I have a question about taking shelter in the event of a nuclear emergency. I live in a two-story house with an aboveground basement/foundation. There are two evenly spaced metal grate vents on each side of the basement/foundation walls. In the event of a nuclear emergency, would it be safer for my family to take shelter under the stairs in a large closet in the middle of the house or in the basement with the open air vents? We could try to block the vents off. Thank you for your time—I am nervous with three little boys.
I would recommend the first-floor option, but with doors and windows shut tight. Here’s why. Several years after the Chernobyl accident I visited Pripyat, the village adjacent to the Chernobyl power plant. I found that the village apartment I toured had no radioactive fallout inside. The doors and windows had been closed, and the fallout passed it by. The official name for this approach is “shelter in place.” So if you’re faced with a fallout cloud heading your way, stay indoors, close windows and doors, and keep the fallout out.
Joel I. Cehn, CHP
Answer posted on 30 September 2017. The information posted on this web page is intended as general reference information only. Specific facts and circumstances may affect the applicability of concepts, materials, and information described herein. The information provided is not a substitute for professional advice and should not be relied upon in the absence of such professional advice. To the best of our knowledge, answers are correct at the time they are posted. Be advised that over time, requirements could change, new data could be made available, and Internet links could change, affecting the correctness of the answers. Answers are the professional opinions of the expert responding to each question; they do not necessarily represent the position of the Health Physics Society.