Home Shelter

       Certain types of emergencies or disasters, like toxic fume or hazardous materials accidents, severe storm warnings, nuclear fall-out, etc., may require you to stay indoors. One of the instructions you may be given by authorities is to "shelter-in-place". This means you should stay indoors until authorities tell you it is safe or you are told to evacuate. If you do not have a blast or fall-out shelter, as described on the Nuclear Survival page, here is what you can do.

Shelter-in-Place

• Select a small, interior room, with no or few windows.
• Close and lock all windows and exterior doors.
• Turn off all fans, heating and air conditioning systems. Close the fireplace damper.
• Bring your family survival kit and make sure the radio is working.
• Bring your pets.
• It is ideal to have a hard-wired telephone in the room you select. (Cellular telephone equipment may be overwhelmed or damaged during an emergency.)
• Use duct tape and plastic sheeting (heavier than food wrap) to seal all cracks around the door and any vents into the room.
• Listen to your radio or television for further instructions or updates.
• If you are in your car, close windows and turn off vents and air conditioning.

       In the event of a nuclear fall-out warning, you will need more extensive preparations. See the Nuclear Survival page for more details. Just because you don't live next to a nuclear power station does not mean that you are free from any possible nuclear radiation threats. We are living in a nuclear age with many countries having nuclear weapons, and even terrorist nuclear explosions are possible. So a little bit of preparation can make a big difference, plus provide great peace of mind.