War and nuclear threats: what to do
What UK and allied official guidance says to do in a nuclear alert, if war starts, and how to cope with the news. Facts and sources, no predictions.
Nuclear alert or explosion: the first 10 minutes
- Don't look at the flash. Turn away and close your eyes.
- Outside? Get down. Take cover behind something solid, or lie face down with skin covered, until the blast wave has passed.
- Get inside within about 10 minutes. Nearest solid building. Basement or middle of the building, away from windows.
- Shut it up. Close windows and doors. Turn off fans, extractor fans and anything that pulls in outside air.
- Clean off. If you were outside: outer clothes off, into a bag, then wash with soap and water. No hair conditioner.
- Stay in for at least 24 hours and tune in: battery or wind-up radio, Emergency Alerts, GOV.UK. Leave only for a fire, collapse or medical emergency, or if officials tell you to.
In danger? Call 999. Follow instructions from the emergency services, radio and GOV.UK: they come first.
From our guide A nuclear explosion nearby: what to do in the first hour. Official sources: UKHSA: What to do in a radiation emergency · Ready.gov: Nuclear explosion
Start here: the core guides
In reading order.
- What to do if there's a nuclear or radiation warning in the UKWhat UK official advice says to do if a nuclear or radiation warning comes: go in, stay in, tune in. Six steps, which room to use, what to do if you…
- A nuclear explosion nearby: what to do in the first hourMinute-by-minute steps if there's a nuclear flash: don't look, take cover, get inside within about 10 minutes, take off outer clothes, wash, and stay…
- If war breaks out: what to do in the first 72 hours (UK)A calm, hour-by-hour guide for UK households if a war involving the UK began: how warnings would reach you, staying in or leaving, family check-ins,…
- Preparing for a war: a printable checklist for UK householdsA calm, printable checklist for UK households worried about a wider war: phone alerts, 3 days of supplies, a shelter room, a grab bag, paper copies,…
- Nuclear war survival kit for a UK home: what's useful and what isn'tA nuclear emergency kit built from what official advice asks you to do: get inside, stay in for one to two days, clean off, listen for instructions.…
- Radiation emergency in the UK: what official advice says (go in, stay in, tune in)UK Health Security Agency advice for a radiation emergency is to go in, stay in and tune in: get inside the nearest solid building, close doors and…
- Fallout and food: is tap water and food in the cupboard safe?What UKHSA and US guidance say about food and water after a radiation release or nuclear explosion: food and tap water indoors, sealed tins from…
- Coping with worry about war and the newsCalm, practical ways to live with worry about war and nuclear news: what the NHS and Sweden's crisis brochure suggest, setting limits on the news,…
Nuclear blast distances explained
The severe, moderate and light damage zones from US government planning figures, on a distance scale or a map point you pick, and what official advice says to do in each zone. Illustrative, not a prediction.
Buy only what helps, and free tools
- Nuclear blast distances explained (free tool)
- What to buy for a war or nuclear warning
- Stay-in room shopping list
- Radiation meters compared
Our kit lists use plain links to ordinary shops. We may earn from some links in future; we don't now. If that changes, links will be marked and the page will say "Ad". How we make money
Our matching plan
A printable plan to write down what your household will do. Then buy only what the plan says you're missing.
Our plan · instant PDFCrisis & Conflict Readiness Plan£4.99
Our plan · instant PDFExtended Disruption Plan£3.99Instant PDF, 30-day refund. All plans
Everything else in war & nuclear
- What to stock up on in case of war: a calm UK listThe official UK 3-day list first, then a sensible add-on for a longer disruption, and what not to buy. Based on GOV.UK Be Ready, the National Risk…
- Where is safer from a nuclear attack in the UK? What official sources say, and what they don'tThere is no official list of safer or riskier places in the UK for a nuclear attack. Here's why, what the government has published, and what you can…
- Your phone just made a siren noise: what the alert was and what to do nowThe first minute after a UK Emergency Alert: read it, follow it, check it's real on GOV.UK. Every alert type sent so far, why it sounds on silent,…
- Living near a nuclear site: planning zones, warnings, and who gets iodine tabletsWhat the Detailed Emergency Planning Zone (DEPZ) and Outline Planning Zone (OPZ) are, how to find out if you're in one, how residents are warned,…
- How likely is nuclear war in 2026? What the UK government, NATO and outside experts sayNo one can give you a reliable figure. Here's what the UK's National Risk Register, the 2025 Strategic Defence Review and NATO say about nuclear…
- Is WW3 likely? A calm read of what officials have saidWe don't predict war. This page collects what UK defence chiefs, the government and NATO have said in public, with dates, what changed this month,…
- Is the UK at war right now? What the government says, conflict by conflictA short, dated answer from official statements: the UK's defensive role in the Middle East conflict, its support for Ukraine, and what the government…
- What the Iran war means for UK households: fuel, bills, prices, travel and suppliesOfficial figures on what the Middle East conflict involving Iran has done to UK fuel prices, energy bills and inflation since February 2026, the help…
- Which countries would be in World War 3? Who is bound to whom, and what Article 5 does and doesn't meanNo one can say who would fight in a future war. Here's what is on paper: the 32 NATO members, the exact Article 5 promise, the one time it was used,…
- Would a nuclear war end the world? What the research on nuclear winter says, and what it means for a UK homeNo UK government source answers this. Here's what published science says about nuclear winter and global food supply, how sure scientists are, and…
- How many nuclear warheads does the UK have, and what would nuclear war mean for Britain?The UK's official cap is no more than 260 warheads, set in 2021. The government no longer publishes its operational numbers. What the UK's deterrent…
- Nuclear bomb simulators like NUKEMAP: what the circles mean, and what they can't tell youWhat the blast, heat, radiation and fallout rings on NUKEMAP mean in plain words, why its own maker says not to use it for emergency planning, and…
- Is there any point preparing for a nuclear attack? An honest answerIf you were close to a nuclear blast, no kit would help. But official guidance from the US, Sweden and the UK is built on the fact that most people…
- Protect and Survive, When the Wind Blows, and today's adviceWhat the 1970s–80s Protect and Survive booklet and films told British families to do in a nuclear attack, why Raymond Briggs's When the Wind Blows…
- What Sweden, Finland and Ukraine tell their citizens, compared with the UKA side-by-side look at Sweden's In case of crisis or war, Finland's 72-hour advice, Ukraine's shelter advice and the EU's 72-hour target, compared…
- Would the UK bring back conscription? What the law says todayThere is no conscription in the UK. What ministers said in October 2026, how reserve call-out works, the Armed Forces Bill change to recall ages,…
- Iodine tablets: who needs them, and why they won't help in most emergenciesWhat UKHSA, the US CDC and Norway say about potassium iodide: it protects only the thyroid, mainly after a nuclear reactor accident, and only when…
- Talking to children about war and WW3 headlinesCalm, age-by-age ways to talk to children about war news and WW3 talk at school, based on advice from BBC Newsround, YoungMinds, the NSPCC and…
- Cyber attack on the grid or the banks: what it would mean at homeWhat the UK National Risk Register says a cyber attack on the electricity grid or a high-street bank could do, how long it might last, and simple…
- Worried about war? How UK households can prepare — calmlyNobody can tell you whether there will be a war, and this guide doesn't try. What official UK planning does show is that serious disruption, from…
- UK Emergency Alerts: a calm guideUK Emergency Alerts are free government warnings sent to compatible mobile phones and tablets near a serious emergency. Your phone may make a loud…
- Why is the government asking us to prepare?The UK government launched Be Ready on 22 October 2026. The Cabinet Office says severe weather can sometimes disrupt power, water, phone and internet…
- Household cyber security: the official steps, in plain EnglishGOV.UK Be Ready and the NCSC's Cyber Aware advice comes down to a few steps: use a passkey where offered, otherwise a strong, separate password for…
Also useful
- Missile or air-raid alert: what to do in the first 10 minutesSix calm steps if you get a missile or air attack alert in the UK: read the alert, get inside, go to the middle of the building, lie flat if caught…
- Set up a shelter room for 48 hours: supplies, layout, air and a toiletHow to turn one inner room of a UK house or flat into a place to stay for two days if you're told to go in and stay in: which room, what to put in…
- Which room is safest in a UK house or flat?Where to shelter inside a semi, terrace, bungalow or block of flats if you're told to go in and stay in: the middle of the building, away from…
Official sources
- UKHSA: What to do in a radiation emergency (read 1 Nov 2026 for our guide)
- UKHSA: Nuclear emergencies, information for the public (read 1 Nov 2026 for our guide)
- GOV.UK: Emergency Alerts (read 3 Nov 2026 for our guide)
- Cabinet Office: National Risk Register 2026 (read 1 Nov 2026 for our guide)
Official advice comes first. If a source says something different now, follow the source.