Surviving an EMP / nuclear event or events requires knowing what to expect. It could be that two EMP events occur such that within days of the first event there is another. Also, it is unlikely that anyone would want to waste extremely expensive atomic bombs on some little rural region of the nation since targeting the larger cities with such weapons is far more devastating and thus strategic. Hence with regards to nuclear weapons of the atomic bomb nature, several of these might be used during a single attack to target the largest population areas, as well as largest of military bases.
The purpose of a shelter is to survive the radiation fallout which consist of smoke and dust and other particles that have traveled into the upper atmosphere within the mushroom cloud which is carried in the upper atmosphere wind currents to fall out in the distance. The particles can combine with moisture in the clouds and come down in the rain, but such things as fine ash particles will fall out as dust similar to volcanic dust after a volcano has erupted. Hence fallout can be carried tens of hundreds to thousands miles. And with multiple atomic bomb events there can be substantial amounts of fallout that can blanket the nation. Multiple detonations such as we can imagine in a nuclear war can blanket the globe with fallout, hence this whole scenario is quite horrific when we consider the magnitude of the devastation of a nuclear war.
Fallout has a lifetime of about 14 weeks according to experts. This means that after about 14 weeks one would want to sample the radiation outside with a Geiger Counter to determine if the radiation has died down sufficiently or again at 16 weeks. Geiger Counter tubes should be inserted through small holes in doors, or walls to sample the exterior environment. The tube which is detachable from the counter can be permanently mounted in a location with the wire running inside so that all you need to do is carry the counter to various location to connect to the Geiger tubes to get readings.
It is possible that some heavy atoms might have made their way up into the upper atmosphere and fallout, which unlike radiated dust and smoke particles will not decay after 14 weeks, since this is the case a Geiger Counter would need to be run over the ground in areas where you might want to plow up the earth to plant crops. If you get a high radiation reading then mark that spot, and once you have marked all the spots you will want to shovel up the dirt in that area and remove it. The dirt should be located some place away from your land and away from any wells or streams. Chances are you will not find any but this will not be the case with every area of the nation, you should make sure your land is clear.
The nature of fallout is such that it falls straight down to the ground, and covers things like dust. This means that if you locate a ventilation pipe far above the ground surface, with the port opening downwards instead of upwards then you will be able to pull in air with very little dust. This is good to know in designing air intakes for shelters. Furthermore an air intake located up near the ceiling of a porch where the porch is covered by a substantial roof is better than one located out in the open unless it is located high.
Coming Out Of The Shelter
Now you have to be realistic about your expectations after such events have occurred. First of all, there is the likelihood of nuclear power plants having lost control during a nuclear attack, with the power grid down, and people fleeing for safety. It is likely that numerous nuclear power plants have melted down or will do so in the future since a nuclear war leaves devastation and chaos for those who survive. Meaning that many power plants will be left abandoned without having been shut down properly. Hence there may always be some nuclear radiation danger in the after math of a nuclear attack. Kentucky is about the only state on the east coast where you are not near such power plants but they do exist along the bordering states and hence nuclear contaminants can travel from those regions through the air.
Next of all in terms of being realistic, you are not going to up and leave your place of safety and shelter to go traveling about looking to find people you know since the highways will be filled with dead cars and trucks blocking this means of travel. The sad fact about all of this is that you are not going to see people that you know in the cities again. Some of them may survive but the chances that you will be able to locate them again is small, since if they do not have their own shelter they will have sought shelter somewhere else if they could find it. And then moved on to some place if a relocation program of the military found and moved people to other locations.
Also another sad fact about surviving in the after math of this awful scenario is that you must avoid contact with other people who have survived since they are most likely thinking about your food and shelter becoming theirs, or have some other ideas in mind. In the after math there will be lawlessness. People will not be afraid to kill others to take what they have. You have to be willing to defend yourself and hence should have weapons and armor on hand to deal with this. If you are out gardening on you site then you will have to armed and wearing body armor. This is how it will be. Remember that if you meet people they might pretend to be some of the best people you ever met and may seem to be a God send and blessing but then turn on you once they have your confidence and so the world is full of con artist.
If you wish to do some research on how various nuclear weapons will effect cities near you and plot their fallout patterns you may use the Online Nukemap which will provide a map of the radius of various nuclear bomb yields based upon air burst or surface detonation. And show you the expected pattern and area of fallout.
Emergency Preparedness 