A radio, a can opener and 9 other things you need in your emergency kit if a nuclear bomb hits
If a nuclear bomb is detonated the effects would be devastating, but there are certain items you need for survival
MANY dangers we face, such as crossing the road, are commonplace and have clearly signposted rules - stop look and listen.
But other dangerous situations are more ambiguous.
So what exactly do you do if a nuclear bomb hits and what do you need in your survival kit?
With North Korea testing ballistic missiles and US officials preparing for terrorist-led nuclear bomb threats, needing to know how to prepare for and what to do in the aftermath of a detonation is no longer reserved for the movies.
The biggest threat to human life after the initial explosion is radiation in the air - known as fallout.
Speaking to Brooke Buddemeier, an expert on radiation at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, said:
"Your ability to know where the fallout's gonna go, and outrun it, are — well, it's very unlikely."
Fallout can be carried by high-altitude winds "often booking along at 100 miles per hour".
Only very dense materials such as lead protect from nuclear fallout, so it is necessary to hunker down in a safe place for 24-48 hours while the fallout disperses to a safer level.
If you need to run to another safer location then has come up with a list of 11 key items you should have in your emergency supply kit.
- Water: at least 4.5 litres per person per day
- Food: at least a three-day supply of nourishing food
- Battery-powered radio and extra batteries
- A torch with extra batteries
- First-aid kit
- A whistle to signal for help
- Dust mask to try and protect yourself from contaminated air
- Baby wipes, rubbish bags and toilet paper for personal hygiene purposes
- Wrench or pliers to turn off possibly affected utilities
- Can opener should your food require one
- Local maps - you may not have use of a mobile phone or satnav
Buddemeier says that you should grab the essentials on the list, but only if it will delay you getting to safety by a couple of minutes maximum.
He also adds that some things on the list that don't seem commonplace, such as a radio, are vital.
"If you have a cellphone, that'll work too," he said "but sometimes the cell towers may be affected" and so radios are a more surefire option.
Radios are vital to receive emergency broadcasts and instructions as electromagnetic pulses set off by the detonation can stop any other form of communication.
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Overall though, he says that shelter to protect yourself from fallout is the most important thing you can seek after a nuclear blast.
"We may not be able to do much about the blast casualties, because where you were is where you were, and you can't really change that. But fallout casualties are entirely preventable."
He added that " knowing what to do after an event like this can literally save hundreds of thousands of people from radiation illness or fatalities".
Check out more emergency situations and read about the Thompson cabin crew treated for smoke inhalation after fire breaks inside plane.
And last month, a United Airlines plane had to abandon its journey to Miami after flames erupted from the jet engine.