FALLOUT_SHELTER_LOS_ ANGELES ,THE CITY OF ANGELS PREPARES FOR ARMEGGEDON (1955-1961)

FALLOUT_SHELTER_LOS_ANGELES


LOS ANGELES CIVIL DEFENSE PREPARES ITS CITIZENS FOR ATOMIC ATTACK

LISTEN TO ACTUAL CONELRAD CIVIL DEFENSE BROADCAST DURING A OPERATION ALERT EXERCISE

HERE THE MAYOR WITH THE HEAD OF CIVIL DEFENSE AND OTHER LOS ANGELES  POLITICIANS  GET READY TO START CIVIL DEFENSE WEEK WITH TRAININGS AND EXHIBITS AND THE NATIONAL DRILL "OPERATION ALERT"

CITY OF LOS ANGELES EARLY 1951 SHOWS CITY PLANS TO BUILD A LARGE SHELTER IN THE SHADOW OF CITY HALL

THE CITIZENS OF LOS ANGELES WERE NOT UNAWARE OF THE ENORMOUS DESTRUCTIVE CAPABILITIES OF ATOMIC WEAPONS, EVERY TEST AT THE NEVADA TEST SITE, MERCURY NEVADA WAS CONDUCTED BEFORE DAWN AND LOS ANGELES WOULD ACTUALLY SEE THE ENTIRE EASTERN SKY LIGHT UP AS IF THE SUN WAS RISING BRIEFLY ILLUMINATING LOS ANGELES IN A CAMERA FLASH BULB EFFECT....... THE TEST WAS HUNDREDS OF MILES AWAY.

HERE LOS ANGELES IS BATHED IN THE FLASH OF A ABOVE GROUND ATOMIC WEAPON TEST OVER A COUPLE HUNDRED MILES EAST

THE ABOVE PICTURES SHOW HOW THE LOS ANGELES AREA WOULD LIGHT UP IN THE PRE DAWN HOURS WHEN A DEVICE WAS TESTED AT THE NEVADA TEST SITE ,IN MERCURY, NEVADA .MORE THAN A COUPLE HUNDRED MILES EAST OF LA.

HERE CIVIL DEFENSE WORKERS PLOT THE SIZE AND DAMAGE RADIUS OF A SIMULATED ATOMIC WEAPON DETONATION ON LOS ANGELES

WORKING WITH VOLUNTEERS THE CREW OF A CIVIL DEFENSE HEAVY RESCUE TRUCK GO OVER BASIC FIRST AID



HERE CIVIL DEFENSE WORKERS GET FAMILIAR WITH HEAVY RESCUE TOOLS WITH THE WHAT WAS CALLED THE "CALAMITY JANE" MODEL OF RESCUE TRUCKS THE PRECURSOR TO MODERN FIRE DEPARTMENT RESCUE COMPANYS AND OVER ALMOST 60 YEARS LATER MOST OF THE TOOLS CARRIED BY THESE RESCUE TRUCKS ARE THE SAME TODAY.

HERE A RADIOLOGICAL MONITOR FROM BURBANK CIVIL DEFENSE HAS A LOW RANGE METER TO CHECK FOR RADIATION ON VICTIMS TO SEE IF THEY NEED DECONTAMINATION

THE MORE REALISTIC THE DRILL THE BETTER PREPARED CIVIL DEFENSE WORKERS WILL BE, INJURIES FROM THE EXTREME HEAT AN ATOMIC WEAPON THROWS OFF WILL BURN EXPOSED SKIN MILES AWAY AND CAUSE FLASH BLINDNESS  20 MILES AWAY,OTHER INJURIES FROM THE BLAST IS GLASS FLYING FROM THE BLAST WAVE AND BUILDINGS COLLAPSING.



LA COUNTY FIRE FIGHTERS ALONG WITH CIVIL DEFENSE WORKERS DECONTAMINATE CASULTIES AND INJURED DURING DRILL, DECONTAMINATION FROM RADIOACTIVE FALLOUT IS CRITICAL FOR ANYBODY ENTERING A SHELTER.

HOSPITAL TO CIVIL DEFENSE HQ RADIO LINKS ARE SETUP, CALIFORNIA MORE THAN OTHER STATE CIVIL DEFENSE USED EMERGENCY RADIO EXTENSIVELY PICTURED IS A CIVIL DEFENSE "GONSET" A EXCELLENT MODEL FOR EMERGENCY WORK, I HAVE ONLY SEEN THIS TYPE OF RADIO USED ON THE WEST COAST AND SOME ARE PROBABLY STILL IN USE ,SINCE CIVIL DEFENSE IN CALIFORNIA NEVER REALLY FADED AWAY WHEN THE COLD WAR WAS OVER,THE STATE HAS MANY EARTHQUAKES AND  THE SAME CIVIL DEFENSE TOOLS OF THE COLD WAR ERA WORK IN DISASTERS, SHELTERS,RADIO COMMUNICATION,MOST IMPORTANTLY VOLUNTEERS, LOS ANGELES HAS BEEN LUCKY SO FAR AND WITH EARTHQUAKES ITS NOT A MATTER OF "IF" ITS MORE LIKE "WHEN" .SO MITIGATION, PREPARDNESS AND RESPONSE ARE IMPORTANT.

HERE IS THE LA SHERIFF STATION CIVIL DEFENSE IS USING THE LARGE SHELTER OPERATIONS AREA AS HEADQUARTERS(i guess LAX was open to air traffic during the drill ...unless that jet in the upper right is a soviet bomber)



CIVIL DEFENSE COMMUNICATION HQ RELAYING MESSAGES FROM FIELD UNITS LIKE RADIOLOGICAL MONITORING UNITS, LATER RADIO ENTHUSIASTS FORMED A CIVIL DEFENSE UNIT, IT BECAME KNOWN AS "RACES" (Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services) AND ARE THE LIFE LINK IN MANY DISASTERS AROUND THE UNITED STATES AND THE WORLD TO THIS VERY DAY.

COORDINATING VARIOUS DAMAGE RINGS AND WHAT AREAS RECIEVED A HIT BY AN ATOMIC WEAPON HAD TO BE RADIOED IN TO CIVIL DEFENSE HQ SO ONCE RADIATION LEVELS WERE LOW ENOUGH TEAMS OF RESCUERS COULD GET TO PRIORITY AREAS



AT HEADQUARTERS THE INFORMATION FROM DAMAGE ASSESMENT TEAMS ALLOW CIVIL DEFENSE TO FIGURE OUT WHERE THE DETONATION WAS AND HOW MANY

THE ARROW IS POINTING AT A RADIOACTIVE ELEMENT THE VOLUNTEER CIVIL DEFENSE RADIOLOGICAL MONITORING UNIT IS USING TO GET USED TO THE MONITORING DEVICES AND THE FIELD OFFICER IS ON HIS RADIO RELAYING READINGS BACK TO HQ A VERY IMPORTANT POST SINCE THESE UNITS WOULD IN FACT BE ALERTING THE RESIDENTS OF LOS ANGELES TO SEEK SHELTER WHEN FALLOUT IS DETECTED,ALSO RADIOLOGICAL TEAMS WOULD BE CALLING IN SIGHTED NUCLEAR DETONATIONS AND ESTIMATING HOW FAR AWAY,AND WHICH WAY THE MUSHROOM CLOUD IS DRIFTING,AND DAMAGE ASSESSMENTS OF THEIR AREA FINDING PRIORITY INCIDENTS LIKE TRAPPED PEOPLE,FIRES,LOOTERS. 

THE OLD SHELTER SIGN AND THE NEW FALLOUT SHELTER SIGN POSTED ON THE BUILDING THAT MAKES THE PICTURES YEAR KNOWN SINCE 1961 WAS THE FIRST YEAR THEY WERE INTRODUCED THE OLDER "S" SHELTER SIGN GOES BACK TO WORLD WAR TWO AND ARE RARELY SEEN ANYMORE IN NYC I HAVE SEEN 2 POSTED AND IN BAD CONDITION WHILE THE FALLOUT SHELTER SIGN IS ON EVERY BUILDING IN ALL BORO'S OF NYC AND ALL ARE IN GOOD CONDITION SOME LOCATIONS STILL HAVE RATIONS.

HERE CIVIL DEFENSE OFFICIALS DECIDE TO SHELTER WITH THE POPULATION AND GET FEEDBACK ABOUT THE DRILL

HERE THE CIVIL DEFENSE COORDINATOR FOR LOS ANGELES SHOWS A MOCK FALLOUT SHELTERS CONSTRUCTION HOW BY DESIGNING IT FOR PROTECTION FROM RADIATION IS IMPORTANT AND EASY, THIS MODEL SHOWS SOIL BETWEN THE TWO CONCRETE WALLS GIVING IT A HIGH PROTECTION FACTOR.

FALLOUT SHELTERS NEEDED FOOD AND WATER RATIONS TO KEEP PEOPLE FROM GOING OUT IN TO RADIOACTIVE CONDITIONS LOOKING FOR FOOD, HERE A OBSCURE FOOD RATION KIT IS BEING USED WITH THE US GOVERNMENT HIGH CALORIE CRACKER RATION OR BISCUIT. THE DRINKING WATER IN THE CANS ARE COMMONLY FOUND AT ARMY NAVY STORES, AND IS A BAG OF WATER INSIDE THE CONTAINER JUST LIKE THE ONES IN FALLOUT SHELTERS ONLY SMALLER.

THE DAY THEY H-BOMBED LOS ANGELES A GREAT BIT OF PULP FICTION PUT OUT BY "ACE" BOOKS THE SAME FOLKS WHO PUT OUT THE COMIC BOOKS "WORLD WAR THREE" AND THE 4-PART "ATOMIC ATTACK " SERIES MORE INFO CAN BE FOUND IN OLDER POSTS ON THIS BLOG OR ON CONELRAD.COM

T ABOVE PICTURES SHOW THE AMOUNT OF WATER NEEDED TO SHELTER CITIZENS, WATER IS NOT STOREDT IN THESE UNTIL A NATIONAL THREAT LEVEL REACHES ALERT LEVEL THEN THESE WATER CONTAINERS WOULD BE FILLED, INSIDE EACH CONTAINER IS A HEAVY PLASTIC LINER THAT IS ATTACHED AND FILLED WITH WATER,THIS IS SO THE WATER IS NOT IN CONTACT WITH THE METAL CONTAINER

PARTICIPATION IN OPERATION ALERTS WHERE SUPPOSED TO BE MANDATORY BUT SOME AREAS HAD PROTESTS AND EVEN SOME CITY CIVIL DEFENSE OPERATIONS DID NOT PARTICIPATE, THE WASHINGTON DC DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CIVIL DEFENSE CHIEF IGNORED THE SIMULATION REFUSING TO ORDER HIS UNITS TO PARTICIPATE,AND TOLD THEM TO STAY AT WORK..HE WAS FIRED BY PRESIDENT EISENHOWER.1955

SHELTER DOWN ON THE TRAIN STATION PLATFORM MUST OF BEEN AWFUL HOT!

HERE LOS ANGELES CITIZENS GO TO THE NEAREST SHELTER AND AWAIT THE ALL CLEAR TO LEAVE MOST PEOPLE PARTICIPATED IN THE OPERATION ALERT DRILLS THROUGHOUT THE YEARS THAT THEY HAPPENED

OUT IN THE SUBURBS OF LA HOME SHELTERS WERE BEING SETUP,PUBLIC SHELTERS WERE FOR RESIDENTS WITHOUT HOME SHELTERS SUCH AS APARTMENT BUILDINGS AND THE PUBLIC WAS ADVISED TO BUILD HOME SHELTERS SINCE LIVING IN A SMALL PLACE WITH 600 PEOPLE AND VERY LITTLE FOOD AND OTHER THINGS COULD BE AVOIDED BY SHELTERING AT HOME.

HERE  AN ENTERPRISING BOMB SHELTER BUILDER SHOWS OFF HIS LATEST BACKYARD SHELTER WITH THE HELP OF A MODEL, SHELTERS WERE HARD TO SELL UNTIL THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS WHEN THE MARKET WENT NUTS FOR SIX MONTHS AND THEN IT WENT BACK TO ITS SLOW PACE,MOST SUBURBAN HOME OWNERS CHOOSED TO BUILD THEIR OWN REFUGE THAN HAVE IT BUILT.

THE GREATEST PUSH FOR FALLOUT SHELTERS WERE IN SCHOOLS, ALL NEW SCHOOL BUILDINGS HAD TO BUILD SHELTERS INTO THE SCHOOL AND HAD TO BE USED IN TIME OF PEACE FOR SCHOOL PURPOSES AND IN CRISIS COULD QUICKLY CONVERT INTO A LARGE SHELTER. HERE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS GRAB A PIECE OF THE FLOOR COVERING THEIR HEAD AND EYES. THIS DRILL WAS CONDUCTED IN SCHOOLS NATIONWIDE FOR YEARS WAY INTO THE 1980s THE COVER UP POSITION IS ACTUALLY CALLED "DUCK AND COVER" AND WAS INTRODUCED IN THE EARLY 1950s BY BERT THE TALKING TURTLE A CARTOON & FILM THAT WAS SHOWN IN SCHOOLS ACROSS THE U.S.TEACHING SCHOOL KIDS ABOUT THE ATOMIC BOMB AND WHAT IT DOES AND HOW TO SURVIVE,IT WAS FILMED IN A SCHOOL IN NYC, ASTORIA, QUEENS

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL KIDS UPON HEARING THE SIREN TAKE SHELTER UNDER THEIR DESKS PROBABLY A MULTI USE POSITION SINCE EARTHQUAKES ARE COMMON AND THAT ALSO IS A POSITION TO TAKE IN CASE OF OBJECTS FALLING.

A DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE OFFICE OF CIVIL DEFENSE STUDY ON SOVIET TARGETING PACKAGES FOR THE LA BASIN (Every City Had A Target Package It Consisted Of The Best Way And How Many Nuclear Bombs It Would Take To Render The City Dead Uninhabitable With No Chance Of Recovery) THE LA PACKAGE INCLUDED 9 LARGE MT WEAPONS SINCE THE CITY WAS SPREAD OUT IN A CLOSE PATTERN MOST LIKELY TO START A FIRESTORM TO CONSUME THE LA BASIN.

THIS WAS THE SLOGAN THAT "CEE DEE" PUSHED, EDGING THE TALKING TURTLE BERT OUT OF CIVIL DEFENSE EDUCATIONAL MATERIAL AND WAS FEATURED IN COMICS AND CIVIL DEFENSE FILMS,ALERT TODAY - ALIVE TOMMOROW AND THAT'S

ATOMIC PROPAGANDA- WNYC RADIO CLIPS THEY NUKED DA' BRONX!

WNYC PRESERVES SOME AUDIO FROM THE ATOMIC ERA,WELL WORTH HAVING A LISTEN TO.NOT MANY RECORDINGS HAVE LASTED THE YEARS THESE ARE PRETTY COOL SINCE THEY ARE ABOUT NEW YORK, THE FIRST DEALS WITH THE EVERYDAY CITIZEN ASKED WHAT HE OR SHE WOULD DO IF A ATOMIC ATTACK WERE IMMINENT, THE SECOND TALKS ABOUT THE DAY THE BRONX WAS BOMBED DURING A CIVIL DEFENSE ATOMIC ATTACK DRILL THAT WAS CONDUCTED NATION WIDE.

1946 chicago sun  artist rendering of NYC post attack damage                                                                

In the second featured Plan for Survival episode, the 38th in the series, reporter Lockwood Doty asks men and women of New York state what they would do if the bomb fell; most of the answers are disappointingly incorrect. Once again, listeners are reminded that survival is the responsibility of each individual .

NYS CIVIL DEFENSE NETWORK RADIO SERIES

Five years after the U.S. Army Air Force dropped atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Cold War-era New York officials were preparing for the worst case scenario, an atomic bomb detonation over New York City.

In response to the Cold War threat of nuclear war the New York State Civil Defense Network produced an informational radio series titled Plan for Survival, hosted by Bill Leonard. The program informed New Yorkers of the enduring threat of war and encouraged them to enroll in Civil Defense training. 

This episode, "The A-Bomb and its Effects," opens with the ominous sound of a ticking clock, followed by the Earth-shattering rumble of an atom bomb blast. Guest Martin Caden, technical specialist of the New York State Civil Defense Commission, speaks with authority about the impact of the atom bombs in Japan. He dramatically describes the visual and aural experience of an atomic explosion: an intense searing light that will appear brighter than 100 suns, followed by a tremendous sustained roar that sounds like 1,000 blockbusters exploding all around you.

As reassurance, Caden tells listeners that one of the greatest misconceptions about the atom bomb is that its blast will wipe out a city instantly. Rather, the major cause of damage and causalities will be fire and panic: approximately 50,000 casualties in Hiroshima could have been averted simply through civil defense training. Even those very near the center of the blast, he says, could survive by taking shelter and remaining under cover until the "all clear" siren is sounded.

Caden goes on to describe how an atom bomb would affect New York City: within a half mile of the blast site there will be almost complete devastation. Thankfully, however, he adds, "90 seconds after an atomic air burst there will be no danger from radiation within the City at all." He reassures listeners that only in cases of a water or land burst is there a great danger of radiation. Even those who survived the attacks at Hiroshima and Nagasaki are plagued with inconvenient symptoms such as sterility that lasted "only a few months." And only 40 cases of cataracts were reported. 

THE DAY THEY BOMBED THE BRONX ANOTHER RADIO SHOW PRESERVED BY WNYC

SIMULATED CIVIL DEFENSE NEWSPAPER ADDED TO THE DRILL FOR REALISM