Surviving the aftermath
@arjunk please critique my comments below.
We are assuming a "bug out" after the attack. Karachi will become uninhabitable within 24 hours after the attack. So the kit would need to be broken up into what is needed immediately and what can be carried to the "bug out".
1. Pocket or DIY Geiger Counter ( see my post on radiation sickness) or
Android Geiger counter App.
The Geiger Counter is a sure way to determine what stuff is edible,
what needs to be discarded ( basically clothes, cooking gear etc.) .
Most important of all the Geiger Counter can determine if water is
safe to drink. The Geiger Counter is
the most important life saving
tool as we shall see.
2. Drinking water:
People will dehydrate, ( especially babies and elderly) and die quickly within 3 to 4 days without drinking water. The water mains will go dry immediately after a nuclear attack. There will be no power for pumps and no water towers will be left standing. Storing the water in sealed glass bottles that are buried underground is a good preparation but that may not be possible unless tensions with the enemy indicate a nuclear strike is imminent . However storing empty glass bottles is a good idea as we shall see.
Alternative sources of water will need to be found:
Depending on the weather some rain water can be harvested using buckets, rubber sheets, and different water traps. The Geiger counter will measure the degree of radiation in the rain water. Water can be stored in glass bottles that are reusable and can be washed if contaminated.
A solar desalination kit either commercial or DIY using a tray, glass plate, and tubing can be used to harvest drinking water from the sea. Once again the Geiger Counter will help determine the radioactivity on the coastline and the glass bottles can be reused. Open wells would also need to be checked.
The case for glass bottles:
These can be sterilized by cleaning boiling, and reuse . Disposable plastic bottles will vanish once the petrol stations, and grocery stores have been demolished in the attack.
Flashlight:
Only solar rechargeable or hand crank flashlights will work. Batteries will become unavailable. Also needed would be paraffin our kerosene lamps though once again these would only last as long as there are paraffin or kerosene stocks available. Solar powered lamps charged in the day and lit at night are the only viable alternative.
For those living close to the beach small wind chargers are a good way to charge batteries.
First aid kit:
We have discussed this in our previous post. The first aid kit would have to be very large with adequate stocks of burn medication, Silver Sulphadine. There would need to be Potassium Iodide tablets.
Food:
Canned food is fine, but is expensive and very large stocks would be needed. Cooking and heating facilities will be at a premium. Food that is nutritious, can be stored without spoiling and unrefrigerated , but needs no cooking would be:
-Puffed rice, peanuts, gram, ( and expensive ones such as walnuts, pistachios, almonds , raisins ). These are easily stored.
-Powdered milk would be a great asset. Mixed with water this couod be given to children.
Cash & credit cards:
The economy would collapse so neither cash nor credit cards would be valid within a very short time. Low denominations of cash would work for a while. There would eventually be a barter economy with gold functional in stead of cash. Using snip shears to cut up family gold jewelry into 1 gram bits would help in trade and barter.
We don't have an ABM system. We won't survive on the kit alone.
Relief is unlikely to come in a few months or at all. . How we choose to live, depends on area where we live.
A "bug out" is necessary
We are referring to those who survive. Yes, very few of us will, given the large numbers of warheads landing in a relatively small area such as Pakistan. It is estimated that more people will die of the aftermath than of the impacts themselves. You are correct that Hub may not be a good refuge. We will discuss the bug out in the next post.