"The Second Step: Seek Shelter or Prepare to Evacuate"

How To Shelter in Place When Authorities Tell You to Do So.

In case of a nuclear emergency: Your family should start taking your Thyroid Blocker (KIO3 or KI) for defense against Radioactive Iodine 131
(click here for more info on Thyroid Blockers KIO3 and KI). 

Follow emergency directives. 

If you are within 10 miles of Nuclear power plant disaster, chances are you will have to evacuate. 

FOLLOW DIRECTIVES FROM YOUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS DURING AN EMERGENCY.

Do not delay evacuation or ignore any other emergency directive. If you have been told to evacuate, it is because the  radiation in your area is at significant levels and even staying in a shelter may not be wise. In some places in Chernobyl, for instance, the radiation made the land uninhabitable. This means that even if you are relatively safe from radiation within a shelter, when you come out of the shelter, you will not be safe from the radiation still present. In this situation, the only safe thing to do is to evacuate.

Emergency Evacuation Plan

Simple Plan for Rapid Evacuation:

• Monitor your radio or television until you are told to evacuate. Officials may call for evacuation in specific areas which are at greatest risk in the affected community.

• Plan for 3 days of supplies in your evacuation kit. (List is below) Put your evacuation kit supplies in your vehicle.

• Immediately close and lock all windows and exterior doors of you house and turn off all heating, air conditioning units and/or fans.

• In advance - Arrange a meeting place for all members of the family who are away from the house on a daily basis. (At work, at school, etc.)

• If your child attends a school in the 10-mile EPZ, do not go to the school. Children in these schools will be taken by bus to evacuation shelters (listed in your Emergency Planning handbook). School children who live in the 10-mile EPZ and attend a school outside the EPZ will be kept at their schools by school officials until they are picked up by their parents. 

• Do not take pets with you if you plan to stay at an evacuation shelter. All pets and livestock should be sheltered. Leave them a 3-day supply of stored food and water.

• Close car windows and vents. Do not turn on the car air conditioner or heater.

• As you drive, stay tuned to a local radio station for more information.
      

Rapid Evacuation Kit supply list:

• 72 hour non-perishable food supply (raisins, trail mix, nuts, crackers, "powerbars" or energy bars, etc.) If you have a baby, include formula, bottles, and baby foods.
• Comfort foods. Almost any emergency seems less stressful with your favorite comfort foods around.
• Bottled Water (Mylar water bags with 5 year shelf life, 1 or 2 liter bottled water)
• Basic First Aid Kit, including a 15 day supply of KIO3 for each family member.
• Flares
• Heavy Work Gloves
• Fire Extinguisher
• Car repair items (wrenches, duct tape, jumper cables, tow rope, etc. A wrecking bar bungeed under your seat can help you bash your way out of your car if you're trapped, or bash into someone else's car who has become trapped. Use a towel to protect yourself from broken glass.)
• Battery operated radio (don't use up your car's battery listening to the radio or the news)
• Compass and local maps of the area(s) you frequently travel.
• Flashlight with extra batteries and spare bulb
• Blanket(s) or sleeping bag(s)
• Tools (small shovel, ax, "Leatherman", etc.)
• Extra clothing and walking shoes
• Lip balm and hand lotion
• Plastic produce bags (put these over your feet inside your shoes to keep your feet dry)
• Zip-lock bags, sealable bio-hazard bags, toilet tissue, kleenex, etc.
• Poncho (can be used for improvised shelter outside your car, rain, or privacy when nature calls.) Bright colored ponchos can also be used as signal devices.
• Waterproof matches or lighter.
• A votive candle in a mason jar (this will keep your car above freezing; be sure to crack your window, however.)
• Cash: small bills and assorted change

When to Shelter-In-Place

Whenever a nuclear disaster has occurred, the Emergency Broadcast System  or Emergency Alert System will issue or broadcast an alert. If you are near the 10 mile zone around the nuclear facility (or closer), you will hear a steady siren tone for 3 minutes or more. Turn on your radio or television and tune in to a local Emergency Alert System (EAS) station for information. (Remember - you need a battery-powered radio and a Radiological Emergency Preparedness Handbook, also called an Emergency Management or Disaster Plan for YOUR AREA.) 

The handbook will inform you which radio or TV station to tune in to.  State and local officials are required to notify the public within 15 minutes of an event that may require taking public protective actions. You will be kept informed by local and state officials as long as the emergency is in effect.

If there is a Site Area Emergency or General Emergency, there will be directions to take shelter. When that directive has been issued, check with your neighbors to ensure that they are aware of the emergency. Go indoors and prepare to enact your emergency plan. You and your family should start taking your KIO3 Thyroid Blocker or Anti-radiation pills.

(Click Here to go back to the page that has the NUCLEAR EMERGENCY ALERT LEVELS)

How to Shelter-In-Place

Shelter-in-place is simply part of a well-conceived family disaster plan. Having to protect your family by Sheltering-in-place during this type of emergency can be very stressful and traumatic - IF you are not prepared in advance. Simply planning for this type of emergency in advance can make a huge difference in the amount of stress that comes with any disaster, especially for children. We are here to help you - give you ideas about what to prepare for and what you steps you should take, but to put the plan into action is up to you. 

Involving your children in the planning process and giving them tasks to do in mock scenarios lets them know that the situation is something that you and they can handle. Let them know that the planning and is important and if you remain relaxed while running through the drills in the plan, so will they.

The family that is involved in emergency planning and preparation together will be much less stressed during the actual emergency and this means that everyone can focus on the required tasks, worrying less about the emergency and anything that they cannot do something about.

Simple Plan for Rapid Shelter-in-place:

• Immediately close and lock all windows and exterior doors.  It is best not to open the door for anyone unless officials sound the all clear.

• Turn off all heating, air conditioning units and/or fans.

• Close the fireplace damper—UNLESS--there is a fire in the fireplace - then leave the damper open.  For a wood heater, shut the air intake damper on the stove if possible. 

• Check your disaster supply kit, make sure the radio and flashlight are working and move them to your “safe room” if they are not already there. 

• Go to an interior Safe Room, preferably one without windows. A basement or the center of a building will provide the most shielding. 

• Take your KIO3 or KI as directed. 

• Using duct tape, seal all cracks around the door and over any vents leading into the room and put a wet towel across the bottom of the door.  If your safe room is the bathroom, do all of the above and stopper the sink and bathtub too.

• Keep pets indoors if you can. They should have their own provisions like the other members of the family.

• Keep listening to your radio or television until you are told all is safe, or, you are told to evacuate.  Officials may call for evacuation in specific areas which are at greatest risk in the affected community.

• If you must go outside, cover your mouth and nose with a moist cloth to help prevent breathing in radioactive particles. This is not advised unless it is an emergency

• Food already stored in your house or safe room is safe to eat. Water stored in the house is also safe.

For a more detailed disaster plan that you can print, Click Here

Lists of essential items you will need in your house or shelter if you Shelter-in-place: 

• Battery-powered radio with extra batteries. (A radio with AM, FM, Weather and Short-wave bandwidths is preferred)

• Good flashlight with extra batteries. 

• Medical or first aid kit - this should include KIO3 thyroid blocker and any specific medicines for special medical needs (insulin, prescriptions, baby medicines, .

• Vitamins and mineral supplements. 

• List of important phone numbers, (police fire, ambulance, neighbors, relatives, work, etc.) 

• A 15-day supply of non-perishable food. Canned food is ok, as long as you rotate your supply every 6 months. 

• Manually operated (non-electric) can opener for access to your food supply.

• 1 Gallon of fresh stored water for each person in your family for each day.

• Baby supplies - bottles, formula, disposable diapers, . 

• Hygiene supplies. (Toilet paper, pre-moistened towels or "baby-wipes", paper towels, etc.)

• Extra clothes suited to your area weather conditions. (This may include hat, gloves, thermal underwear, etc.) 

• Blankets and/or sleeping bags for every member of the family

• Plastic trash bags. (Can be used for Human excrement and sealed)

• Matches, lighters - in waterproof container.

• Eating utensils and cups, plates, bowls.

• Small tool kit with commonly used tools. (Pliers, Hammer, etc.)

• Games/toys for children, books to read.

• Eyeglasses, reading glasses for all who need them.

• Extra sets of keys to your vehicle, house and locked outbuildings.

• Plastic 5-gallon buckets for storage containers, useful chores.

This is a outline for your emergency supplies. You may modify it as you need for your purposes. There is a printable disaster plan with more specific lists HERE.

For excellent Nuclear Power Plant emergency information, you can download Minnesota's "Radiological Emergency Handbook". This handbook is in .PDF form and is 2.5megs. Click here to download.

Click here to find out about radioactive fallout and what to do about it...