#####
Press Here to Return to Frugal's HomePage

GETTING FOOD AFTER A NUCLEAR WAR

By Duncan Long

No matter how much freeze-dried food or grain you may have stored away in your

survival stores, if a nuclear war comes to pass, sooner or later your food will

run out. Then what will you do for food?

If you're in an area with few survivors, traveling to your local grocery stores

MIGHT be of help. Food in sealed containers would be safe to eat if you were

careful to wipe off any fallout dust on the container before opening it.

Radiation doesn't make food dangerous and only slightly alters it so that it

loses little of its food value.

But chances are good that any store will be stripped during a pre-war panic.

Even if it were full at the time of the attack, time is against you. Foods

have a finite life during which their nutritional content remains high. Once

this time is exceeded, the nutritional value of the food gradually drops off.

Food will remain eatable for some time but it will not necessarily supply all

your nutritional needs.

Nutritional shelf lives of stored foods are short. Most canned food (whether

in cans or jars), has a life of only 6 months (though the food will be eatable

for longer). Canned meats and non-citrus fruits last a bit longer; they have

some food value for up to a year.

Evaporated milk has a nutritional life of 6 months; bouillon, instant cream,

nuts, cereals, and hydrogenated (or anti-oxidant treated) fats/vegetable oil

all have nutritional shelf lives of a year.

About the only things worth eating after a year are coffee, tea, cocoa,

candy (that isn't nearly 100% sugar), or spices like sugar, salt, pepper,

etc. So even IF you have a grocery store to use for supplies, the nutritional

value of the food will be nearly nill after a year.

Foraging? Maybe. But if you're in an area where the plants are producing

enough food to support you, chances are good that there'll be a large human

population as well. If you have to compete with others for wild food sources,

chances are there won't be enough to support you. Foraging also takes a lot of

energy for the caloric return to carry out; you burn up nearly as much energy

as you gain. So don't plan on doing more than supplementing your larder

through foraging unless you're living in a very remote area with a lot of food

just waiting for you to pick it off the plants.

Hunting? Again, much the same argument can be made against it as is with

foraging. If the animals survive, a large population of humans will probably

be competing with you for the food. Hunting could supply supplemental meat for

your diet but probably won't be a main source unless you're really out in the

wilds.

So most of us who are planning on surviving a nuclear war for more than a

few years need to be able to raise our food or have a skill (like dentistry,

medical work, etc.) which can be bartered for food.

Is gardening or farming possible in a radioactive fallout contaminated environ-

ment? Yes.

Fallout from a nuclear weapon is different from that of commercial radioactive

waste. While the waste from a nuclear reactor may last for thousands or even

tens of thousands of years, radiation from a nuclear weapon decays very quickly

to a safe level. (The flip side of this is that fallout is initially more

dangerous than radioactive waste since the levels of radiation it gives off are

higher.)

Even in the shadow of a very dirty ground blast, the levels of

radiation will sink to safe levels in a relatively short time. This means that

you could be gardening in a very contaminated area within a year's time if you

had to.

Though long-term dangers from such activities may remain to show up in

20 or 30 years in such an area, if the choice is between starving in a few

months or MAYBE having a radiation-related disease like leukemia or cancer 30

years down the road, it shouldn't be too hard to decide.

Too, fallout is like sand or dust. It isn't a liquid that runs into the

earth. With care, even in areas of maximum fallout, the top soil--along with

the fallout--could be removed and the land used for gardening. If you had

access to heavy earth-moving equipment, even full-scale farming could be

carried out after removing several inches of top soil.

If removing the soil is not possible, it's also possible to plow fallout

under so that it's below ground. This allows plants to obtain nutrient

from the soil while the earth acts as density shielding to lower the radiation

to levels that will not harm either the plants or the person growing them.

While this isn't as ideal as actually removing the contaminated soil, it is an

easier alternative. The produce produced on such land will not be quite

as safe to eat from a long-term health point of view but, again, it beats

starving.

More dangerous to plants than radiation will be the ultraviolet radiation

created by damage to the ozone by nuclear weapons. This damage, like fallout,

is fairly short-lived, however. The ozone layer will renew itself so that, by

a year after the worst of a nuclear war is over, a less harsh environment for

growing plants will again be available.

Since it now appears that the problems of a nuclear winter have been

exaggerated and, even if they should occur, will be over after the first year

as well, things would be fairly decent for gardening within a year's time.

(Fallout, ozone damage, and nuclear winter are three good reasons to have

stores of food to get through that first year.)

If it were necessary to grow plants in the open during the first year, some

plants are more resistant than others to ultraviolet radiation. The best

are wheat, soybeans, rye, barley, alfalfa, and corn (all of which are excellent

sources of nutrients). Though high levels of ultraviolet light may stunt these

plants' growth somewhat, they'd still produce food.

Best bet would be a greenhouse created with sheets of plastic or the like. The

plastic would cut down on ultraviolet light and the enclosed area would help

you to control pests and maintain a warm temperature if that should be a

problem.

Provided you've had the foresight to purchase non-hybrid seeds, you could produce crops for your family for years to come in such an environment. (Hybrid seed would be great the first year, but the seeds you get from the hybrid plants may not grow to create a second crop.)

Seeds. Some good sources of seeds are: Cross Seed Company, RR #1, Bunker

Hill, KS 67626; M & M Enterprises, Box 64, Island Lake, IL 69942; Seeds of

Survival, 228 W. North St., Whitewater, WI 53190; and Vegetable Seed, Box 192,

Madison, GA 30650. Check the stores in your area as well since they'll have a

selection of seeds tailored to grow well in your area (again, avoid hybrids.)

Despite tales of scientists growing wheat from seeds encased with Egyptian

mummies, seeds have a finite shelf life in the real world. Each additional

year that seed is stored, a higher percentage of it loses its ability to

germinate. Therefore, seed should be replaced every year if at all possible.

Actually, this is good news; it forces you to practice planting and growing the

seeds you've been storing.

If you grow plants in a contaminated environment or forage for plants to eat in

areas of fallout, you can process them so that they are safe. Again, remember

that fallout is like dust, not a liquid that can penetrate material.

If you carefully peel and clean the plants, most of the fallout will be removed with

the outer layers of plant material so that you can eat them without fear of

ingesting radioactive materials.

Fruits or vegetables with smooth skins (like tomatoes or green peppers)

can be cleaned by washing (though peeling is probably safer).

Plants whose eatable parts come from the ground can be more thoroughly cleansed if you first remove the top layer of soil around their base (which may have some fallout dust in it) before digging up the plant. Eatable tubers and roots should be very thoroughly washed.

A vegetarian diet with everything your body needs to stay healthy is not too easy to maintain in the best of times. In a post-nuclear war environment, it would be nearly impossible. Meat will be all but essential for survival. (Ideally, you'll have a diet mix of somewhere around 15% protein, 52% carbohydrates, and 33% fat.)

How do you get the meat processed (whether you're hunting, discover "wild"

domestic animals, or are raising farm animals) so that it is safe to eat?

First, you need to study the way the animal is behaving. Does it look healthy or sick?

If animals have ingested fallout (on grass or other food sources) but have NOT

become sick from radiation exposure, they're safe to eat if you follow a few

precautions. (Such animals will also probably remain healthy enough to

live as long as non-exposed animals so that they can be used for breeding

stock; don't kill what you don't need.)

When radioactive contamination is ingested by animals, it is stored in certain

locations in their bodies. The habit for post-nuclear war survivors to

learn is that of avoiding eating parts of the animal that will be collecting

the radioactive materials. If you avoid the parts with high concentrations of

contamination, you will be able to remain healthy while still being able to

take advantage of the available meat.

Parts to avoid: thyroid glands, kidneys, liver, and meat next to the bones as

well as the marrow in the bones. Avoid eating these and eat only muscle meat,

you'll be in good shape. Another important precaution is to thoroughly cook

the meat so that ALL bacteria are killed in the meat; since radiation lowers

resistance to disease, the animal may have higher than normal concentrations

of bacteria in it and you will be less able to fight such bacteria off.

AVOID EATING RED MEAT; always cook it thoroughly.

Remember that the waste parts of the carcass and parts you shouldn't eat

are probably contaminated. Bury the parts in an area where they can not

contaminate your water or crops.

If an animal is sick, don't kill it. Though the meat may not contaminated

with radiation, the animal is sick because of some sort of disease-causing

virus or bacteria (radiation causes a lowered resistance to disease, remember).

Meat from these animals can cause food poisoning since cooking the

meat will only kill bacteria or viruses in the meat but won't rid it of the

toxins the micro-organisms have produced. The meat will be poisoned and no

amount of cooking will rid it of the poison.

You may be able to nurse the animal back to health, too. If so, you could

eat it later or use it for breeding stock. If the animal dies, dispose of the

carcass carefully since it will be contaminated and dangerous to your health.

If the sick animal is in a herd or flock, immediately separate it from the

others so that the disease can't spread (lowered resistance again). Keep a

herd's area extra clean so that diseases can't get started, too.

Food will be hard to come by following a nuclear war. But radioactive fallout

doesn't penetrate or contaminate as much as many people think. Provided you

have a little know-how and the foresight to plant some fruit trees, save some

seed, or take other survival precautions, you and your family can produce food

and survive long after a nuclear war has come to an end.

============================================================================

The author of this article, Duncan Long, is well-known as the writer of many

gun, self-sufficiency, and survival books. His firearms books are available

from Paladin Press, P. O. Box 1307, Boulder, CO 80306 (303) 443-7250 (call for

free catalog). Long's NUCLEAR WAR SURVIVAL is available for $14 from Long

Survival Publications, 115 Riverview Dr., Wamego, KS 66547. Long's sci-fi

book, ANTI-GRAV UNLIMITED released from Avon Books (available from local book

stores or from Avon Books, 105 Madison Ave., NY, NY 10016; for autographed

copy, send $4 to: Long Survival Publications, address above). The author's

SURVIVING MAJOR CHEMICAL/BIOLOGCIAL ACCIDENTS AND C/B WARFARE is available from Loompanics Unlimited, Box 1197, Port Townsend, WA 98368 for $15.

Gathered bit by bits by the Cybermonk!

Reprinted from: American Survival Guide 11/91

Planning For Survival By C.E. Teal

In light of recent events, such as the Persian Gulf War, terrorism, and economic instability, many individuals and families are taking a fresh look at the dreaded "S-word," survivalism.

As with any beginners, these people need some sort of plan for these uncharted waters. I hope that this article can give some useful guidance to those new to the field, and perhaps some new insights to others who have been left to their own devices in coming to grips with this virtually all-inclusive field.

This plan consists of nine major points: 1. Determination; 1.

Becoming/staying healthy; 3. Allocating your Budget; 4. De

veloping plans of action; 5. Have a "bug-out" kit; 6. Plan for

duration; 7. Get training; 8. Practice; 9. Don't advertise.

The first requirement to insuring your (and your family's) longevity is DETERMINATION. You must want to survive. Contact others upon whom you might rely (and whom may likewise rely upon you) in a crisis.

This is not a game, although games can play a part in the training aspect. If we are to survive as individuals, as families, as a society, we cannot approach this as a one- person show. It will take cooperation of the highest order. The stakes are literally life and death.

Many people take the attitude that "If it happens, I wouldn't want to live anyway, " This is an attitude which almost guarantees defeat or death. A husband, father, or single mother with this attitude is virtually condemning his or her family to a similar fate.

BECOME/STAY HEALTHY. Every-one in the family or group should get a complete medical, dental and vision checkup. Find your weaknesses and limitations so you may cope with them, before they take you by surprise Get caught up on immunizations such as

tetanus, hepatitis, and measles. If eyeglasses or contacts are needed, get at least one spare pair, or save old ones.

Stock up on cleaning solution if you wear contacts. Work to bring your teeth up to the healthiest level possible. A toothache can be a major problem even in normal times when a dentist is available. Imagine trying to make critical decisions while suffering with a

toothache when there may be few, if any, dentists in operation.

Make sure your feet are in good condition. They may someday be your only mode of transportation. Begin and maintain an exercise program which balances strength with endurance and flexibility. Running, swimming, and stair climbing are all excellent conditioners.

ALLOCATE PART OF YOUR BUDGET. Acquire supplies as your budget

allows. Be practical; set priorities. For example: set aside $10 per month for weaponry (including ammunition and cleaning supplies, ($10 per month for clothing (if you don't have the proper clothing already on hand. Three-piece suits or tennis outfits have very limited survival applications) , another $10 a month for reserve food and medical supplies, and so on. If money is tight, you can alternate purchases from month to month.

The important thing is to make some sort of survival-based acquisition regularly, or at every opportunity. In making survival investments, you should consider the following points:

a)

Might you actually need it (Does it serve a legitimate survival need, such as food) ?

b) Do you have the skill to use it properly, and would you be able to repair it when it inevitably breaks down?

c) Will it need something else, such as electricity, gas, heat, or water to operate?

d) How many/much will you need, and how long do you expect it to last (see Plan For Duration) :

e) Is it practical for the conditions you anticipate, such as proper clothing for the climate?

DEVELOP PLANS OF ACTION. You should discuss with your family or group the conditions under which you would run (Where?) or stay; whether to hide (For how long?) or fight (Whom? How?) .

Every member of the group must be in agreement with the final plan. One dissident could destroy all your intentions; for instance by "setting-out" the group to an adversary.

You should also develop "backup" plans to cover various contingencies such as those mentioned. Plan for the worst-case scenario and work down from there.

HAVE A "BUG-OUT" KIT. Keep a short-term (up to one week) survival kit handy in case you must leave NOW. Remember the priorities: shelter, water, food, medical supplies, weapons, communications. Ideally, you should have several kits; one for

each member of the family and group, another one in each vehicle in case a crisis occurs at an unexpected moment (as they usually do) .

And a large cache of supplies away from the home, in a place safe from discovery or disaster; in the event you must evacuate your home quickly, as in the case of fire, earthquake or war. Each of these kits or caches should be planned to supplement and extend the capabilities of the next smallest kit.

Avoid making your personal bug-out kit too heavy to run with; you may have to carry it long distances, quickly.

PLAN FOR DURATION. Try to realistically anticipate how long you expect your scenario may last, and add a little more to the estimate as a buffer against hortsightedness.

Do you expect your disaster scenario to last for days (such as waiting for disaster relief after a major storm, fire, or earth quake) , months (i.e., a major strike by unions; re

building after a disaster) , or years (such as being caught in the clutches of a dictatorship, foreign invasion, or persecution) ?

Try to be realistic in your preparations. Plan for the consumption of food (calories per person per day, plus other essential nutrients) , water (gallons per person per day, for drinking, cooking and sanitation) , ammunition (as much as can be obtained, with a suggested minimum of 500 rounds per weapon) , air quality (while in shelter, or masks for outside), medical supplies (including prescription medicines), and so on.

Some of your scenarios may look unlikely in the context of present conditions, but it only takes an open-eyed look at the world, the nation, or the neighborhood, to see the potential for frightening situations to rapidly develop which would not allow time for preparation after the fact.

For instance, note that many people reacting to a disaster often converge on all the nearest stores for provisions such as food, candles, bottled water, batteries, and so on. Frequently, the crowd gets impatient, not wanting or waiting to be left without essentials for themselves or their families. Occasionally, rioting and looting begin, feeding upon itself as the unprepared start to panic.

Your aim must be to store adequate supplies for all intended members of your group for the longest time that you will likely be on your own, with self-sufficiency being your goal. The federal government recommends having at least three to five days supplies on hand, to sustain you until relief agencies can get into action. The more serious the crisis, the longer you may have to wait for outside help.

If you are able, lay in extra supplies for a few additional persons who will, most likely, show up either on their own, or with members of the group ("My mother was visiting at the time; I couldn't just leave her") . As pragmatic as you must be, you must also not surrender your humanity completely. Otherwise, you are no better than the predators you may be fleeing. Of course, there is a practical limit to how much you can be expected to cope with. Examine your own conscience on this issue.

A plan must also be drawn up to deal with waste management. Essential "luxuries" such as toilet paper, soap, and proper means of disposing of human waste and garbage with become major issues during a survival situation. Goods and services we have

always taken for granted may no longer be available.

You must also plan to cope with your people's emotional survival. The abrupt change in lifestyle, the day to day fight to stay alive, will take its toll psychologically if not treated quickly and continuously. Find things to alleviate boredom, such as games or projects.

Give every able person in the group a job they will be responsible for. Even children can be instructed to secure trash, act as lookouts, or help with food preparation or

gathering supplies. Also attempt to continue with their education, albeit with a different emphasis. Find duties which require a person to study the situation and come up with a solution. Hold meetings to keep everyone current on what's happening, and conduct frequent and regular classes for everyone in survival arts. Keep your people, and yourself, busy. Despair may be your worst enemy.

GET TRAINING. Your group should learn how to use weapons effectively. Safety, maintenance, handling malfunctions, and marksmanship are all of equal importance in a survival context. Because this is an area where mistakes can be fatal, instruction

should be sought from qualified professionals, such as the National Rifle Association. Also, everyone should study unarmed self-defense under a qualified instructor; one who teaches combative, not tournament techniques.

Tactics are another important area of study. Learn how best to utilize your weapons under various conditions and environments, such as snow, rain, or at night. There are several reputedly good schools for this type of study. There are also many books

such as military manuals which can be of help, if accompanied by lots of practice.

Study first aid diligently, as this is one of the most essential areas of self help study. The American Red Cross has excellent, inexpensive courses on CPR and basic and advanced first aid. Everyone should be encouraged to take and pass such a course. A study of improvised medicines and first-aid equipment would also be useful. Some community colleges offer non-credit courses in herbology, folk medicine, and edible wild plants.

There are many very good reference books on the subject. Another variation on this theme would be the study of medicinal minerals. You might seriously consider taking an Emergency Medical Technician course (or a Paramedic course if already an EMT) and joining a volunteer ambulance corps.

Not only would you be contributing to a vital community function,you would also be gaining practical, real-life, hands-on experience which no course can give by itself.

Remember, in a crisis, your body does what is has been trained to do. The untrained reaction to crisis is usually panic Practical experience aids tremendously in overcoming the panic which accompanies disaster.

Fieldcraft is another valuable area of study. Learn the difference between, and uses of, cover and concealment. Learn how to survive in rural or urban wilderness, how to find or construct proper shelter, how to gather food and collect and purify water, the use of correct sanitation procedures, basic land navigation, and much more.

PRACTICE. Conduct realistic simulations with your equipment and your people to gain valuable experience and confidence working together. Get the bugs out while it's relatively easy. Learn what works and what doesn't.

Go to the firing range often, preferably when you or your group can use it without onlookers. Practice on human-shaped targets, using tactics. Train in firing techniques for real world situations (such as varying weather conditions, target distance and size. Learn different firing positions, practice in-house techniques, etc.) . Always rigidly enforce appropriate safety procedures while training with weapons.

As an EMT, you can work on an ambulance or in the emergency room to practice and to accustom yourself to the suffering of others. It's certainly not pleasant, but it is crucial in over coming the shock of seeing something happen suddenly, perhaps to someone you love. This allows you to get on with treating the patient rather than wasting valuable seconds in panic. With practice, reaction becomes almost automatic, and confidence is

gained. Without practice, hard-earned skills are gradually lost.

You should try to incorporate your survival skills into every day life, making it a normal part of your existence.

Don't, however, carry it to extremes, such as walking around in public wearing cammies with a 10-inch knife on your belt. Be discreet. Shooting and hand-to-hand practice, ambulance duty, making your own clothes, and canning your own food; all these

skills and more will not only add to your survival repertoire, they will enhance the quality of your life, as you become less dependent on "the system" and more confident in your own abilities.

Learn the strengths and weaknesses of your equipment, your people, and yourself. Without practice and effort you are just wasting time and money, and someone close to you could die needlessly.

DON'T ADVERTISE. Keep your actions and intentions as low-profile as possible. You could risk discovery and the loss of everything you have been working for, or wind up with a lot of people on YOUR doorstep in a crisis; people whom you cannot support,

and who may have no positive survival value. If you intend to support dependents, prepare for them with your supplies.

One last thought. Because predatory people are out there, firearms are an essential element of survival planning. Unfortunately, they have been abused frequently enough to give the whole survival movement a bad reputation in the eyes of the general media, who too often seem to be looking to discredit and ridicule the movement. Survivalists should respect firearms and view them as tools to protect what they have: their lives,

families, homes, and provisions; not as weapons of conquest.

The more you prepare, the more ready you must be to defend against those who don't.

AMERICAN SURVIVAL GUIDE/NOVEMBER 1991

The Possible Effects of Nuclear Weapons & a Realistic Scenario for the

Days after the Initial Offensive

(NOTE FROM SYSOP - this article has some SERIOUS errors, omissions, and falsehoods in it. I will try to add some footnotes on these later. I'm sure the author tried to do the best job he could. However, if the work that you use as a reference is wrong, your summation will be just as wrong.)

The largest bomb of the Second World War exploded with a force equivalent to thirteen kilotons, thirteen thousand tons, of dynamite (TNT). This bomb was called "Little Boy".

The ironic thing about the name is that when the bomb is compared to the warheads of today, the only word that comes to mind is little. Most of our modern warheads are a

hundred times as powerful, or more.

To give you a little perspective, let's say that a fifteen kiloton nuclear missile exploded over New York City while most of the population was out to lunch. A report from the Secretary-General of the United Nations says out of the eight million people in the city, approximately one million people will die on the first day.

If a one megaton bomb was exploded over Detroit, approximately 640,000

people would die immediately.

If a twenty-five megaton bomb exploded, approximately 3.2 million people would die out of the four million people living there.

(1) A megaton is equivalent to a million tons of TNT.

It would take 10,000 railroad freight cars to carry one million tons of TNT.

(2)

The following is the possible outcome of an explosion of a one megaton nuclear warhead over the city of Detroit, Michigan. At ground zero, directly underneath the bomb, there would be a crater measuring one thousand feet wide and two hundred feet deep.

(3) There would be a highly radioactive rim extending two thousand feet from the center,

(4) this would keep unprotected persons from entering this circle for nearly twenty-five years. Up to 1.7 miles from the center you would not see any signs of buildings.

All buildings within this circle would be completely destroyed. Between 1.7 and 2.7 miles from the center, you might be able to see the infrastructures of the more heavily built buildings.

(5) There would be almost no survivors until after 2.7 miles from ground zero.

(6) Up until approximately eight miles out, houses would be flattened from

the over-pressure produced by the bomb.

(7) From 2.7 to 4.7 miles, all light walled structures would be destroyed and

the contents of the top floors of the strongest buildings would be blown out

into the street.

(8) The over-pressure, about five pounds per square inch, would cause

the windows and frames of all buildings to be blown out.

(9) In the band from 4.7 miles to 6.3 miles out, the 3 p.s.i. over-pressure would cause people to be blown out of modern office buildings and would cause millions of flying projectiles.

These projectiles are capable of killing anyone they hit.

The winds would cause people to be blown against walls with a force many

times greater than gravity.

(10) Up to fifteen miles from the explosion, the winds would cause

objects to fly with a force capable of fracturing the skull (of a human)

fifty percent of the time.

(11) The bomb would cause the death of approximately 640,000 people on

the first day.

(12)

There are approximately 5.75 billion people in the world. The NUCLEAR

ALMANAC says that approximately 20 - 160 million civilians would be

immediately killed by a nuclear attack on present United States' strategic

weapon bases by one megaton warheads (as you know, the Soviets have 100

megaton warheads). the radioactive cloud produced by these weapons would

cover about fifty percent of the United States.

(13) Approximately 25 million more people would die to cancer and

genetic defects caused by the nuclear weapons.

Added to what is the predicted deaths of other countries, the total deaths

would be from 120 to 260 million people.

(14)

This means that from 4.3 to 9.5 percent of the Earth's population would be

killed within a couple of years after the war. (Remember, radiation causes

sterilization. This was not placed into the above calculations.)

In 1958 there was a study on the possible fatalities in the United States during a hypothetical nuclear war. The explosive power totaled 2,500 megatons and the population 175 million persons. They figured that on the first day 42 million people would die.

By the seventh day 17 million more would die.

On the fourteenth day there would be a total of 71 million people dead

and by the sixtieth, 83 million people would have died in the U.S.

(Remember: the strategy of the time was military targets, now

we go after large civilian populations, large industrial areas, etc.)

There would be 25 million injured and 67 million left uninjured.

(15) It is predicted that up to 2/3 of the injured would eventually die

from their injuries. Almost half of the population of the United States

would die.

A so-called limited attack by the Soviet Union on ten U.S. refineries

using about two percent of the nation's nuclear arsenal would kill more

than 5 million U.S. citizens.

(16)

The following is a summary of a fictional account of what may happen

after a nuclear attack:

Almost right after the attack, people from all over crowded into the

rural towns. They were escaping from the destroyed cities, looking for

food, shelter, clothing, and medical attention.

They had nothing except the clothes on their back. They had no where to go. After the first few days the hospitals closed their doors to new patients. Not only because of the high radioactivity outside, but they just did not have any room. The very sick were left to die. The others were left to fend for themselves.

Radio communications were nearly wiped out. The President came on the air once in a while.(Chances are no one would hear him: EMP) he would usually talk about the "cease-fire". He kept telling them about how the Soviets were hurt just as much as the U.S. He told them 100 million people were killed. He said the government was doing all they could.

(Let's remember, the Pres. has a rather nice distance underground and

most likely not seeing true reports on what is going on.)

Food became scarce. People raided the grocery stores and the houses of

the people living in shelters. Some were stealing the farmers' cattle. A

few went out into the woods to try to find the few remaining wild animals.

About two weeks after the explosions, the food did all but run out.

People looked to the government, or what was left of it. The president

said they were doing all they could.

In the spring, people changed their attitude. Crops were planted.

Some even tried to rebuild the cities and factories. The government tried

to stop the barter system and reinstate currency. People found the money

worthless and kept trading. Some thought things were going to get better.

When winter came around, the food ran out. People started eating dogs,

cats, and rats; animals by their habitat were protected from the

fallout.(also cockroaches) The weak, the old, and young started to die.

The first winter took its toll on the living. People were rebelling.

The government came together to figure out what to do. They could not

come up with a decision that would agree with everyone. By then, no one

knew what to do. The life they were used to: cars, computers, the office,

golf, schools, the Superbowl, parties, all disappeared. What was left? Chaos.

(17)

It is interesting how after our civilization becomes so technologically

advanced and complex, we could destroy it all in a matter of moments. Our

lifestyles would go back to the horse and buggy era. Most of our

complexities, i.e. computers, would be forgotten. We would learn how to

farm and care for animals. We probably would not be able to rebuild our

previous civilization until after a few generations.

The survivors would concentrate on survival, not worrying about selling

stock for IBM or even going to school. There would be no use for them.

Our country would be set back a couple of hundred years. People might even

deny our previous civilization, and turn back to a more simple life:

one in which there would be no offices, no taxation, no hostility.

We might even become friends with the Soviets.

Hopefully, we, the people of this planet, will one day realize the

dangers of nuclear war, and will stop it. Hopefully everyone on this

planet will become on family, working for the betterment of all. Maybe

we will one day become the perfect civilization that only Karl Marx, Plato,

and other philosophers have dreamed of.

**********************************************************************

UPLOADERS NOTE START;

The last paragraph scares me because our society is going down the tubes

fast as the other ancient societies did.

The Persian, Syrian, Babylon, Greek or Roman empires are not ruling today

are they?

The Book of Revelation says many things, all of which will eventualy come true.

My own personal feeling is that Revelation 18 is about the good 'ol USA

and when this New World Order junk comes to pass it will be because the

Russians or the UN is running it.

Not the United States and it's double crossing socialist party A and socialist party B (ie democrats and republicans) I believe the Russians will probably nuke us and try to take over, try to destroy Israel and rule the world as hitler tried, but this one has a happy

ending. Jesus Christ will return and defeat the armies of the world.

The only "perfect society" will be in the hereafter with Jesus Christ!

JOHN3:16 ROMANS3:23-26 ROMANS10:9-11 JOHN8:24 JOHN14:6

"Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus

came into the world to save sinners-- of whom I am the worst. But for that

reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus

might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would

believe on him and receive eternal life. Now to the King Eternal, immortal,

invisible, the only true God be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen

1TIMOTHY1:15-17

********

Notes

1 Congress of the U.S., Office of Technology Assessment, THE EFFECTS OF

NUCLEAR WAR, 1980, pp. 27-33

2 ENCYCLOPEDIA AMERICANA, 1985 ed., s.v. "Nuclear Weapons."

3 Neville Brown, NUCLEAR WAR: THE IMPENDING STRATEGIC DEADLOCK, (New

York: Frederick A. Praeger, Inc., Publishers, 1964), p. 14

4 Ibid.

5 Congress of the U.S., pp. 27-33

6 Ibid.

7 Jack Dennis, ed., THE NUCLEAR ALMANAC (Reading, Mas.: Addison - Wesley

Publishing Company, Inc., 1984), p. 101

8 Congress of the U.S., p. 31

9 Ibid.

10 Dennis, p. 102

11 Ibid., p. 101

12 Congress of the U.S., p. 27-33

13 Dennis, p. 154

14 Ibid.

15 Linus Pauling, NO MORE WAR! (New York: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1983),

p. 154

16 Dennis, p. 153

17 Congress of the U.S., pp. 124-138

Works Cited

Brown, Neville. NUCLEAR WAR: THE IMPENDING STRATEGIC DEADLOCK. New York: Frederick A. Praeger, Inc., Publishers, 1964

Congress of the United States, Office of Technology Assessment. THE

EFFECTS OF NUCLEAR WAR. Washington: GPO, 1980

Dennis, Jack, ed. THE NUCLEAR ALMANAC. Reading, Mas.: Addison - Wesley

Publishing Company, Inc., 1984

Foster, Jr., John S. "Nuclear Weapons". ENCYCLOPEDIA AMERICANA. 1985 ed.

Pauling, Linus. NO MORE WAR!. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1983

What you have just read was written by yours truly in December of 1986

for people who have limited knowledge pertaining to nuclear weapons, etc.

To keep the feeling of the original script, I only made changes in

punctuation and added words in (). I apologize for some of them, it's

late and I am tired. I am sooner or later going to write another

"article" with newer data and maybe more info pertaining to blast effects,

radiation levels, current armament and strategies. I hope this will be

helpful. I will gladly accept any pros, cons or general howdies, etc.

from anyone who has read it. I'm Fred Witsl. Give a holler.

This file was Gathered by the Cybermonk for more info call Fred!

Relayed to you via: FREEDOM INFORMATION NETWORK

Freedom Information Network (FINET) is a multi-disciplinary Christian

ministry. We exist to serve God, glorify Him and delight in Him. We

endorse whole-heartedly the original Westminster Confession.

The SysOp engages full-time in multidisciplinary theological, scientific,

technological and geopolitical research. We are transdenominational.

Our historical scope is that of classical and philosophical apologetics.

We research and advise on a very broad spectrum of cults, religions and

occultism--which includes the illuminist's efforts to usher in the

Aquarian age--, and assist educators, researchers and pastors with these

matters, as well as Septuagint, theological and historical studies.

Freedom Infonet BBS telephone (609)586-4847 USR dual standard

16.8Kbps HST & 14.4 V.32bis, 8N1. We carry several networks, Online

Bible files and door, thousands of files including Christian text files

including CRI text index, topical verses, apologetics, the cults and the

occult, and patriot--freedom is at issue. We are New Jersey's Christian

resource online, and premier forum for issues both temporal and eternal.

We are a BBS for people who think and believe.