RELOCATION OPTIONS
If you are in the path of a major disaster, or live near probable military targets when an attack is expected, you may wish to consider immediate relocation. Civil Defense officials have the option of giving relocation notifications in the event of such situations. You should have an advance plan so you will know where you are going and how you will get there. In the absence of such a plan, you will probably be directed to a reception area. Make arrangements for transportation if you do not have your own. Ask friends or neighbors for a ride, or determine public transportation possibilities. Routes will be pre-selected and controlled during a general relocation. Leave early if you do not want to travel with the mob. Expect panic and traffic jams due to failures in planning. There will also be a tendency for everyone to try to evacuate at the same time. In major relocation situations, traffic will be stopped repeatedly and for several hours. Turn off your engine, stay with your car, and remain calm. Have bicycles or motorbikes tied to your car, truck, or camper. You will then have an alternate means to keep moving if the traffic situation becomes impossible. Pull your vehicle off the road before you abandon it.
Make sure you are ready before starting the evacuation. Take the time to prepare and plan for basic needs. These include adequate gasoline for your vehicle(s), water, food, utensils, cookstove and fuel, clothing, work gloves, bedding, sanitation and medical supplies, baby items, flashlight or lantern, tools for constructing a fallout shelter, shovels and buckets for moving earth, important papers, personal and safety items, a battery-operated radio, and extra batteries. Have a family plan giving specific packing responsibilities to each member of the family. Lock and secure your home before leaving, close all window blinds, shades, and drapes to help prevent fires caused by the heat wave of a nuclear explosion.
The civil defense plan may include assigned relocation facilities or reception centers. Signs will point the way if they are available. Your assigned location will usually be designated by the last digit of your auto license plate. Most of these facilities will be public buildings. The relocation victims themselves should expect to have the responsibility for solving their own shelter living problems. They will need to organize groups of people to assist with cooking, feeding, sanitation, first aid, and essential services. Order must be maintained, and there should be a system for assuring quiet during sleeping hours. It will also be important to provide recreational and religious activities.
When a nuclear attack is expected, all residents of a public shelter must work together to upgrade radiation protection as may be required. This can be accomplished by adding one cubic yard of earth to each 10 square feet of exposed wall or overhead area. Plan the work based upon 100 buckets of earth for each cubic yard. Do not try to cover the whole roof, the area will be too large and it probably will not support the weight. Use doors, tables, bookcases, chairs, bricks, and improvised construction techniques to build a false ceiling that will support the protective earth layer above the needed shelter space. If this seems impractical, improvise other types of shelters. Consider basements, tunnels, subways, or structures that can provide for your needs. If nothing is available, dig trench shelters in the earth and construct supports for an earth cover over the top. Do not forget that the shelter must contain 3 weeks supply of water and food for all those who will stay therein. Planning and preparation for improvised toilet and sanitation facilities are also important. Time your preparations so as to get everyone into the shelter before the attack. Do not leave the shelter until alter 3 weeks unless otherwise advised to do so. Keep a battery-powered radio tuned to the Emergency Broadcasting System (EBS).
