Once that missile launches, you can’t escape what’s coming next. But what are you facing?Four types of energy are about to be unleashed. First, a blast wave would rip through the landscape, knocking you around like a rag doll and destroying buildings. After that, brace yourself for intense light, followed by skin-melting heat and deadly radiation.Then a hot bubble of gas will form a fireball that will vaporize everything inside it. All that dust debris will shoot up into the air, creating the iconic mushroom cloud.Even if you somehow survived this nightmare, why would your life never be the same again?So far, only one nation has used a nuclear bomb against its enemy. The first of the two bombs dropped on Japan by the U.S. during WWII, Little Boy, decimated Hiroshima. It had the strength of 15 kilotons of TNT.That’s nothing compared to what nuclear weapons are packing today. The most powerful is 80 times stronger than what hit Hiroshima. While that would be devastating and level everything for miles, it wouldn’t make our planet a nuclear wasteland.But you? You wouldn’t be so lucky. If you happened to be in the blast vicinity, your days would be numbered.Remember that intense bright light? Well, that flash is strong enough to burn your skin off. These intense flash burns can be fatal, and they killed 50% of the people who died in Japan. I also hope you didn’t stare directly into that blast, because this devastating light would oversaturate your retinal pigments and leave you blind.Flash blindness can go away after two minutes if the explosion happens during the day. But at night you could be blinded for much longer. And if you weren’t sheltered, you may not survive what’s coming next.In just a fraction of a second, the nuclear fireball would expand out like a balloon, rising into the sky.The heat from that fireball would send out a blast wave that would rip you and the ground under you apart. If you didn’t make it indoors before the blast, the supersonic wave might kill you by ripping off your skin or sending you flying through the air. Then a violent burst of thermal radiation would be released and head right toward you. Unfortunately for you, it’s only going to get worse.Next, a second pulse would hit, lasting a few seconds this time. This wave would carry 99% of the total thermal radiation from the nuke.You could be 8 km (5 mi) away and still suffer first-degree burns from this detonation. And that all would happen in a matter of moments. Then, the resulting mushroom cloud would tower above everything. So what would you do now?Even if you only suffered third-degree burns, the pain would be enough to send your body into instant shock. Hospitals, if there were any left in the area, would be so overrun with other victims that you might not get treated for hours.Gamma and neutron radiation would cover everything the first minute after the blast. If you somehow lived through that blast wave and the fiery heat, this radiation might kill you. As the dust settles, the radioactive particles would penetrate everything, making the blast site hazardous for months, if not years.Radiation exposure could lead to brain seizures and cancer. It might even reduce the lymphocyte cells in your blood. That would increase your risk for infections.To avoid that lethal fallout, you’d have to run and hide. You’d have about 10 minutes before the radiation hits.And you’re going to want to get naked. If you take off your irradiated clothes, you could remove up to 90% of the radioactive material clinging to you. So save your modesty for another time.Since you’ve stripped down, wash yourself with soap and water to get rid of any remaining radioactive particles.There probably wouldn’t be any power left, but you’d have to keep the air conditioning and fans off if there was. Otherwise, contaminated air from the outside could come in.No matter how safe you are, you can never guarantee that nuclear annihilation is far away. After all, the U.S. and Russia own 90% of the world’s nuclear weapons.