A new map shows that if a nuclear attack happened, 75% of people in the United States—up to 250 million—could be killed instantly. The team at Halcyon Maps created this scary map using information from FEMA, which helps with emergency situations. They looked at how far the blast would go, how radiation spreads, and where people live.
The map reveals that the most crowded spots in the U.S., like big cities on the East Coast, Midwest, West Coast, and the South, would be the main targets. States like California and much of the East Coast would face dangerous radioactive fallout. Survivors might have to stay in shelters for over three weeks to avoid the harmful effects of radiation.
Very few areas, like parts of western Texas, Nevada, Michigan, and Wisconsin, would initially survive the attack. But those places wouldn’t be safe for long because of something called nuclear winter. People exposed to high radiation could experience serious health problems like nausea, fatigue, skin burns, and in some cases, it could be deadly.
The map also points out over 100 military sites, especially missile silos in states like Montana, Colorado, Wyoming, and North Dakota, which are likely first targets in an attack. Missiles from Russia and China can reach the U.S. in just 30 minutes, and if launched from a submarine close to U.S. borders, they could hit in as little as 15 minutes.
Right now, Russia has 5,580 nuclear warheads, more than the U.S.’s 5,044, while China has between 500 and 600. Experts say the chances of nuclear war have gone up a lot in recent years because the U.S. and Russia have stopped following important agreements to control nuclear weapons.
Dr. John Schuessler from Texas A&M University said that Americans are right to be worried about the U.S. getting involved in international conflicts, but luckily, the U.S. has mostly avoided wars in Europe and the Middle East so far.
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