It was August 1945.  The United States government used nuclear weapons for the first time, the targets being the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  The power and destructive force of these weapons frightened us then and continues to frighten us even today.
        After 46 years, the "Cold War" between the United States and the Soviet Union has ended.  Unfortunately, many Americans may now believe that the threat of nuclear war is no longer a possibility.  However, now nearly five years after the signing of the United States-Soviet Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, both countries collectively control an estimated 35,000 strategic and tactical nuclear weapons.
        Other nuclear threat possibilities could also include terrorist groups and Third World nations such as China and North Korea.
        If our country was under a nuclear attack today, in all likelihood, every citizen in the United States would need protection from radioactive fallout.  Whether you live in a "high-risk" or "low-risk" area, you will need to have some basic knowledge on how to protect yourself and your family from the dangers of radioactive fallout.
        Although your local governmental officials will try to make public fallout shelter space available, the fact remains, the U.S. government does not have stocked fallout shelters to protect its citizens from nuclear fallout.  What then can you do to protect yourself, your family and loved ones?  It is my opinion that there are really only two choices available.  Your first choice is that you may help local officials and/or concerned citizens to upgrade what fallout shelters there are, if any.  Your second choice is to build and fully stock your own fallout shelter to protect yourself and your family.
        The problems of organizing a home fallout shelter may not be as difficult as you might think.  Permanent fallout shelters should be constructed well in advance of a nuclear crisis, but an expedient fallout shelter can be constructed in one of two days.  The advantage of a home fallout shelter is that you can stock and monitor your shelter periodically.  However, you must make sure that every detail has been planned carefully.  If a nuclear crisis does develop to the point where shelter living would be necessary, you will, in all likelihood, have to rely on yourself and your own resources!
        Every fallout shelter, regardless of the type, must be able to provide protection from nuclear radiation.  Your fallout shelter must be a self-contained environment that can support life for at least two weeks or longer.

The basic requirements you should consider when constructing your fallout shelter are:

Location and Type -- If your home has a basement you can prepare it for use as an effective fallout shelter by making simple improvements.  Most basements that are beneath a house of two stories or more provide good protection without additional shielding.  In the basement of a one story house, you will need to increase the amount of overhead shielding in order to provide protection from fallout on the roof.  One way of doing this is to add bricks or solid concrete blocks between the joists in the basement ceiling.  If you chose to wait until an actual nuclear crisis, you can add earth to cover exposed walls and window wells.  Also, earth can be added to the floor immediately above the basement.
        If at all possible, put plastic sheeting down on the floor to protect it before you add earth.  Most importantly, before doing any of the aforementioned, be sure to add extra support(reinforcement) to the basement ceiling.
        If a home fallout shelter is not feasible, an expedient outside fallout shelter can provide fallout protection.  These fallout shelters require hard work but with or without help an expedient fallout shelter can be built in one or two days.  You should not necessarily plan to build an expedient fallout shelter, but you should know what it is and how to build one.  Expedient fallout shelters may not provide much in the way of physical comfort, but they can provide fallout protection and in some cases, blast protection during a nuclear crisis.
        Free plans for building and improving home fallout or blast shelters are available.  Check with your local Emergency Preparation Office or you can contact FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) headquarters in Washington, D.C.

FEMA
500 C Street SW
Washington, D.C.  20472-0001
Telephone (202)646-4600

 You can also contact FEMA at http://www.fema.com/ on the World Wide Web.

Shielding - Your fallout shelter needs to have an adequate amount of shielding in order to provide protection from harmful radiation produced by fallout.  Gamma radiation, which is the most prevalent type of radiation released from a nuclear blast, can be blocked by a thick layer of many different types of dense materials.  The most common materials which might be used as possible shielding materials are concrete and earth.  The following list shows additional materials that could be used to equal the radiation protection of:

-Four inches of concrete
-Five to six inches of brick
-Six inches of sand or gravel
-Seven inches of earth
-Eight inches of hollow concrete blocks
-Ten inches of water
-Fourteen inches of books or magazines
-Eighteen inches of wood

Ventilation - You need ventilation to circulate fresh air and keep the temperature of your fallout shelter at safe levels.  Without adequate ventilation, your fallout shelter may become dangerously hot in only a few hours, especially during warm weather.  After a few days without fresh air exchange, the air could contain dangerously high levels of carbon dioxide.

Water and Food - The next most critical fallout shelter requirement is an adequate supply of water and food.  Next to good air, water is the most essential requirement to life.  A healthy person can survive for a long time with little or no food, but most will die after four or five days without water.  The average person consumes one or two quarts of water per day.  Also, you will need additional water for sanitation, cooking and washing.
        During the first few days or weeks following a nuclear crisis, you will have to rely on food you have brought in or that which you have previously stocked in your fallout shelter.  Your stock should include but not be limited to, dried, MRE's (meals ready to eat), or canned food that is nutritious and well-balanced but needs little preparation.

First Aid - A nuclear attack on the United States will cause many injuries and deaths.  In all likelihood, doctors will be scarce and medical centers will be of little use.  You may have to treat injuries yourself.  You will have to rely on your own medical supplies and your knowledge of first aid.
        Your inventory of medical and first aid supplies should be as complete as possible.
        In addition, check with your local Red Cross office for classes and self-study manuals on first aid.  Also, survival publications and military manuals give useful first aid instructions.

Weapons - For the taking of wild game and for self-protection, you should have an assortment of weapons which would include, rifles, shotguns, and handguns.  You may also consider have bows, arrows and/or crossbows on hand.  Most important is having a stockpile of ammunition and spare parts for each weapon.

Sanitation - Because standard methods of disposing of garbage and human wastes will not be available to you in your fallout shelter, you should carefully plan on what type of waste disposal you will use.
        Both a home and an expedient fallout shelter will require emergency toilets.  If possible, you should have a private space in your fallout shelter for a toilet.  Keep in mind that you will need adequate storage space for human waste and garbage until it is safe to go outside your fallout shelter.

Radiological Monitoring Equipment - It will be critical that you equip your fallout shelter with radiation survey meters, dosimeters, protective suits and respirators.  You must have a means to monitor radiation levels both inside and outside your fallout shelter.  Learn as much as you can about radiation, its effects and what you can do to protect yourself.

Communication - During the time you are in your fallout shelter, a battery operated AM-FM, shortwave, CB, Ham radio and scanner may be your only link to the outside world.  Keep a supply of extra batteries and read up on electromagnetic pulse (EMP) protection for your communications equipment.

Space Allocations - Your fallout shelter may become crowded, so you need to plan for maximum use of space.  Ten square feet of space should be allowed for each person.  Additional space will also be needed for sanitation, water and food storage, storage of personal belongings, equipment and tools.

Physical Comforts - Life in your fallout shelter will be easier, safer and less frightening if you plan and build in some physical comforts.
        Aside from the absolute essentials (shielding, ventilation, sanitation, food and water, etc.), there are other items needed to make your fallout shelter habitable.  You will need supplies for sleeping, heating, clothing, general health and recreation.
        Finally, a library of good survival books can help you before, during and after a nuclear crisis.  Few people would know how to live off the land as our forefathers did.  Most do not have the outdoor survival skills that may be needed in a post-nuclear attack crisis situation.  With several good reference books and magazine articles, you can find help or the solution to most problems you might face.
        Survival in your fallout shelter, regardless of the type, will be difficult for all.  Your fallout shelter should be as self-contained as possible so that no one is forced to go outside and be needlessly exposed to nuclear radiation or other possible dangers.  Since you may be isolated for days or longer, the better supplied you are to meet human needs during that time, the better chance you will have of self protection and survival.