nuclear-news

What if there were a real attack on Hawaii?

Hawaii: Here’s what would happen if there was a real nuclear attack, ABC News 
By Anne Barker, 16 Jan 18, Consider the following scenario: a nuclear missile is launched from North Korea on a direct path for Honolulu.

For at least five minutes, Hawaiians are blissfully unaware of the danger.

Suddenly, the US Pacific Command detects the missile in mid-air and sends an alert to Hawaii’s State Warning Point, which instantly activates its public warning system.

Sirens begin blaring across the state and an alert is sent to mobile phones, radio and television.

Panicked residents and visitors have no more than 15 minutes to find somewhere to find cover — but there are no public fallout shelters.

Twenty minutes after launch, a nuclear bomb detonates 1,000 feet above the Hawaiian capital, and thousands are killed and many more are left with burns and radiation poison.

That exact scenario is being seriously considered

It’s the very real scenario Hawaiian authorities are preparing for, laid out in a document about the US state’s preparedness for a nuclear attack.

Although Saturday’s missile warning was a false alarm, US authorities believe there’s a very high likelihood that Hawaii — particularly Honolulu and the island of Oahu — would be the primary target of a North Korean nuclear attack.

The “Emergency Preparedness” document, published in November by Hawaii’s Emergency Management Authority, warns that Hawaiian residents and visitors would have “less than 12 to 15 minutes” to seek shelter in the event of a real nuclear missile threat.

Such an attack would “likely occur without prior warning”, it warns.

What would the toll be?

January 16, 2018 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA, weapons and war