Ok now I've gone from being worried that my family is not prepared to being worried that NOBODY is prepared.
I hear what people are saying about not wanting to live in the aftermath of a nuclear detonation (who does?) but does that mean if you actually survive the initial blast you would eat a bullet or something? I'm not trying to be maudlin but some of us have children. I'm not going to leave my kids alone by offing myself in the aftermath because my primary responsibility is to them first. If I alone were to survive, I'd probably find a way to take myself out.
What Barto is referring to is a bigger issue that people should be aware of. There will be no 911, no hospital, no urgent care to set that bone or stitch up that head wound. Many people will suffer extreme burns and possibly blindness and deafness after a blast. Buildings will collapse on top of people. Nobody will be coming to help. It is worthwhile to consider having some medical supplies on hand to tend to the people in your household. When my step-father died on hospice he left 2 pretty gigantic jugs of liquid morphine. I'm almost certain it is technically expired but I will hang onto those just in case.
For those of you talking about how much food you have in your freezer have you considered how long that food is good without electricity or how you will cook this food without electricity or gas? We have some camping gear but that will only last so long. We got rid of our charcoal BBQ in favor of our Traeger grill which will be rendered useless without power. We do not have a generator.
I think for us, having enough water is a concern. That is on my to-do list to stock some extra water and to go through my emergency supplies to replace and replenish expired items.
So question for those who know more about nuclear fallout. Obviously the best place to shelter would be a basement but our home does not have one. We have many windows and a skylight so being able to fully be away from windows would be nearly impossible. We do have a small space under our house where we keep our wine cellar but it is not sealed or really temperature controlled in any way so I wouldn't believe it to be safe from fallout. Plus there would be no access to bathroom, sink, etc from there without having to go outside. I'm thinking staying put inside the house would be preferable, no?
What do people have in order to stay connected to information? I'm looking at a solar powered/crank AM/FM radio that can charge my phone online right now. I have no idea if these are good options or not.