How To Survive a Nuke Amid Looming Nuclear Fallout? 3 Survival Tips From Residency Physician

With the ongoing conflict in countries like Ukraine, Russia, Israel, and Palestine, some fear that humanity is on the brink of World War III. One physician shared some tips on surviving a nuke amid the looming nuclear fallout worldwide.

How To Survive a Nuke?

Abud Bakri, MD, a residency physician in California, examined how the United States handled previous threats and developed survival concepts to survive a nuclear attack. The three concepts for acute survival are distance, time, and shield. He shared some tips in a series of tweets on X.

1. Consume more calories

We are always told to keep lean and avoid processed food. However, Bakri believed that in a nuclear war, food would be scarce, and people need to consume more calories to survive.

While the US government website recommends stocking up on canned foods, dry items, and other things that need not be refrigerated, cooked, or watered, the physician advised keeping a battery-powered or hand-crank radio since the blast would knock out all electronics. Additionally, he suggests that one should store more fats in their body. According to Bakri, each pound of fat equals one and a half days of energy.

"Might be wise to be adapted from now as the first few days will be BRUTAL Might be wise to not be TOO LEAN (fit influencers with five percent [body fat] will not have enough calories to survive)," Bakri claimed.

2. Run to a safe location

A nuclear bomb's impact produces a shockwave that can travel up to 0.5 miles from the target. Three-quarters of a mile from the explosion site, radiation from the blast might reach individuals, and thermal damage and flying debris can all travel up to a few miles.

Bakri also emphasized that there are specific locations where adversaries are more likely to launch an attack initially. Intercontinental ballistic missile silos can be found in the following five states: Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, Montana, and North Dakota.

Potential nuclear targets in the US are depicted on a map that the Natural Resources Defense Council first published in 2002. Possible targets in every state can be seen on the map, with concentrated areas along the eastern shore and California.

Large clusters are emphasized in Wyoming, North Dakota, Montana, Colorado, and Montana. There are about 90 operational nuclear power stations in the US, which are traditional targets. These include Alabama, Arizona, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee facilities. The chart also indicates that the areas of Idaho, Maine, northern California, and Oregon that lack nuclear reactors and have smaller populations are the safest places to buy real estate.

3. Seek a proper shield

Aside from keeping a distance from the blast zone, it is important to shield yourself. Per Bakri, "The more stuff between you and the blast, the better." He stressed that keeping yourself indoors, underground, and wearing more clothing will increase one's chances of survival.

He noted that radiation may come in alpha, beta, and gamma forms. Ordinary clothing offers protection from the first two. He also stressed that the thicker the shelter, the better. Lead is reportedly a better material; if there's a small single piece of lead, it should be used to cover the pelvis.

"The idea is to use enough shielding material to sufficiently protect the high concentration of bone marrow in the pelvic region, which contains enough regenerative stem cells to repopulate the body with unaffected bone marrow," he explained.

Bakri added a disclaimer in his post, noting that he is not a nuclear expert and just a doctor doing research. He stressed that what he shared was general information and not medical advice. He hoped we would not experience it because "nuclear war is terrible."

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