Just what is “survival” after a nuclear attack? Burnt skin and dying of cancer 10 years later?
What if you were in the region where you get burnt skin and die of cancer 10 years later if you don't take precautions but live pretty well if you did take cover?
I don't know whether I missed the duck & cover drills because they were passe by the mid 1970s, or if having a school less than a mile away from the end of a SAC runway made survival drills a little pointless (or maybe we spent all our time heading for shelter every time the sky got cloudy lest a "godless tornado" attack us).
If you're standing in the open right at Ground Zero, you are screwed. But consider if you're in the suburbs, 15-20 miles from ground zero. If you immediately head for the basement on word that an attack is coming, you stand a good chance of survival, both immediate and long term.