Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire

Major Energy and Environmental News and Commentary affecting the Nuclear Industry.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

PREPARING FOR THE AFTERMATH OF NUCLEAR TERRORISM


PREPARING FOR THE AFTERMATH OF NUCLEAR TERRORISM

What would happen if a 10 kiloton nuclear explosive were detonated in downtown Washington, DC at the intersection of 16th and K Streets NW?
That question is posed by a recent study (large pdf) performed for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.  It assesses the impact of a nuclear terrorism incident in the nation's capital and seeks to derive the appropriate lessons for emergency response planning purposes.
It is clear that a nuclear detonation would "overwhelm response resources in the area."  On the other hand, "the existing Washington, DC structures offered better than adequate protection [for a] shelter-in-place strategy [that] would reduce the number of potential acute radiation casualties by 98%," the study said.
See "National Capital Region: Key Response Planning Factors for the Aftermath of Nuclear Terrorism" by B.R. Buddemeier, et al, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, November 2011.

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