Since the 1990's and the collapse of the Soviet Union, the threat of all ­out nuclear war has pretty much gone by the wayside. However, with countries like China, North Korea,and Iran either flexing their nuclear muscle or working to create nuclear muscle, one hasto wonder if the threat isn't more present than we'd like to admit. Additionally, it's no secret that terror organizations like the Taliban and ISIS have been trying to get their hands on a nuclear weapon for years. The collapse of the Soviet Union, once hailed as one of Americas greatest victories, could actually be the event that brings about a nuclear bomb being detonated on U.S. soil. Since the collapse, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, in co­operation with former soviet officials, have worked to dismantle a large part of their massive arsenal. It has been suspected that rogue Soviet officers have attempted to sell these cold­ war ­era devices on the black market, but so far have been stopped. Should one of these weapons fall into the wrong hands it's entirely possible that it could be detonated in any American city. While it wouldn't cause the total devastation of global nuclear war, to the people living at ground zero, it might as well.

But keep in mind as a prepper or someone who is interesting in becoming one, it is still a real world possibility, and any serious prepper should be prepared for this as well. Here is what www.ready.gov suggests:

In general, potential targets include

• Strategic missile sites and military bases.
• Centers of government such as Washington, DC, and state capitals.
• Important transportation and communication centers.
• Manufacturing, industrial, technology, and financial centers.
• Petroleum refineries, electrical power plants, and chemical plants.
• Major ports and airfields.

The three factors for protecting oneself from radiation and fallout are distance, shielding and time.

• Distance - the more distance between you and the fallout particles, the better. An underground area such as a home or office building basement offers more protection than the first floor of a building. A floor near the middle of a high-rise may be better, depending on what is nearby at that level on which significant fallout particles would collect. Flat roofs collect fallout particles so the top floor is not a good choice, nor is a floor adjacent to a neighboring flat roof.
• Shielding - the heavier and denser the materials - thick walls, concrete, bricks, books and earth - between you and the fallout particles, the better.
• Time - fallout radiation loses its intensity fairly rapidly. In time, you will be able to leave the fallout shelter. Radioactive fallout poses the greatest threat to people during the first two weeks, by which time it has declined to about 1 percent of its initial radiation level.