A new map has revealed the devastation of a large-scale nuclear attack on American soil.
Every populated city on the East Coast, Midwest, West Coast and South could be targeted, killing up to 250 million Americans – about 75 percent of the country’s population, according to the map.
Parts of California, most of the East Coast and regions in the Midwest would experience severe fallout, radioactive debris that falls to the ground, forcing them to shelter in place for more than three weeks to survive.
Only Western Texas, parts of Nevada, Michigan and Wisconsin would avoid being instantly obliterated on impact.
But even these areas would become uninhabitable in the nuclear winter that would follow.
The map was created using data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which included blast radius, fallout patterns, radiation exposure levels based on detonation location and population density in affected areas.
As well as densely populated cities, more than 100 military facilities would likely be prime targets, including where Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) silos are housed.
These silos are located in Montana, Colorado, Wyoming and North Dakota and the map shows these regions bombarded by nukes.
The map reveals the devastation of a large-scale nuclear war on the US, showing civilian, military and infrastructure that would likely be targets
Infrastructure like power plants, transportation hubs, oil refineries and critical communication centers would also be under attack if bombs were dropped.
A nuclear bomb can travel from Russia or China to the US in about 30 minutes by land-based missiles, but that time reduces to about 15 minutes if launched from a submarine strategically based on America’s coasts.
Even more, Russia leads the world in nuclear warheads with around 5,580 compared to America’s 5,044. And China has between 500 and 600 in its stockpile.
‘The risk of nuclear war has increased dramatically in the past two years as the US and Russia have abandoned long-standing nuclear arms control treaties, started to develop new kinds of nuclear weapons and expanded the circumstances in which they might use nuclear weapons,’ wrote Princeton researchers in a blog post.
The map, created by Halcyon Maps, a design project that creates detailed maps on various topic shows fallout would rapidly spread across the nation, transforming targeted cities into entire affected regions. Millions would be at risk of death from radiation.
The symptoms depend on the dose a person receives, but would include nausea, fatigue, vomiting, diarrhea, skin damage, seizures and even coma.
At high enough doses of penetrating radiation, these symptoms can start within minutes and can be deadly.
Major metropolitan cities like New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Houston and Washington DC would likely be hit first.
Every populated city on the East Coast, Midwest, West Coast and South would be targeted, killing up to 250 million Americans – about 75 percent of the country’s population
That is because losing such cities would cripple the US economy, leadership and workforce.
Severe fall out will spread from Boston to New York City, Philadelphia and Chicago, engulfing millions of Americans in radioactive debris.
The hazardous areas are also found along the California coast and near military establishments.
Around these severe areas are medium zones, where people would have to shelter for up to three weeks.
The map shows minimal fallout would hit Georgia, Mississippi and Arkansa, suggesting residents would not have to shelter.
The US has strategically positioned nuclear forces that could be prime nuclear targets across the nation.
Not only does that include ICBM silos, but also naval and air force bases and nuclear storage depots scattered across the country.
Military targets are highlighted with red circles, with the largest clusters appearing where the silos are.
John Erath, the Senior Policy Director for the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, told Newsweek: ‘While those who live near military facilities, ICBM silos in the Midwest or submarine bases along the coasts might bear the most immediate and severe consequences of a nuclear attack, there’s no question: Any nuclear war or weapons detonation would be bad for everyone.
‘Nowhere is truly ‘safe’ from fallout and other consequences like contamination of food and water supplies and prolonged radiation exposure.’
Scientist have speculated that the 450 ICBM silos would serve as the epicenters in a nuclear attack due to them being critical for America’s defense.
But the new map shows attacks from all sides of the country, hitting around 150 military sites.
That would include the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD)in Colorado, the Pentagon and naval bases in California and Washington.
Texas, California and the Midwest show a high concentration of infrastructure targets, represented as yellow circles.
The Mississippi River region also has multiple infrastructure targets, possibly for disrupting transport and commerce.
Even if global war is not on the horizon, recent chaos on the world stage is certainly a cause for concern, said Dr John Schuessler, associate professors of international affairs at Texas A&M University.
‘Americans are not wrong to worry about the United States getting dragged into wars where it is supporting one side against another,’ he said.
‘That said, the US has managed to stay out of the wars in Europe and the Middle East thus far.’
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