This is a mix of survival articles which I had written for another website which is going to go down at some point so I have moved it here in order to safeguard the time spent creating it.

Nuclear War / Fallout Survival

What is the nuclear threat?

To look at the nuclear threat you must focus on two forms of potential disaster - nuclear power generation and nuclear weaponry. Both can cause much the same effects (although nuclear weapons cause much more damage due to greater wield and blast / pressure effects).

Nuclear fission electricity, i.e. nuclear power, was first developed prior to World War II, with the first sucessful experiment of this technology being conducted in Germany by German physicists Otto Hahn, Lise Meitner and Fritz Strassmann in 1938. The technology involves generating heat through the use of a controlled nuclear chain reaction. This heat can then be turned in to electricity by heating water and driving steam turbines. The technology is relatively safe but the materials involved have the potential of causing a nuclear meltdown (such as at Three Miles and Chernobyl disasters) which could potentially result in the released of vast quantities of radioactive "fallout" particles.
Meltdowns are extremely rare due to much improved nuclear safety but the risk is still there, either from accidental cause or from terrorist attacks inducing meltdown conditions.

Perhaps the most devastating and frightening form of warfare known to man, Nuclear weapons (nuclear fission devices) were first created towards the end of World War II, nuclear weapons have only ever been used twice in warfare (war alone, not testing) at the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. The bombs used to kill the hundreds of thousands of people were a fraction of the deadliness of modern weaponry.
Nuclear weapons are categorised by the method by which a reaction is generated. The most common form of military grade weapon is the based on nuclear fusion (hydrogen bomb). These weapons have almost limitless power but the most powerful warhead created using this technique was equivalent to 50 megatons of TNT, almost 4000 times more powerful than the first nuclear fission weapon "Little Boy" which was dropped in Hiroshima. As there are approximately 20,000 known warheads present in the world, the potential for damage is catastrophic. Although the political situation between those countries with nuclear weapons is realtively stable, rogue states such as Iran and Korea are set to enter as nuclear powers.

Blast Effect

The majority of primary damage caused by nuclear weapons is caused by blast effects. The blast effect differs significantly from that of conventional explosives creating huge overpressures and being of lenghty duration.

The Hydrodynamic Front

The high temperatures of the explosion and the high overpressures cause gas to move outwards. This expansion of gas is called the "hydrodynamic front". The front pushes against and compresses the surrounding air (or ground if the explosion is a subterrain) to make a spherically expanding shock wave.

Much of the destructive effects of a nuclear explosion are due to the enormous blast effects generated. Unless a building is designed to withstand high pressures, they will suffer moderate to severe damage when subjected relatively low overpressures. As such, the amount of soft structures damage can lead to the complete anihilation of complete city centers.

Blast Winds

The blast wind caused by the explosion may exceed several hundred mph. The range of blast effects increases with the yield of the weapon. Contrary to what one might expect from geometry the blast range is not maximal for surface or low altitude blasts but increases with altitude up to an "optimum burst altitude" and then decreases rapidly for higher altitudes. If the blast wave reaches the ground it is reflected. For each overpressure there is a certain optimum altitude at which the blast range is maximized.

The Effect of Blast on Human Physiology

The shock waves generated cause pressure waves through the body tissues. These waves mostly damage junctions between tissues of different densities (bone and muscle) or the interface between tissue and air. Lungs and the abdominal cavity, which contain air, are particularly injured. The damage causes severe haemorrhaging or air embolisms, either of which can be rapidly fatal.

Wiki Article of Blast Effect
FAS Guide to Blast Effect and Damage

Thermal Radiation from Nuclear Weapons

The explosion of a nuclear weapon generates light which is much more powerful than that of the sun. The light contains electromagnetic radiation consisting of visible light, infra-red and ultraviolet.

Effect on Human Physiology

The intensity of this radiation is high and as such the main injuries caused include burns and eye damage. The radiant energy can cause temporary blindness for up to 40 minutes, retinal burns and conjunctival and epithelial damage. The picture below is of a victim of Hiroshima which shows the effects that the thermal radiation has had on her clothing, burning it in to the skin:

Effect on Structures

Structures are also badly affected with radiation heating and burning the external portion of a building causing the structure to weaken. The combination of this thermal damage and the blast damage results in widespread destruction of above-ground structures. The damage can be seen in the below picture which was taken at a Nevada test site and shows the instant combustion of the exterior of the affected house:

As with blast damage, the quantity of radiation emitted causing thermal damage is related closely with the total wield of the weapon deployed.

See also:

Wiki Article on Thermal Effect
FAS Guide to Thermal Effect and Damage

Ionizing Radiation (Fallout)

Although this radiation only constitutes 5% of energy released in a nuclear detonation, it is this radiant energy which leaves it's mark for hundreds of years and leaves land as a hazardous wasteland. Ionizing radiation irradiates material creating "fallout" particles. These particles are radioactive and can be carried in prevailing winds vastly increasing the area affected by a detonation. The below diagram was contructed by FEMA to demonstrate how a nuclear strike in Eastern North America would distribute fallout particles over the mid-west states:

Fallout and the Body

The then increased exposure can lead to contaminated food stuffs and vastly increases a persons chances of having cancer (especially thyroid cancer), decreasing their fertility, getting cataracts, having genetic mutations and suffering from radiodermatitis.

See also:

Wikipedia
FAS Radiation Article

Electro Magnetic Pulse (EMP)

Nuclear weapons were not originally designed for this purpose but instead this was one of the useful "side effects". As culture has become increasingly dependent on electronical technology the militaries of the world have tried to create weaponry to exploit this. One such way of creating a significant electromagnetical pulse is to use an airburst nuclear weapon. By detonating the weapon at high altitude the EMP effect can cause widespread damage over vast areas - some say that for a 50 megaton warhead a whole continent could be affected.

Protecting Machinery from EMP

This energy luckily does not affect human anatomy but the damage to machinery can be crippling. As such the majority of military equipment is shielded to ensure that it will be operational at all times. The principle for shielding a device is an easy one and can be utilised to protect equipment at home. The process is the same as is used to protect people and computers from lightning strikes. Creating a Faraday cage (a conductive metal enclosure) round a machine will protect it.

For more technical information see:

EMP Wikipedia
FAS EMP

Chemical & Biological War Survival

What is a Chemical/Biological Threat?

Chemical/Biological threats are an ever-growing concern in our modern societies. Whether it’s a terrorist with an aerosol can full of weaponized Anthrax gas or a large-scale dirty-bomb detonated by a rival sovereign state, the threat is here and the threat is real!

Learn!

Biological agents rarely cause immediate effects and the priorities during such a release should be to locate and quarantine any affected people. Chemical agents usually entail immediate effects and your immediate priority should be to limit the intake of such an agent.

A chemical weapon is an agent which uses a manufactured chemical to kill people. The most feared chemical agents include Sarin, VX, Mustard and Lewisite Gas.

A biological weapon uses a bacteria or virus to kill people. The most feared biological agents include Anthrax, Smallpox, Botulin Toxin and the Ebola Virus.

The three most likely ways of spreading a chemical/biological agent during an attack would be through the air, through the water supply or through the food supply.

It will be extremely unlikely that you will be able to learn or estimate which agent has been used immediately following a chemical/biological attack so attempting to diagnose any cases or formulate or gain access to an antidote will be extremely unlikely. What is most important is that you limit your chances of encountering such an agent following its release.

Plan!

There are a number of preventative measures you can take to increase your chances of survival if you are caught in the midst of such a threat and steps which can be taking following such an attack.

Here are two brief preventative measures which can be applied to large inner-city buildings and/or potential targets for the release of a chemical biological agent.

1. Prevent access to a building’s ventilation system and plans pertaining to the ventilation system. The ventilation system would be a terrorist’s primary target should he wish to spread an airborne agent through a building.
2. Plan and practice separate emergency response procedures for indoor and outdoor releases of chemical/biological agents. Should the agent be released outdoors, the priorities should include shutting down the building’s ventilation system and closing and sealing all doors and windows. For an indoor release priorities should include containing the threat and evacuating personnel.

Survive!

Monitor reputable news sources on your television or radio to learn of attacks as they happen and give yourself a head-start in preparing for the worst. Remember however your government may enforce a media blackout to prevent widespread panic! Secondly, listen and follow any information released by your government relating to an attack which has just taken place.

Work out quickly where an attack has taken place and if the agent is airborne, work out wind direction and speed and use a pre-formulated escape route if necessary.

Do NOT head towards the epicentre of an attack and follow any instructions regarding quarantine if you find yourself within a zone of attack. Emergency services should already have been dispatched and if an antidote is immediately available it will most likely be carried by government personnel close to the epicentre of the attack. Trying to evacuate AFTER exposure to certain agents may limit your chances of survival.

Purchase and have access to a high-quality gasmask and in possible a full NBC suit. Such items could save your life if accessed quickly following the release of a chemical/biological agent.

If the threat is airborne and if evacuation is impossible then you must remain in your home and seal it off from any approaching chemical/biological agent. A good supply of duct-tape and plastic covering is essential and should be used to seal areas around windows and doors and cover any vents which draw in external air. Any other sources of outside air should also be covered and sealed.

Many of the same rules regarding conventional warfare apply here and it is advisable to have a good supply of food and bottled water located around the house and listen carefully to news broadcasts in case the enemy has targeted the municipal water supply.