The cost of living near nuclear power

Here's the 411 on disaster-proofing your home:

Despite a plethora of products that purport to block radiation, including metallic paints and lead-lined drywall, direct radiation will blow right through them just as it does through the pressurized metal cabins of commercial aircraft.

You can, however, inexpensively block 95 percent of the more dangerous airborne particles by using plastic sheeting and duct tape to create airtight barriers over all door, window and chimney openings, according to ABC's Richard Besser.

What you really need is a strategy to make your home "passively survivable" for an extended stay inside your makeshift oversized "Glad bag."

Roberts offers these suggestions:

• Photovoltaic solar panels: Two panels may be enough to power your gas furnace, refrigerator, water pump or laptop indefinitely.
  
• Rainwater harvesting: Roof runoff stored in a closed rain barrel or buried cistern comes in handy when the town water is shut off or contaminated.
  
• Orientation: When building in warm climates, orient your home on an east-west axis with windows on northern and southern exposures to reduce sun exposure. In colder climates, use a north-south axis with windows facing south for solar heat gain.