You're at home watching TV, after dinner. The screen turns to static and the sky lights up. A nuclear weapon has just exploded. Should you run for the basement or head for the car? If you take shelter, when is it safe to come out? Is there anything you could have done to make your family safer other than moving to Tuktoyaktuk?

When a nuclear weapon explodes, a shock wave is formed which can hurl bodies and level buildings. If the burst occurs near the ground, the point of contact is vaporized. In or over water, massive waves swell. Thermal radiation can cause fires, retinal scarring, flash blindness, and burns. The electromagnetic pulse (EMP) emitted from a nuclear burst disrupts electrical and electronic equipment. Nuclear radiation can lead to radiation sickness, cancer, leukemia, sterility, genetic defects, etc.

That's the bad news. There's a lot of good news, though.

Suppose you live in Boston. How can you know that a lethal biological agent wasn't released in San Francisco last week? Perhaps someone infected with it flew to Logan Airport and passed it on to you. And now you are unknowingly passing on to your loved ones.

Many people had these fears during the recent anthrax panic.

On the other hand, imagine a nuclear device is exploded over San Francisco. There's no uncertainty. We know it happened, and we know where and when. You can anticipate how you will be affected, and take steps to protect yourself and those you care about.

Look at the nested rings. The bomb explodes in the center. (Of course, in a real attack, the shape and width of each danger zone would be different.)

[concentric circles of nuclear attack danger zones, black at center]

Deadly

Survival is possible

Survival is likely

Safe

Near ground zero (black), destruction is essentially total. Unless you're in Cheyenne Mountain or equivalent, your only strategy for survival is be somewhere else.

In the red zone, you can survive the weapon's effects but will have to start preparing for it now. In the yellow zone, effects are reduced. If you didn't get around to making preparations, you may be able to improvise a safe shelter from materials that you ordinarily have around. In both zones, your focus is first hour-to-hour, then day-to-day.

In the green, you're far enough away that the only direct effect of a weapon you'll experience is that you may have a few percent higher risk of cancer 20 years down the road. Your preparations should focus on the ripple effects of an attack. Maybe the ATM system will be down, or the drug store won't be able to restock a prescription drug you need, or all planes will be grounded. The more prepared you are for an interruption in the goods and services you rely on, the easier it will be for you to cope.

Which zone is your home in? What about work? Where you travel to on business or take your vacation? Where your best friend is?

That's what Fallout Shelter is for. Fallout Shelter uses the best unclassified data available to predict the magnitude, timing, and implications of nuclear effects on people, property, and livestock in the vicinity of a burst. So you know what to expect when.

For about the price of a good smoke detector, you can make informed decisions to protect your family, business, or community.

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Take a guided tour of Fallout Shelter
Read the FAQ.
Download an evaluation copy Available in April
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If you want to be notified as soon as Fallout Shelter is available for your computer, tell us.

The Palm OS release will require Palm OS 2.0 or higher, which runs on handheld computers from Acer, Garmin, HandSpring, Kyocera, Nokia, Palm, Samsung, Sony, and Symbol.

Fallout Shelter, Palm Edition will sell for $28.95 US.

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You might also want to read The Dangers from Nuclear Weapons: Myths and Facts.