Part 1: What should you do in the event of a nuclear attack?

In the first part of a two-part series, we take a deep dive into what happens if another country fires a nuclear missile at Seattle.

And we look into why so few people know what to do in the event of a nuclear attack.

Listener Tim Rutledge grew up during the Cold War, so he heard a lot about how to prepare for a possible nuclear attack. But he hadn't thought much about that as an adult.

Then, in 2017, North Korea successfully test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile. Some experts said it could potentially reach Seattle.

So Tim sent the SoundQs team a question: If a missile is headed towards Seattle, would we get a warning?

The answer to this question is complicated. And it brings up lots of other questions about where a warning might come from and what we're supposed to do to protect ourselves.

Listen to the episode by clicking the play button above or on your favorite podcast app. SoundQs is a weekly podcast where our KUOW reporters tackle questions submitted by our listeners.

Links to more information about nuclear preparedness:

FEMA: https://www.ready.gov/nuclear-explosion

NUKEMAP: https://nuclearsecrecy.com/nukemap/

Red Cross: https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/nuclear-explosion-radiation-emergencies.html

National Center for Disaster Preparedness, Columbia University: https://ncdp.columbia.edu/nuclear-threat-preparedness/

Federation of American Scientists: https://fas.org/

Duck and Cover civil defense film featuring Bert the Turtle (1951): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKqXu-5jw60

Irwin Redlener, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, TED Talk: “How to Survive A Nuclear Attack: https://www.ted.com/talks/irwin_redlener_warns_of_nuclear_terrorism/transcript?language=en

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