The Cold War ended nearly 31 years ago and today the threat of nuclear use is a sobering possibility. NATO and the Kremlin are collectively training up on their annual nuclear response exercises in a time where humanity is facing real escalating nuclear tensions from Russia’s war on Ukraine and NATO’s proximity war with Russia. During the Cold War the Truman Administration implemented the Civil Defense Administration program designed to educate the population known as the “Duck and Cover” drill which channeled a growing panic during the arms race when school children were instructed to crawl underneath their desks seeking protection.

Unfortunately, we have once again returned to that era. Yet today, Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency and the local governments have been largely silent on any “how to” preparation if such strategic weaponry were used on our homeland through several means, Hypersonic, Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles or Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missiles.
On October 4th the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) invested $290 Million on potassium iodine used to treat radiation sickness in the event of a nuclear emergency, coincidence? I think it is important that our local leaders’ dust off the old Cold War info guides namely, local sheltering protocols, educating residents on what to prepare for potential radiation fallout conditions, and most importantly identify safe sheltering infrastructures.

Strategy in the nuclear age is no textbook answer; however, this nation has been through a lot in 246 years, we will get through this. The United States has the best advance weaponry in the world; however, we should be prepared for any unfortunate scenario, at least mentally. As a community we are experts in preparing for blizzards, hurricanes, and the pandemic. This is just one more chapter to add into our intellectual brochure in disaster response.

Eric Beauregard
Mattapoisett