 stories underground ...

http://www.irishexaminer.com/world/luxu ... 97619.html
 
I really need Monty Don to do a gardening show on building an Anderson Shelter.
I really fancy one instead of a shed.
 
Wasn't there a problem with Anderson shelters in that they tended to fill with water when it rained? It could always double as a pond, I suppose.
 
My Daughters, born in the early 1990's were initially horrified that when our age group were growing up, until not that long before they were born, we kind of assumed that we would die (possibly fairly soon) in a messy and colourful way as a result of a nuclear war. Not that most of us were constantly thinking about it, but it was always there.
I was a baby when it all kicked off in Cuba and my Dad once told me he was really worried.
When I was little in the 1960's I remember hearing the air raid warnings being tested from time to time in my town, and not really paying it much attention. According to my Mum it was the 'all clear' they were sounding. So that was ok. :shock:
 
I was born in the early 80s and remember when I was around 10 or 11 my mum casually mentioned that her plan for when (not if) the balloon went up was to drive me and my sister out into the countryside and wait to be vapourised. I was - and remain - absolutely horrified by the idea. Many childhood nightmares were induced by this ill-advised revelation.
 
Ronnor said:
I was born in the early 80s and remember when I was around 10 or 11 my mum casually mentioned that her plan for when (not if) the balloon went up was to drive me and my sister out into the countryside and wait to be vapourised. I was - and remain - absolutely horrified by the idea. Many childhood nightmares were induced by this ill-advised revelation.

The odd thing is (I remember mentioning this elsewhere) that I found an article from CND as a child that postulated that the mega tonnage aimed at the UK would vapourise us before we heard the bang and I found this comforting.
 
Our school was in line of sight of Barnbow (later Vickers) tank factory, so I always figured back then we'd all get vapourised really quick when the bombs started dropping.

Scares me more now thinking about it.
 
As regards shelters, there are in Sweden around 65,000 "Protection Rooms" dotted around everywhere which are designed for use by the general public in case of war. They are usually in basements, underground car parks etc and can house fron 50 to 20,000 in each. They are tested and maintained and to keep their status they have to be "readied" within a day or two.

They are supposed to be able to withstand all major forms of attack - nuclear, biological and maybe even extra terrestrial ;)

Walking around you see the demarkation symbol dotted all over the place.
 
Time to invest in a new nuclear war shelter.

IN A FLASH, a nuclear warhead unleashes the destructive power of hundreds of kilotons of TNT. The resulting inferno, and the blast wave that follows, instantly kill people directly in their path. But a new study finds that some people two to seven miles away could survive—if they’re lucky enough to find just the right kind of shelter.

Dimitris Drikakis, a fluid dynamics researcher at the University of Nicosia in Cyprus, led the study both to illuminate the ongoing risks of nuclear escalation and to examine how one might have a chance at survival if the unthinkable should come to pass. “People have forgotten the devastating impacts nuclear war can have. But now we’re seeing the discussion starting again, and there’s a debate about the potential for nuclear war in Ukraine,” says Drikakis. “I think this kind of study raises awareness within the wider population that nuclear explosions are not a joke.”

His grim research comes just as the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announced that it has ticked the Doomsday Clock forward, to 90 seconds until an apocalyptic midnight, citing the increasing nuclear tensions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Scientists and artists developed the metaphorical clock to communicate risks posed by global, human-caused problems including climate change, but the dangers of nuclear war have been a major focus since its inception.

Drikakis combed through scientific research on what the aftermath of nuclear weapon use would look like, and he spotted a gap: There’s little knowledge of the effects on humans indoors in the “moderate damage zone” a few miles from the epicenter, far enough away that buildings might not get blown to bits. He and his colleague Ioannis Kokkinakis focused on this area and published their work in the Physics of Fluids journal last week. ...

https://www.wired.com/story/you-might-survive-a-nuclear-blast-if-you-have-the-right-shelter
 
Time to invest in a new nuclear war shelter.

IN A FLASH, a nuclear warhead unleashes the destructive power of hundreds of kilotons of TNT. The resulting inferno, and the blast wave that follows, instantly kill people directly in their path. But a new study finds that some people two to seven miles away could survive—if they’re lucky enough to find just the right kind of shelter.

Dimitris Drikakis, a fluid dynamics researcher at the University of Nicosia in Cyprus, led the study both to illuminate the ongoing risks of nuclear escalation and to examine how one might have a chance at survival if the unthinkable should come to pass. “People have forgotten the devastating impacts nuclear war can have. But now we’re seeing the discussion starting again, and there’s a debate about the potential for nuclear war in Ukraine,” says Drikakis. “I think this kind of study raises awareness within the wider population that nuclear explosions are not a joke.”

His grim research comes just as the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announced that it has ticked the Doomsday Clock forward, to 90 seconds until an apocalyptic midnight, citing the increasing nuclear tensions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Scientists and artists developed the metaphorical clock to communicate risks posed by global, human-caused problems including climate change, but the dangers of nuclear war have been a major focus since its inception.

Drikakis combed through scientific research on what the aftermath of nuclear weapon use would look like, and he spotted a gap: There’s little knowledge of the effects on humans indoors in the “moderate damage zone” a few miles from the epicenter, far enough away that buildings might not get blown to bits. He and his colleague Ioannis Kokkinakis focused on this area and published their work in the Physics of Fluids journal last week. ...

https://www.wired.com/story/you-might-survive-a-nuclear-blast-if-you-have-the-right-shelter
Have they watched ‘Threads’…? I really don’t want to survive thanks, if the fallout doesn’t kill you slowly and painfully then something else will, the aftermath would be like living in Hell unless you were on some remote island
 
I have an original 'protect & survive' booklet somewhere. Printed on government issue* paper.

* = lowest quality available.
 
Time to invest in a new nuclear war shelter.

IN A FLASH, a nuclear warhead unleashes the destructive power of hundreds of kilotons of TNT. The resulting inferno, and the blast wave that follows, instantly kill people directly in their path. But a new study finds that some people two to seven miles away could survive—if they’re lucky enough to find just the right kind of shelter.

Dimitris Drikakis, a fluid dynamics researcher at the University of Nicosia in Cyprus, led the study both to illuminate the ongoing risks of nuclear escalation and to examine how one might have a chance at survival if the unthinkable should come to pass. “People have forgotten the devastating impacts nuclear war can have. But now we’re seeing the discussion starting again, and there’s a debate about the potential for nuclear war in Ukraine,” says Drikakis. “I think this kind of study raises awareness within the wider population that nuclear explosions are not a joke.”

His grim research comes just as the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announced that it has ticked the Doomsday Clock forward, to 90 seconds until an apocalyptic midnight, citing the increasing nuclear tensions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Scientists and artists developed the metaphorical clock to communicate risks posed by global, human-caused problems including climate change, but the dangers of nuclear war have been a major focus since its inception.

Drikakis combed through scientific research on what the aftermath of nuclear weapon use would look like, and he spotted a gap: There’s little knowledge of the effects on humans indoors in the “moderate damage zone” a few miles from the epicenter, far enough away that buildings might not get blown to bits. He and his colleague Ioannis Kokkinakis focused on this area and published their work in the Physics of Fluids journal last week. ...

https://www.wired.com/story/you-might-survive-a-nuclear-blast-if-you-have-the-right-shelter

Covid really has died on its arse, hasn’t it? They’ve had to blow the dust off the Doomsday Clock.

Still, the asteroids are now looking promising.

maximus otter
 
Covid really has died on its arse, hasn’t it? They’ve had to blow the dust off the Doomsday Clock.

Still, the asteroids are now looking promising.

maximus otter

The problem began back in 1947.

Starting at seven minutes to midnight doesn't give you much scope for deterioration.

Spinal_Tap_-_Up_to_Eleven.jpg
 
Covid really has died on its arse, hasn’t it? They’ve had to blow the dust off the Doomsday Clock.

Still, the asteroids are now looking promising.

maximus otter

There shelters could also protect you against asteroid strikes.
 
There shelters could also protect you against asteroid strikes.
Depending on the size of the asteroid, likely not. Especially in a direct hit.
The Barringer Crater (below) was created when an 'impactor' approximately 50 metres in diameter hit.
1674816088066.png


And of course the 'Chicxulub' event, if repeated, would offer you very few hiding places.....
(It was formed slightly over 66 million years ago when a large asteroid, about ten kilometers in diameter, struck Earth)
 
I am old enough to remember the so called peace dividend, now we are back to this
 
JJ Cale had the right idea.
Not before midnight, but after it. Much more fun.
(I did try to include the relevant you tube vid but that was disapproved of - so you'll have to just go and look it up yourself)

"After midnight, we're gonna let it all hang out
After midnight, we're gonna chug-a-lug and shout
We're gonna cause talk and suspicion
Give an exhibition
Find out what it is all about
After midnight, we're gonna let it all hang out"
 
Currently just finished watching the season of Fear The Walking Dead where some nukes have been launched. And about three episodes later, yes the sky's a bit orange, but people seem to be wandering around already as if nothing had happened (or a cool looking head dress will somehow deter the nuclear cooties). Reassuring.
 
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