The fireball would streak across the atmosphere in seconds before crashing into Earth.
The likelihood of ‘city killer’ asteroid 2024-YR4 crashing to Earth in 2032 has increased to 3.1%.
Travelling at 17 kilometres per second, its impact would be the equivalent of 15million tons of TNT.
Survival would be possible, but humanity would have to be prepared to escape the havoc that 2024 YR4 would unleash.
‘Think of the destruction we wrought on each other during Hiroshima and Nagasaki,’ former International Space Station commander Chris Hadfield said.
‘This is 500 times more powerful, just because of the energy of it coming through the atmosphere, causing shockwaves, and because of the heating, exploding.’
(Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
According to Ky Furneaux, Survival and Outdoors Expert, there is a step-by-step guide we can follow to keep us alive if an asteroid strikes.
If NASA gives the heads-up we are in for an asteroid collision, the first thing to do is to leave the coast and head inland.
The earth is 71% water, so it far more likely the comet will hit a body of water and create giant tsunamis around the globe.
The next task would be to find a bunker, the sturdier the better.
An underground bunker should be your first choice, as it will shield you from environmental hazards, such as dust and soot, after the comet impounds Earth.
This bunker will need to be stocked to the brim, as you wait out the asteroid’s after-effects. You might have to wait months or even years.
This means your bunker needs a heat source, radios, food, water, and medicines.
They key is canned food, dried goods, non-perishable foods, and bottled water.
Acid rain is one of the main reasons you’ll be locked inside, as massive fires release pyrotoxins into the air.
Your hideout should also have a portable air monitor to test the air outside.
As the days inside stretch on and supplies dwindle, the food rationing will become key.
Once you can leave your hideaway, you and any survivors will have to move to a fertile place near the equator.
There you can plant vegetable seeds, as canned food won’t last forever and you will need to become self-sufficient.
Be wary of non-bottled water when you get thirsty, as asteroid strike debris will likely end up in the rainwater and could end up in drinking water reservoirs.
Whether you survive an asteroid will also depend on luck. If you happen to live near the impact zone, you could be as dead as the dinosaurs within seconds.
If you live on the other side of the planet, you are in with a chance.
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