New York, New York – With more than a half-dozen active nuclear power plants across the Northeast, the difference between a basement and an upstairs room during an emergency could reduce radiation exposure by up to 90% in the first critical hours.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and regional emergency management agencies, residents across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and New Hampshire could be directed to shelter in place immediately if an incident occurs at facilities including Seabrook, Millstone, Limerick, Peach Bottom, Salem and Hope Creek. That makes choosing the right location inside your home critical within minutes.
Basements offer the strongest protection because dense materials like soil and concrete block radioactive fallout. In much of the Northeast—including cities like New York, Philadelphia, Boston suburbs and Hartford—homes and buildings with lower-level access provide a significant advantage during the early phase when radiation levels are highest.
For residents without basements, officials recommend moving to the most interior room possible—away from windows and exterior walls. Bathrooms, closets and central hallways can reduce exposure further, especially when surrounded by dense materials like books, water containers or furniture.
In major urban areas like New York City and Boston, residents in high-rises should move to interior corridors or lower floors and avoid window-facing units, where rooftop fallout can increase exposure risk.
Potassium iodide, or KI tablets, may be recommended to protect the thyroid, but they do not shield the rest of the body. Shelter choice remains the most immediate and effective protection.
Emergency alerts could be issued with little warning. Identifying your safest indoor space now could make a measurable difference in how long you remain protected.
