Nuclear emergency — prepare now

The one rule to remember

Get inside, stay inside, stay tuned. In a nuclear or radiation emergency, the safest place is deep inside a solid building, away from windows, listening for official instructions.

1. Make sure you will get the warning

• Turn on emergency alerts on your phone (in many countries they are on by default; check your settings).
• Use more than one source: your government’s alert app or SMS, local radio and TV.
• Keep a battery-powered or hand-crank radio in case phones and internet are down.

2. Pick your shelter spot now

Walk through your home, workplace and your children’s school in your head:

• Best: a basement, or the middle floors and centre of a large brick or concrete building.
• Underground car parks and subway stations also protect well.
• The goal is as many walls and as much concrete or earth as possible between you and the outside. Inner rooms beat rooms with windows.

Ask your school and workplace what their shelter plan is.

3. Add a few items to your kit

On top of your normal emergency kit (water, food, medicines, torch, radio):

• A spare set of clothes for each person.
• Large plastic bags to seal contaminated clothing.
• Sealed food, water and medicine.
• Wet wipes or cloths for wiping skin if there is no water for a shower.

See your country page for how much water and food your government recommends.

4. Make a family plan

• A meeting place if you cannot get home.
• A contact person far away that everyone calls or messages to say they are safe.
• Where you would stay if told to evacuate.

About iodine tablets

Potassium iodide (KI) protects only the thyroid, and only against radioactive iodine. It does not protect the rest of the body or against fallout. Take it only if health or emergency officials tell you to. Taking more than advised can be dangerous. Do not use iodine supplements or iodised salt as a substitute. See Iodine tablets: the facts.