DISASTER! - Homeland Security and Emergency Management ...

take hours, days, weeks or even months to fall. The heaviestfallout would hit ground zero and areas downwind ofthat, and 80% of fallout would occur within 24 hours.Most fallout looks like grey sand or gritty ash and the radiationgiven off cannot be seen, smelled, tasted or feltwhich is why it is so dangerous.• mass fires - any size blast would cause fires due to theintense heat, and keep in mind gas lines, chemicals andother objects just add fuel to the fires• EMP - a split-second silent energy burst (like a stroke oflightning) that can fry electronics connected to wires orantennas like cell phones, cars, computers, TVs, etc.Unless electronics are grounded or hardened, NorthAmericans could experience anything from minor interferenceto crippled power, transportation, banking andcommunications systems. And a high-altitude nuke couldaffect devices within 1,000 miles. (As fyi, evidence suggestssome countries and groups are working on enhancedand non-nuclear EMP weapons or e-bombs.)Sizes of nukes - Nuclear weapons are measured in kilotons (KT = 1,000tons of TNT) or megatons (MT = 1,000,000 tons of TNT). According toFEMA, the most common weapons today range from 100KT to 1MT. Asuitcase nuke or portable device would most likely be a 1KT to 10KTbomb. As fyi, the device used on Hiroshima was about a 15KT bomb.Damage estimates - Blast effects of a nuke depend on the size of the deviceand whether it’s a surface blast or a high-altitude blast. For example, thenumber of miles affected by a 500KT blast is fairly small (< 6 mile radius)according to FEMA graphics from “Nuclear Attack EnvironmentHandbook” (posted on www.radshelters4u.com).Also realize a suitcase nuke or portable device used by a terrorist groupwould potentially be a 1KT to 10KT bomb reducing the blast zoneimmensely. In other words, if you are several miles away from Ground Zeroyour chances of survival are good if you take immediate actions to protectyourself.Map your area - An interesting website by author Graham Allison and theBelfer Center for Science and International Affairs can provide a visualmap of the impact a 10KT bomb would have by entering a zip code. Checkout www.nuclearterrorism.org/blastmaps.htmlWhat is the most dangerous part of a nuclear attack?Both the initial nuclear radiation and residual nuclear radiation (also calledwww.itsadisaster.net or call 1-888-999-4325115