Here's the Understatement of the Day:

If and when an atom bomb ever does fall near you, you will be scared. There is no doubt about that. If you are normal, you will be plenty scared.

You may not be aware of your own emotion. In fact the chances are that you will be numbed, stunned. You will probably go about like a sleep walker, going through motions in an automatic, robot way. This is the reaction of three-fourths of all the persons involved in a major disaster -- whether it is a bombing, a catastrophic fire or a devastating earthquake.

One person out of five remains cool and collected in the face of major disaster.

The expressions, "scared stiff," "paralyzed with fright," "frozen with fear," describe very well the effects on 75 percent of us. Such persons, caught in an emergency, may be unable to get out of bed and dress themselves. Even if they are physically unharmed, they are unable to take any action to save themselves or others, but lie down to await the death that appears inevitable. Some pass from this paralyzed state into death without ever coming out of their death-like trance.

We know what happened when the first atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Some people dashed along the roads without any destination in mind, in a purposeless stampede, screaming out their terror. Others remained apathetic, apparently unable to sense what had happened to them and what they needed, and equally unable to do anything about the situation. What would you do?

Well I don't know about everybody else, but I'm planning on dashing along Hunnell Road hopefully in a purposeless stampede, screaming out in terror. Duck and cover just doesn't do it for me....