In recent months, as Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to regularly discuss the threat of nuclear war, some scientists made the decision to undertake a very important study.
Their goal? To find the safest location to hide in what’s known as a “moderate damage zone,” which can be defined as the region where concrete buildings don’t collapse.
Back in December 2022, Putin released this statement:
“As for the idea that Russia wouldn’t use such weapons first under any circumstances, then it means we wouldn’t be able to be the second to use them either – because the possibility to do so in case of an attack on our territory would be very limited. Nevertheless, we have a strategy… namely, as a defense, we consider weapons of mass destruction, nuclear weapons – it is all based around the so-called retaliatory strike. That is, when we are struck, we strike in response.”
Researchers at the University of Nicosia in Cyprus used computer modeling in order to simulate what a potential nuclear blast explosion of a 750 kT atomic warhead would be like.
After running the simulation, the researchers came to the conclusion that “Obviously, near the nuclear bomb detonation, the devastation would be widespread, and the fatality rate would be practically 100%. However, outside of the severe damage zone (SDZ), the effect of the blast reduces and survivability increases.”
According to the results of the study, “The force hitting a standing person indoors is equivalent to several g-forces of body mass acceleration and could lift a person off the ground and throw them to the walls.”
So, in the event of a nuclear attack, researchers have concluded that it is best for people to remain inside a concrete structure.
Prior to this extensive study, it remained unclear what the safest option would be for people to withstand a nuclear attack.
In the case that individuals have no choice but to hide in a hallway, they should make sure to do so in the corner rather than the middle of a hallway. This is because, “the supersonic shock waves arising from the blast undergo expansion as they enter a room through an opening leading to channeling effects.”
The scientists also noted that, “the results show that most of the air is directed toward the corridor rather than through the opposite room’s door, leading to high airspeed developed in rooms further down the aisle.”