It's official: Nuke attack would devastate U.S. cities

www.scienceblog.com...



A new study by researchers at the Center for Mass Destruction Defense (CMADD) at the University of Georgia details the catastrophic impact a nuclear attack would have on American cities.

The study, which the authors said was the most advanced and detailed simulation published in open scientific literature, highlights the inability of the nation’s current medical system to handle casualties from a nuclear attack. It also suggests what the authors said are much needed yet relatively simple interventions that could save tens of thousands of lives.

“The likelihood of a nuclear weapon attack in an American city is steadily increasing, and the consequences will be overwhelming” said Cham Dallas, CMADD director and professor in the UGA College of Pharmacy. “So we need to substantially increase our preparation.”

Dallas and co-author William Bell, CMADD senior research scientist and faculty member of the UGA College of Public Health, examined four high-profile American cities – New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C. and Atlanta – and modeled the effects of a 20 kiloton nuclear detonation and a 550 kiloton detonation. (For comparison, the nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were in the 12 to 20 kiloton range). Bell explained that a 20 kiloton weapon could be manufactured by terrorists and fledgling nuclear countries such as North Korea and Iran, while a 550 kiloton device is commonly found in the arsenal of the former Soviet Union and therefore is the most likely to be stolen by terrorists.

The study, which took three years to complete and appears in the current issue of the International Journal of Health Geographics, combines data on the impact of the devices, prevailing weather patterns and block-level population data from the U.S. Census Bureau to provide a level of detail previously unavailable.

Among the study’s findings:

* A 20-kiloton detonation would leave debris tens of feet thick in downtown areas with buildings 10-stories or higher. Roughly half of the population in downtown areas would be killed, mainly from collapsing buildings. Most of those surviving the initial blast in downtown areas would be exposed to a fatal dose of radiation.
* While the main effects from a 20-kiloton explosion would be from the blast and the radiation it releases, a 550-kiloton explosion would create additional and substantial casualties from burns. Such an explosion would superheat the blast zone, causing buildings to spontaneously combust. Mass fires would consume cities, reaching out nearly four miles (6.3 km) in all directions from the detonation site.
* A 550 kiloton detonation in New York would result in a fallout plume extending the length of Long Island, resulting in more than 5 million deaths.
* A 550 kiloton detonation in Washington, D.C. would destroy hospitals in the District, but its fallout plume would also incapacitate hospitals in Baltimore, nearly 40 miles away.

The researchers note that in all four cities studied, hospitals are concentrated in the area most likely to be destroyed. Another weak link is the inability of the nation’s hospital system to treat the burn victims a 550-kiloton detonation would create. A 550-kiloton detonation in Atlanta, the least densely populated of the four cities studied, would result in nearly 300,000 serious burn victims.

“The hospital system has about 1,500 burn beds in the whole country, and of these maybe 80 or 90 percent are full at any given time,” Bell said. “There’s no way of treating the burn victims from a nuclear attack with the existing medical system.”

I'm Just posting this up for information.


[edit on 13-9-2009 by ^anubis^]

[edit on 13-9-2009 by ^anubis^]

Like anyone had to prove it.
Its a nuke, devastation is the only reason anyone would use one.

reply to post by ^anubis^

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Quit fear mongering... do you know how much material you would need to yield a 550 kiloton weapon? A Dirty Bomb I could see happening , If A Nuke goes off in this country I'll bet everything I own that our government did it.

It always makes me chuckle when i see studies like this, the money they wasted doing this study, and you can bet your life it will have been a pretty penny, could have been used better elsewhere.

As if anyone is any doubt that a nuke would seriously spoil your day?

CX.

I had no idea there even was a Center for Mass Destruction Defense- that in itself is frightening. I find it hard to believe that these terrorists have the sophisticated knowledge to build and potentially arm a nuclear device such as a 20 kiloton or so high as a 550 kiloton bomb (if stolen from an arsenal somehow). Not only that...but in order to launch an attack like that it would be from what...a bomb via missile or plane? It doesn't seem feasible without some type of foreign help. Maybe I'm wrong...my nuclear physics is a bit rusty these days...

I don't like that the CMDD is calling for preparations...besides...how can you prepare for mass destruction? You'll see the light, blast, and then be killed before you even hear the blast. This is a nuke, not c-4....there is no preparation...The only preparations we should be taking are defensive measures for our country, rather than offensive. Missile systems, satellites to monitor the air and sea, air force intervention...theres a lot of factors here.

AND- Why is it becoming increasingly likely a nuke attack will happen? I realize the world is in chaos but how can anyone anticipate such a large-scale attack???

What?? I know over the past several days there has been chatter here on ats about something going down but to hear a government official make a comment like that is nuts...

God - nice timing on this report. ATS is going nuts already with end-of-the-world theories without another report 'preparing' us all further, as I'm sure some people will claim this is doing....!

(Talk about stating the blatantly obvious though..... nukes are bad! Really?!?)

Millions

I'd like to know how much they get paid for
some of these studies.

You might think it's a joke to fund a study to determine just how a nuclear bomb detonation would be "devastating", when common sense (and a little WWII history) would lead you to conclude that nukes going off in a city would be extremely devastating, but these studies do serve a purpose, and give science a means to quantify precisely how the devastation and fallout unfolds. It might help in preparedness.

Thanks for posting the information, and I know it is a very serious subject, but my gut reaction to reading the headline was, "No sh**, Sherlock!"

Center for Mass Destruction Defense, another name for "Masters of the Freakin' Obvious".

I wonder how many of my tax dollars went to this little bit of comedy gold?

reply to post by Seeker Mom

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LMAO!!! well yea i know, i dont know why they would put that title for the article

reply to post by jerico65

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I think they had a little bit of our tax money left and they were bored.

i think this explained everything....

YouTube Link

what we learn about this video is. though the devastation of a nuclear blast would be huge! we could easily survive it if we just jump into a fridge!

Sounds like CMDD have been nicking peoples money. Much of it is old hat anyway, best advice in a nuclear explosion is to carefully read the scrolled instructions which are posted in nearly every pub.

this was a useless study; of course a nuclear bomb would be devastating!

Studies are not really needed to let us know that. These people probably thought we were extremely stupid.

Actually, if I remember the scientific method correctly, the next step after the hypothesis is the "testing phase".
so, if hypothetically a bomb like this one would cause so much disaster, then in reality....

haha I'm not fear mongering, but the test phase is usually the next step, I'm not saying it will happen however.

I agree with you entirely.



Published in open scientific literature. Preparedness and medical communities need to know these things and this simulation will help tremendously with that.

It took someone 3 years to come up with that? Well maybe that and
12,000 holes of golf plus 16 months vacation.

Seriously though there is no preparing for that many burn victims.
For triage purposes it would be more humane to let the worst of
them die.

Burn victims require enormous amounts of pain medications,
sterile dressings, anti-biotics, vitals monitoring etc etc.
In trying to save the burn vicitms you would have to forego care
for thousands and thousands of others who are injured.

I agree they do need to do these studies so they can anticipate
responses and needs. I just hope they have the common sense
to deal with it in an effective manner.

reply to post by ^anubis^

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I am a little confused...

Does this report attempt to state that a "small" nuclear incident would not affect the US?

I mean let's face it. Any nuke is a nuke and would cause un imaginable destruction and despair all over the US.

I certainly hope nothing like this comes to pass, however I think this is more fear mongering with the same old tone of "The terrorists are out to get us, be fearful."

Considering we are only days passed the anniversary of 9/11, I see alot of these sorts of "reports" that come out this time of year.

It's nice to be prepared and all, but I am sure they didn't just decide yesterday to study the possible outcome of such attack. This is common sense knowledge.

~Keeper

OMFG!

REALLY?

You mean to say it has now been PROVED? that dropping a nuclear bomb on a City would destroy it, and leave the local emergency and care services crippled and unable to cope?

But I thought if we all whitewashed our windows and hid under the stairs the nice men in space suits would come and save us and feed us and wash us a coiuple of hours later?

Mass destruction from a weapon of Mass destruction?

Civil and Social collapse from hundreds of thousands dead and huge areas of Radioactive poisinging?

Well this is news to me, I am really suprised no one has worked this out already?

YouTube Link

Thank god for this new Study, with no previous evidense to back it up eh?

Well at least I am sure we can all rest assured now that the huge 10% of GDP since the 1940's ad infinitum in the design, storage and disposal of nuclear weapons has not been to waste eh?

Wait stop press there is a more even shocking science study come out just now!!!

BREAKING the same group working in collaboration with Dr Fisher in the University of Bristol has just done another equally usefull study look at this:



And finding that then !!!!



Wow



Infact this group has now not only found out that nuclear bombs devastate cities, governments and countries but also now scientists have discovered the above amazing thing

The Perfect Way to Dunk Biscuits!!!!

How startling are both studies eh, who would have thought?

But if like me you were suprised to find that the length of time you dip, and what type of biscuit you use and taking into account if its a vending machine or grandmother made cuppa affects the dunking experience and sensory experience therafter......

And also like me astonished that huge explosions with tempratures hotter then the surface of the sun with a fireball sometimes 1/2 a mile wide totally obliterate human life, dwellings, medical and social care structures, do not be alarmed Dr Fisher is going to help explain this


BBC

Thank you the experience of Dunking since first drinking tea and coffee has not been user friendly enough to date for me to understand your study, and the pictures and images such as below led me in no way to believe such devastion is possible from little nuclear bombs:

YouTube Link

Thank god for the Scientists and their studies eh otherwise we I am sure would all be doomed!

Kind regards,

Elf.

please accept the sarcasm, and I need to add it not directed at the OP and there is no link between Dr Fisher and the OP scientist in reality Elf

[edit on 13-9-2009 by MischeviousElf]