http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/a-los-a...AApMVVy#image=1

The guide advises people to" Get in, tune in, stay in" and works off the assumption that a 10 Kt device has been detonated, and you survived the initial blast.

On a tangent subject, is there any information on how a blast will affect the local winds? Wildfires release enough heat to generate their own winds, but what about a 10 Kt nuke?

Some thoughts about this ...

Most countries around the world do not understand how the USA works. When US authorities have what they believe to be a "credible threat" they must respond. This means that the US Gov't and military must mobilize resources to counter the threat. And IMO ... so they should. A potential threat to the mainland must have a response. So it is likely that you will see other cities in the USA start to make statements to protect their citizens. They have a legal duty to do this.

North Korea can potentially do 'anything' ... they are very unprecictable. But try to keep in mind - they have never once tested a real ICBM on a realistic flight path. Its really a "hit or miss" game for them, a rocket could go anywhere.

I do agree that if a Korean missile exploded a nuke, wild fires are a problem. Thats a potential problem, but the USA has a lot of great people to respond to this. We can manage it. The biggest risk from a nuclear explosion is the fierce heat from the nuclear bomb. Therefore, if the US broadcasts an "incoming missile" warning, your best bet is to remain indoors or underground ... any place away from open sky. Stay away from windows, do not 'watch for the event'.

I personally think that the USA is dealing with this threat at the right time ... now. Before N. Korea has a chance to make this technology more threatening and more lethal. I live on the West Coast too. I am not losing sleep. The USA has tremendous resources to deal with threats.

THANKS to all US military and civilian contractors who are working super-hard to keep our country safe. Our thoughts and prayers are with you!!

Pete

A significant risk from even a small nuke is indeed the fire risk. It is likely that the fire department and municipal water sources will be overwhelmed.

The risk may be reduced a bit by reducing flammables near your home, and also inside the home near windows.
Prepare for a wildfire, even if you live in area not normally considered a fire risk.

Under normal circumstances, all but the very smallest of fires should be left to the fire department.
However an attack involving even a single small nuke, is not normal circumstances, and it is very unlikely that the fire department will be available.
As a minimum I would keep a few hundred gallons of readily available water, a few dozen buckets, and plenty of fire extinguishers.
Although often ridiculed, the old fashioned stirrup pump is astonishingly effective for such a cheap simple item. Every home should have at least a couple.
Better still would be a large water source such as a swimming pool, and an engine driven pump complete with suction and delivery hose.

Even if you consider such an event to be unlikely, fire prevention and fire fighting preps could be useful in the event of more conventional fires also.

If considering a new home, consider fire resistant construction.

Look at the 1980 Mt St.Helens eruption as an event that is somewhat comparable. Significant blast effects, lahars (debris flows),and all kinds of mischief....Apparently the 1980 eruption released 24 megatons of energy,much less than 10 Kt. Much will depend upon the location and time of an actual nuke.

I'll bet a nuke could start many more fires than even the most catastrophic lightning storm - enough to overwhelm our very fine fire fighting system - it will depend on when and where....

when i spoke about the US having great people ... i wasnt only speaking about the local fire crews. They do a terrific job. But i was also talking about the civil defense system. Yes, the fire crews would be overwhelmed. but that is why we need to be prepared to mobilize National Guard and reserve military personnel for civil defense duties.

This points to the fact that the Governors of CA, OR and WA should be actively preparing emergency civil defense plans -
now!! Likewise, the mayors of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle have some very important steps that they should be taking ... right now. Today. But are they doing it?

The military and the local fire crews are well prepared. I believe the military is up to the challenge. But on the civilian side ... its time for coordinated action. Kudos to Ventura for taking a lead ... ahead of the major cities.

Pete

24 megatons is a lot more than 10 kilotons. 10 kilotons is an explosion roughly equal to ten thousand tons of TNT. 24 megatons is roughly equivalent to the explosion of 24 MILLION tons of TNT.

The two events are not really comparable though, a volcanic eruption can release a lot more energy than a nuke, but this release is spread over hours or days. In a nuclear explosion, most of the energy is released in a fraction of a second.

I'm not particularly concerned but then again, I live east of the Rockies.

" but i live east of the Rockies"

... so if redacted burns down my house in California, can I camp out in your garage??

Hahaha!!

Pete

Oops! Thanks for setting it straight...

I live on the east coast and I'm still concerned, not because we will get hit. We won't. A strike on the west coast will have a greater impact than the attack on the World Trade Center.

Jeanette Isabelle