How to survive a nuclear war?

August 20, 2007 3:11 AM

Where can I find up-to-date information about how to survive a nuclear war, and the subsequent irradiated planet?

I'm thinking of material like the UK's old Protect and Survive, which is to say official documentation, but updated to take into account modern technology (for example, reverse osmosis devices for purifying water, or solar-powered stills). But I'll also look at material from individuals, even if they're conspiracy freaks who suspect WWIII is just around the corner.

posted by deeper red to society & culture (8 comments total)

Ideally the info should be easily accessible too. Thanks!
posted by deeper red at 3:13 AM on August 20, 2007

Well it's not specifically about nuclear war, but now we have the rather useless Preparing for Emergencies booklet. I think you're supposed to use it as kindling to light your cooking fires, or something.
posted by Helga-woo at 3:37 AM on August 20, 2007

Try the survivalist guys. Alpha Rubicon have a reputation in the US, don't know about the UK, but I would be surprised if somebody isn't worrying about how to position their shelters etc. to escape the cloud from Sellafield.
posted by bystander at 3:49 AM on August 20, 2007

Some official US information here , though it is aimed at during and immediately after a bomb, and not survival methods in the weeks and months following.

The IAEA provides this manual for First Responders to Radiological Emergencies. There's a lot to wade through about securing a scene and maintaining proper communication channels, but it has very good information and the references section points the way to some information about food- and water-handling.
posted by cocoagirl at 4:21 AM on August 20, 2007

My personal favorite
posted by Sufi at 4:41 AM on August 20, 2007

It never ceases to amaze me what can be found in wikihow.
posted by TedW at 5:13 AM on August 20, 2007

This is probably the definitive work on the subject.
posted by A Long and Troublesome Lameness at 6:16 AM on August 20, 2007

This is probably the definitive work on the subject.

Also available online here.
posted by Sirius at 8:19 AM on August 20, 2007