NUCLEAR WAR

Illustration of a stocked fallout shelter.

NUCLEAR WAR. In 1960 with tensions building between the Soviet Union and the United States, the distinct possibility that a nuclear war could occur seemed increasingly possible. In an article appearing in the TELEGRAPH HERALD in October, the fact was presented that thirty minutes after a missile was fired from Russia it would reach the United States. Omaha, Nebraska with the headquarters of the Strategic Air Command posed a likely target for enemy missiles, and western Iowa had missile silos constructed for a response. In eastern Iowa, the Collins Radio facilities in Cedar Rapids was a likely target. Madison, Wisconsin was the home of an important Air Force base. Military installations were also located in Savanna and Rock Island, Illinois.

A 10 megaton bomb would destroy everything within a five to eight mile radius of Eighth and Main, according to the same newspaper article. Radioactive fallout carried easterly by winds would kill thousands of people over a period of days. Fires and radiation would have their greatest impact on a 25-mile radius of the bomb blast. While there would be no survivors in the blast area, Civil Defense personnel believed beyond the five to eight mile radius proper fallout shelters could increase chances of life. This protection would depend upon individuals because bombing would be nationwide. Government response to help citizens could not be expected for weeks or months.

Francis Henkels, deputy director of the Dubuque Civil Defense, stated that a shelter would reduce the fallout 90%. A government issued booklet, Home Shelter (MP-15) was available from the Office of Civil and Defense Mobilization at Battle Creek Michigan. (1) A proper shelter would be in the basement of a home, in the ground, or built into a hillside. An eight inch thick cement block wall and ceiling on all sides would protect a person, according to Henkels. The shelter would be stocked with enough food and water and sanitary facilities. The shelter would house an individual or family for a minimum of three days and hopefully for a maximum of two weeks. It would be large enough for people to move around. Suggestions were made that each person would have ten square feet. The costs of constructing a fallout shelter were estimated to range from $200 to $500. Efforts were also made to convince state and local officials that shelters should not be taxed as home improvements. It was felt that if homeowners believed they would be taxed then shelters would not be built.

The use of old mine shafts was suggested. Mines in the Galena, Illinois area were thought ready to house 20,000 people. The mines in the area of Dubuque, however, were not thought useful because they lacked ventilation and were damp.

Civil Defense officials surveyed all the heavy equipment in the area, food storage points and kitchens where people could be served food in case of a disaster. They also located places where those made homeless could be cared for in sanitary conditions. The federal government supplied radiation detectors for the use of local Civil Defense Units. Police and fire departments were trained to act in case of attack as a Civil Defense unit.

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Source:

"Farm Set For Nuclear Threat," Telegraph Herald, January 15, 1960, p. 7.