The media is now advising people on how to survive a nuclear attack

Children sheltering in place.
(Image credit: Uriel Sinai/Getty Images)

It's not every day that you scroll through your Twitter timeline, see an article about what to do "in case of a nuclear attack," and think, Huh, that seems like it'd be useful and relevant information for my life right now. But after North Korea reportedly succeeded in miniaturizing a nuclear weapon to fit on its missiles and President Trump subsequently promised to rain "fire and fury" down on Pyongyang, you might be in a different state of mind than usual:

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NBC News' well-timed tweet actually refers readers to an article written in April — aka a more innocent time — and suggests "sheltering in place, beneath as many layers of protection as possible." While that might actually not do much to protect you, it does encapsulate the media's ominous coverage of the recent turn of events between America and North Korea.

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For the time being, at least, you might as well "sleep well," as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Wednesday. "If we were really about to launch a massive, bloody war with North Korea that could potentially kill tens of thousands of innocent civilians in South Korea and elsewhere […] one would expect to see a major mobilization happening across the political, military, and diplomatic arms of the U.S. government," Vox points out. "We're not seeing anything like that. What we do have is a belligerent statement from President Trump that he made while on vacation in New Jersey."

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Then again, you can always err on the safe side and befriend a prepper.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.