Part 5 (1/2)

This information probably would be given on the radio, which is one reason why you should keep on hand a battery-powered radio that works in your shelter area.

If you came out of shelter too soon, while the fallout particles outside were still highly radioactive, you might receive enough radiation to make you sick or even kill you.

Remember that _fallout particles_ can be seen, but the _rays_ they give off cannot be seen. If you see unusual quant.i.ties of gritty particles outside (on window ledges, sidewalks, cars, etc.) after an attack, you should a.s.sume that they are fallout particles, and therefore stay inside your shelter until you are told it is safe to come out.

CHAPTER 5

IMPROVISING FALLOUT PROTECTION

SUMMARY

BEFORE AN EMERGENCY

1. If there is no public fallout shelter near your home and you have decided _not_ to prepare a permanent or preplanned shelter in your bas.e.m.e.nt or yard, make sure that you have on hand _now_ the materials and tools needed to improvise an emergency shelter at home. These would include s.h.i.+elding material (for an inside shelter), and lumber and a shovel (for an outside shelter).

DURING AN EMERGENCY

1. If you have no better shelter to go to, improvise an emergency shelter at home.

2. Usually, the best place for an improvised shelter would be in your bas.e.m.e.nt or storm cellar.

3. If you don't have a bas.e.m.e.nt or storm cellar, you might be able to improvise a shelter in the crawl s.p.a.ce under your house, outside in your yard, or (as a last resort) on the ground floor of your house. In some places, a boat would provide some fallout protection.

IMPROVISING FALLOUT PROTECTION

If an enemy attack should occur when you are at home, and you have made no advance shelter preparations, you still might be able to improvise a shelter either inside or outside your house. In a time of emergency, the radio broadcasts may tell you whether you have time to improvise a shelter or should take cover immediately.

An improvised shelter probably would not give you as much protection as a permanent or a preplanned family shelter, but any protection is better than none, and might save your life.

The best place to improvise a shelter would be the bas.e.m.e.nt or storm cellar, if your home has one.

s.h.i.+ELDING MATERIAL NEEDED

To improvise a shelter you would need s.h.i.+elding materials such as those mentioned on page 25--concrete blocks, bricks, sand, etc. Other things could also be used as s.h.i.+elding material, or to support s.h.i.+elding material, such as:

--House doors that have been taken off their hinges (especially heavy outside doors).

--Dressers and chests (fill the drawers with sand or earth after they are placed in position, so they won't be too heavy to carry and won't collapse while being carried).

--Trunks, boxes and cartons (fill them with sand or earth after they are placed in position).

--Tables and bookcases.

--Large appliances (such as washers and dryers).