Vault Dweller ' s Survival Guide The Vault Dweller ' s Survival Guide was a Vault - Tec publication issued to inhabitants of the company ' s flagship line of vault - model fallout shelters . ISSUED BY VAULT - TEC DOCUMENTATIONDEPARTMENT , JANUARY , 2077 NOTICE . This document contains information affecting the national defense of the United States within the meaning of the New Amended Espionage Act , 50 U . S . C . , 31 and 32 . Its transmission or the revelation of its contents in any manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited by the law . Welcome to the Vault of the Future . General . Welcome to Vault 13 , the latest in a series of public defense works from Vault - Tec , your contractor of choice when it comes to the best in nuclear shelters . Vault - Tec , America ' s Final Word in Homes . This document , VTB - 001 , the " Vault Dwellers Survival Guide " , is for the events following a world - wide nuclear war . In the case of a limited scale nuclear war , or other world ending catastrophe , please refer to the appropriate documentation ( see also page 1 . 8 ) : < nowiki > * < / nowiki > Document not available at this time , will be available the 3rd quarter of 2078 . While we hope that peace will prevail and the need for such from the ground up to provide the best chance for a good life following nuclear armageddon . It is the duty of every American citizen to learn and use the skills necessary for a comfortable Vault life . " Don ' t let what could have happened bother you . We have enough problems to deal with in the here and now . " " - Overseer " The Vault series of survival shelters are designed from the ground up to provide the best chance for a good life following nuclear armageddon . It is the duty of every American citizen to learn and use the skills necessary for a comfortable Vault life . The best place to start is with a description of your new home . Important Vault statistics . Vault Number . . . 13 Starting construction date . . . August 2063 Ending construction date . . . March 2069 Starting Budget . . . $ 400 , 000 , 000 , 000 Final Budget , with interest . . . $ 645 , 000 , 000 , 000 Total number of occupants . . . 1 , 000 ( at capacity ) Total duration . . . 10 years ( at capacity ) Number of living quarters . . . 100 ( hot bunking required if at maximum capacity ) Door thickness . . . 4 yards , steel Earth coverage . . . 3 , 200 , 000 tons of soil , at 200 feet Computer control system . . . Think machine Primary power supply . . . Geo - thermal Secondary power supply . . . General Atomics Nuclear Power backup systems Power requirements . . . 3 . 98mkw / day Stores . . . Complete construction equipment , hydro - agricultural farms , water purification from underground river , defensive weaponry to equip 10 men , communication , social and entertainment files ( for total duration ) Nuclear blast effects . Vault - 13 is designed to provide protection from the effects of a nuclear blast . To better understand the protection provided , we have included a section from the High Energy Weapons FAQ that explains how a nuclear blast causes damage . The first thing bomb victims experience is the intense flux of photons from the blast , which releases around 50 % of the bomb ' s energy . The effects go up to , and beyond , third degree thermal burns . Initial deaths are due to this effect . The next phenomenon is the supersonic blast front . You see it before you hear it . The pressure front has the effect of blowing away anything in its path . After the front comes the overpressure phase . It would feel like being underwater a few hundred meters . ( At a few thousand meters under the sea , pressurized hulls implode . ) The pressure gradually dies off , and there is a negative overpressure phase , with a reversed blast wind . This reversal is due to air rushing back to fill the void left by the explosion . The air gradually returns to normal atmospheric pressure . At this stage , fires caused by electrical destruction and ignited debris turn the place into a firestorm . Then come the middle term effects such as keloid formation and retinal blastoma . Genetic or hereditary damage can appear up to forty years after initial irradiation . Atmospheric effects of blasts . The Mushroom Cloud . The heat from fusion and fission instantaneously raises the surrounding air to 10 million degrees C . This superheated air plasma gives off so much light that it looks brighter than the sun , and is visible hundreds of kilometers ( km ) away . The resultant fireball quickly expands . It is made up of hot air , and hence rises at a rate of a few hundred meters per second . After a minute or so , the fireball has risen to a few kilometers , and has cooled off to the extent that it no longer radiates . The surrounding cooler air exerts some drag on this rising air , which slows down the outer edges of the cloud . The unimpeded inner portion rises a bit quicker than the outer edges . A vacuum effect occurs when the outer portion occupies the vacuum left by the higher inner portion . The result is a smoke ring . The inner material gradually expands out into a mushroom cloud , due to convection . If the explosion is on the ground , dirt and radioactive debris get sucked up the stem , which sits below the fire - ball . Collisions and ionization of the cloud particles result in lightning bolts flickering to the ground . Initially , the cloud is orange - red due to a chemical reaction when the air is heated . When the cloud cools to air temperature , the water vapor starts to condense . The cloud turns from red to white . In the final stages , the cloud can get about 100km across and 40km high , for a megaton class explosion . Electromagnetic Pulse ( EMP ) . A nuclear explosion gives off radiation at all wavelengths of light . Some is in the radio / radar portion of the spectrum - the EMP effect . The EMP effect increases the higher you go into the atmosphere . High altitude explosions can knock out electronics by inducing a current surge in closed circuit metallic objects - electronics , power lines , phone lines , TVs , radios , etc . The damage range can be over 1000km . Overview of immediate effects . The three categories of immediate effects are : blast , thermal radiation ( heat ) , and prompt ionizing or nuclear radiation . Their relative importance varies with the yield of the bomb . At low yields , all three can be significant sources of injury . With an explosive yield of about 2 . 5 kilotons ( kT ) , the three effects are roughly equal . All are capable of inflicting fatal injuries at a range of 1km . The fraction of a bomb ' s yield emitted as thermal radiation , blast , and ionizing radiation is essentially constant for all yields , but the way the different forms of energy interact with air and target vary dramatically . Air is essentially transparent to thermal radiation . The thermal radiation affects exposed surfaces , producing damage by rapid heating . A bomb that is 100 times larger can produce equal thermal radiation intensities over areas 10 times larger . The area of an ( imaginary ) sphere centered on the explosion increases with the square of the radius . Thus the destructive radius increases with the square root of the yield ( this is the familiar inverse square law of electro - magnetic radiation ) . Actually the rate of increase is somewhat less , partly due to the fact that larger bombs emit heat more slowly which reduces the damage produced by each calorie of heat . It is important to note that the area subjected to damage by thermal radiation increases almost linearly with yield . Blast effect is a volume effect . The blast wave deposits energy in the material it passes through , including air . When the blast wave passes through solid material , the energy left behind causes damage . When it passes through air it simply grows weaker . The more matter the energy travels through , the smaller the effect . The amount of matter increases with the volume of the imaginary sphere centered on the explosion . Blast effects thus scale with the inverse cube law which relates radius to volume . The intensity of nuclear radiation decreases with the inverse square law like thermal radiation . However nuclear radiation is also strongly absorbed by the air it travels through , which causes the intensity to drop off much more rapidly . These scaling laws show that the effects of thermal radiation grow rapidly with yield ( relative to blast ) , while those of radiation rapidly decline . In a small nuclear attack ( bomb yield approx . 15kT ) casualties ( including fatalities ) would be seen from all three causes . Burns ( including those caused by an ensuing fire storm ) would be the most prevalent serious injury ( two thirds of those who would die the first day would be burn victims ) , and occur at the greatest range . Blast and burn injuries would be found in 60 - 70 % of all survivors . People close enough to suffer significant radiation illness would be well inside the lethal effects radius for blast and flash burns , as a result only 30 % of injured survivors would show radiation illness . Many of those people would be sheltered from burns and blast and thus escape the main effects . Even so , most victims with radiation illness would also have blast injuries or burns as well . With yields in the range of hundreds of kilotons or greater ( typical for strategic warheads ) immediate radiation injury becomes insignificant . Dangerous radiation levels only exist so close to the explosion that surviving the blast is impossible . On the other hand , fatal burns can be inflicted well beyond the range of substantial blast damage . A 20 megaton bomb can cause potentially fatal third degree burns at a range of 40km , where the blast can do little more than break windows and cause superficial cuts . A convenient rule of thumb for estimating the short - term fatalities from all causes due to a nuclear attack is to count everyone inside the 5 psi blast overpressure contour around the hypocenter as a fatality . In reality , substantial numbers of people inside the contour will survive and substantial numbers outside the contour will die , but the assumption is that these two groups will be roughly equal in size and balance out . This completely ignores any possible fallout effects . Overview of delayed effects . Radioactive Contamination . The chief delayed effect is the creation of huge amounts of radioactive material with long lifetimes ( half - lifes ranging from days to millennia ) . The primary source of these products is the debris left from fission reactions . A potentially significant secondary source is neutron capture by non - radioactive isotopes both within the bomb and in the outside environment . When atoms fission they can split in some 40 different ways , producing a mix of about 80 different isotopes . These isotopes vary widely in stability ; some are completely stable while others undergo radioactive decay with half - lifes of fractions of a second . The decaying isotopes may themselves form stable or unstable daughter isotopes . The mixture thus quickly becomes even more complex , some 300 different isotopes of 36 elements have been identified in fission products . Short - lived isotopes release their decay energy rapidly , creating intense radiation fields that also decline quickly . Long - lived isotopes release energy over long periods of time , creating radiation that is much less intense but more persistent . Fission products thus initially have a very high level of radiation that declines quickly , but as the intensity of radiation drops , so does the rate of decline . A useful rule - of - thumb is the " rule of sevens " . This rule states that for every seven - fold increase in time following a fission detonation ( starting at or after 1 hour ) , the radiation intensity decreases by a factor of 10 . Thus after 7 hours , the residual fission radioactivity declines 90 % , to one - tenth its level of 1 hour . After 7 * 7 hours ( 49 hours , approx . 2 days ) , the level drops again by 90 % . After 7 * 2 days ( 2 weeks ) it drops a further 90 % ; and so on for 14 weeks . The rule is accurate to 25 % for the first two weeks , and is accurate to a factor of two for the first six months . After 6 months , the rate of decline becomes much more rapid . The rule of sevens corresponds to an approximate t ^ - 1 . 2 scaling relationship . These radioactive products are most hazardous when they settle to the ground as " fallout " . The rate at which fallout settles depends very strongly on the altitude at which the explosion occurs , and to a lesser extent on the size of the explosion . If the explosion is a true air - burst ( the fireball does not touch the ground ) , when the vaporized radioactive products cool enough to condense and solidify , they will do so to form microscopic particles . These particles are mostly lifted high into the atmosphere by the rising fireball , although significant amounts are deposited in the lower atmosphere by mixing that occurs due to convective circulation within the fireball . The larger the explosion , the higher and faster the fallout is lofted , and the smaller the proportion that is deposited in the lower atmosphere . For explosions with yields of 100kT or less , the fireball does not rise above the troposphere where precipitation occurs . All of this fallout will thus be brought to the ground by weather processes within months at most ( usually much faster ) . In the megaton range , the fireball rises so high that it enters the stratosphere . The stratosphere is dry , and no weather processes exist there to bring fallout down quickly . Small fallout particles will descend over a period of months or years . Such long - delayed fallout has lost most of its hazard by the time it comes down , and will be distributed on a global scale . As yields increase above 100kT , progressively more and more of the total fallout is injected into the stratosphere . An explosion closer to the ground ( close enough for the fireball to touch ) sucks large amounts of dirt into the fireball . The dirt usually does not vaporize , and if it does , there is so much of it that it forms large particles . The radioactive isotopes are deposited on soil particles , which can fall quickly to earth . Fallout is deposited over a time span of minutes to days , creating down - wind contamination both nearby and thousands of kilometers away . The most intense radiation is created by nearby fallout , because it is more densely deposited , and because short - lived isotopes haven ' t decayed yet . Weather conditions can affect this considerably of course . In particular , rainfall can " rain out " fallout to create very intense localized concentrations . Both external exposure to penetrating radiation , and internal exposure ( ingestion of radioactive material ) pose serious health risks . Explosions close to the ground that do not touch it can still generate substantial hazards immediately below the burst point by neutron - activation . Neutrons absorbed by the soil can generate considerable radiation for several hours . The megaton class weapons have been largely retired , being replaced with much smaller yield warheads . The yield of a modern strategic warhead is , with few exceptions , now typically in the range of 200 - 750 kT . Recent work with sophisticated climate models has shown that this reduction in yield results in a much larger proportion of the fallout being deposited in the lower atmosphere , and a much faster and more intense deposition of fallout than had been assumed in studies made during the sixties and seventies . The reduction in aggregate strategic arsenal yield that occurred when high yield weapons were retired in favor of more numerous lower yield weapons has actually increased the fallout risk . SimTek operations . The Vault - Tec Research Group has determined that after a long period of security , many Vault - Dwellers will feel " uncomfortable " ? with the idea of returning to the outside world . The SimTek 5000 will provide a safe and reassuring return to life on the outside world . This chapter will give you a brief walk - through of the operation of the SimTek 5000 . RobCo Pip - Boy 2000 . To help Vault Dwellers record information ( and information is extremely valuable , in fact , it might be the most valuable weapon we have against the end of civilization , so pay attention ! ) , Vault - Tec has selected the RobCo Industries RobCo Pip - Boy 2000 as the Personal Information Processor of choice for its Vault Dwellers . The RobCo Pip - Boy 2000 ( hereafter called the Pip - Boy ) , is a handy device that you wear on your wrist . It ' s small , especially by today ' s standards , and it will store a godly amount of information for you . And using modern super - deluxe resolution graphics to boot ! The Pip - Boy 2000 can be used to keep track of important dates and events . Use it to remember everyone ' s birthday ' s and anniversaries so that you ( . . . ) " We reprogrammed your Pip - Boy to keep track of the number of days remaining in the Vault water stores . This note is the only thing you should care about until we are safe and have a restored water processing chip . " " The note shows the number of days before we croak . If that happens , your adventures on the outside won ' t be worth a set of thermal underwear in Death Valley at high noon ! We ' ll be dead . And we don ' t want that . Go to it ! " ( . . . ) and it is a very useful tool for scheduling meetings and appointments . And your Pip - Boy has been programmed to properly handle all calendar dates , even after the turn of the century ! Vault Personnel . The key to a successful reintroduction of civilization following a massive scale nuclear war is people . Here at Vault - Tec , we are working to ensure that your fellow man ( and woman ) is up to the task of bringing America back from the dead . Equipment . Vault - 13 comes prepared with the latest in survival equipment . The items in your storage containers will last 1 , 000 people over 10 years in comfortable and modern surroundings . When it is time to leave the Vault , and return to rebuild America , your friends at Vault - Tec have provided you with everything that you will need . We have ensured that all of your rebuilding needs will be covered ( . . . ) " Yeah , right . Who wrote this ? What budget did they get ? We already used most of the equipment on failed attempts to contact an outside civilization . And we ' ve been in here a lot longer than ten years . We have little left to give you , but we will give you what we can . " ( . . . ) undergone extensive testing to make sure the equipment is reliable . Additional publications . Flotation Homes and Seaweed . A complete survival guide for the ocean bound . More tips , instructions , and plans than you could possibly ever use . A PERMANENT STATE OF BEING ? WE FIELD - TEST THE LATEST WATERPROOF SPF 900 SUNSCREENS PLANT A GARDEN YOU CAN COME BACK TO ! WATERBEDS - A PRACTICAL ALTERNATIVE COPING WITH YOUR NEW MOBILE HOME VTF - 100 A Vault - Tec publication Special Vault Dwellers Issue - July 2076 Houseboat Cruise Control ! Coming Soon ! Coping With Mr . Virus ! An extended pamphlet for the whole family ! Includes the popular How - To - Burn - Diseased - Bodies section . Fifteenth Edition - December 2076 Featuring the latest Super Ebola Quarantine Techniques ! WARNING : All references to the government sanctioned and controlled FEV virus are not allowed in this publication . Vault Dweller ' s Survival Guide ( abridged version ) . A condensed version of the VDSG , containing just the important information you need ! Effective Date March , 2077 For Survivors of a Limited Scale Nuclear War First Printing VTB - OO2 - 13 How to Eat Rat . Over 101 recipes , from basic meals to a complete set of dishes , all the way from snacks to desserts ! Second Edition NEW FOR ' 77 : 15 five - minute Recipes and the tasty Rodent a la King ! How to Escape Radiation . Seek immediate cover . Seal off all windows and cracks or flee to your local Vault - Tec shelter . " For more exclusive information on surviving radiation purchase " New Addition " copyright : Vault - tec Subscriber ' Inc . " " 2077 September Edition " G . E . C . K . " Future - Tec , a division of Vault - Tec , presents the following advertisement for your enjoyment ! " When the All Clear sounds on your radio , you don ' t want to be caught without . . . THE GARDEN OF EDEN CREATION KIT ! ! The kit includes : 4 out of 5 nuclear scientists recommend the Garden of Eden Creation Kit over the other leading survival kits !