New Report Says 90% Of Americans Will Die In A Nuclear Attack Worst-Case Scenario

A map predicts the worst-case scenario if the US was attacked by nuclear weapons. Credit: Sébastien Philippe, Svitlana Lavrenchuk and Ivan Stepanov 

Scientific American: Who Would Take the Brunt of an Attack on U.S. Nuclear Missile Silos?  

These fallout maps show the toll of a potential nuclear attack on missile silos in the U.S. heartland 

 Last March the U.S. Air Force released a two-volume, 3,000-plus-page report detailing the environmental impact of its plans to replace all 400 “Minuteman” land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) with new “Sentinel” missiles by the mid-2030s. The program is part of a $1.5-trillion effort to modernize the U.S. nuclear arsenal and its command-and-control infrastructure. The report, required by the National Environmental Policy Act of 1970, covers the “potential effects on the human and natural environments from deployment of the Sentinel system” and from, among other things, the refurbishing of existing missile silos and the construction of new utility corridors and communications towers. But it doesn't mention the most significant risks to surrounding communities—namely, what happens if these missiles, which are intended to serve as targets for enemy nuclear weapons, are ever attacked. 

Read more ....  

Update #1: Nuclear Attack Worst-Case Scenario Would See 90% of Americans Wiped Out -- Newsweek  

Update #2: Nuclear war in the US would wipe out 300 MILLION people from radiation, experts claim -- Mirror  

WNU Editor: A sobering assessment.

Declassified Video Shows How B-52 Crews Would Conduct Nuclear Strikes During The Cold War

 

Daily Mail: Declassified footage shows how B-52 crews would conduct NUCLEAR STRIKES during Cold War - and how to get home safely 

* The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration released declassified footage from 1960 showing how to operate B-52s with nuclear missiles 

* Crew members received extensive training and wouldn't know if a mission was a test or not until they reached their target 

* Officials released the 30-minute video on March 20 as Russian leaders threaten nuclear forces if the West continues to send arms to Ukraine 

Declassified footage from 1960 revealed how the United States Air Force would perform nuclear strikes if needed amid the Cold War. 

The video, Nuclear Effects During SAC Delivery Missions, released by The US National Archives and Records Administration on March 20 helped prepare bomber crews operating B-52s. 

At the time, the aircrafts had nuclear missiles onboard that were ready to launch if the US was attacked by the Soviet Union.  

Read more ....  

Update: Declassified Video Shows How B-52 Crews Would Conduct Nuclear Strikes During Cold War (Aviationist)  

WNU Editor: Russian has also been declassifying their old nuclear files (see below). 

Have We Forgotton The Potential Horrors Of What A Nuclear War Followed By a Nuclear Winter Would Be Like?

Science Alert: We've Forgotton The Potential Horrors of What a Nuclear Winter Would Be Like 

Under the shadow of the Cold War, many in the world feared the impending prospect of a nuclear winter. According to a new report, our focus has since drifted from its horrors, leaving us with a general lack of awareness that could be dangerous for the future of humankind. 

It goes without saying that the threat of a nuclear blast is no trivial event. Decades of pop culture have left society with a relatively strong association between global calamity and atomic weapons. 

But the exact details on exactly what we might expect from such an escalating conflict have become hazy in the past few decades. 

The facts themselves are fairly clear. Besides the many millions who would be killed directly from the blasts, climate models predict the debris resulting from nuclear war would block out much of our sunlight for up to a decade. The consequences for survivors would be devastating: a decline in global temperature, followed by widespread crop failure, and then mass starvation. 

In spite of this dark threat, just a small percentage of today's population claim to be well informed about the precise consequences of a nuclear war – and many of those people are relying on outdated information spread amid the political tensions between superpowers in the 1980s.  

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WNU Editor: I am in my sixties, and it was drilled into my head at an early age on what the impact of a nuclear war will look like. It looks like this "education" has been omitted for younger generations. 

The survey is here .... Opinion Poll Survey: Public awareness of ‘nuclear winter’ is too low given current risks (University of Cambridge).

Is WHO Preparing For Nuclear War?

Daily Mail: EXCLUSIVE: Is WHO preparing for nuclear war? Health body publishes list of medicines for nations to stockpile in case of 'radiation or nuclear emergency' as EU warns 'Russia is at war with the West' 

* WHO issued guidance on how to survive a nuclear catastrophe today 

* Threat of nuclear war is heightened amid Russian fury over NATO tank deal 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has updated its list of medicines to stockpile for 'radiological or nuclear emergencies', just hours after the EU warned that Russia 'is at war with the West'. 

The global health body issued guidance on how to survive a nuclear catastrophe in a new report today, warning against 'intentional uses of radioactive materials with malicious intent'.

The report was published as the spectre of nuclear war looms over the world after the West supplied state-of-the-art tanks to Ukraine to the fury of Vladimir Putin.  

Read more ....  

Update #1: WHO updates list of medicines to stockpile for nuclear emergencies (the Hill)  

Update #2: World Health Organization Recommends Stockpiling Meds for Radiological Catastrophe (Popular Mechanics) 

Update #3: The WHO is urging countries to start stockpiling medicines for ‘nuclear emergencies’ after the EU’s latest warning on Putin (Fortune)  

WNU Editor: The EU is already stockpiling an emergency stockpile .... EU To Set Up A Stockpile In Finland To Respond To Chemical And Nuclear Emergencies (January 19, 2023).

Researchers Say Being In The Corner Of A Room Is The Best Place To Survive A Nuclear Blast

The effects of the blast wave on a typical wood framed house.  

Sputnik: Scientists Say They’ve Found Best Hiding Place From Nuclear Blast 

A group of researchers have found what they say is the most survivable location in a building at a certain distance from the detonation of a nuclear device. 

Nuclear bombs have developed a reputation as the absolute bringers of destruction, but while they can indeed devastate a large area and kill with a variety of methods, it’s also totally possible to survive a nuclear blast, provided you’re far enough away from the initial fireball.  

Read more ....  

WNU editor: The study is here .... Nuclear explosion impact on humans indoors (Physics of Fluids). 

Of course, the most survivable situation is to not use nuclear weapons in the first place.

It Was 5 Years Ago That A False Missile Alert Threw Hawaii Into A Panic

Hawaii News Now: 5 years ago today, a false missile alert threw Hawaii into a panic 

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Exactly five years ago on Friday, Hawaii residents and visitors woke up to a terrifying emergency alert on their cell phones that sent a wave of panic across the state. 

The message warned of a ballistic missile heading for Hawaii. 

It read, “BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.” 

That was on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2018.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: In the 1970s I was a teenager playing soccer in the park when the air raid/missile alert system went on. In the few minutes that it took me to run home to turn on the radio to find out what was happening, I was totally overwhelmed with fear. 

It was simply an exercise that no one bothered to tell us, but that fear is something that I will always remember.

Projected Deaths In A Nuclear War

Mass grave markers in Hiroshima, photographed by Lieutenant Wayne Miller in September 1945. (US Navy / National Archives)  

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: Cold War estimates of deaths in nuclear conflict 

Apprehension about Russia’s war against Ukraine has produced speculation about the possibility of limited Russian nuclear strikes against targets in that country. Especially worrisome is the danger of a local conflict escalating quickly into a major nuclear exchange between Russia and the United States and other NATO countries. However unlikely that prospect, a large-scale nuclear war involving countries with strategic nuclear forces could cause huge numbers of fatalities and injuries in addition to the losses produced by climactic impacts. A recent study in the journal Nature projects a catastrophic 5 billion deaths.  

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WNU Editor: Let us just say that when a nuclear conflict is finally over, hundreds of millions (if not billions) will be dead. 

 Update: If you have the time. Here is a more detailed study on what would be the casualties in such a war .... Global food insecurity and famine from reduced crop, marine fishery and livestock production due to climate disruption from nuclear war soot injection (Nature).

These Are The Signs That A Nuclear War Is About To Start (Video)

 

WNU Editor: The above video summarizes a declassified Soviet KGB document from the 1980s on what the Soviets focused on when it came to an impending nuclear attack.

On a side note. I would look at how the stock market is performing. For example. Three days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine the Russian stock market started to tank (link here). It was as if people with inside information were told to bail out of the markets because war was around the corner.

What Every World Leader With A Nuclear Arsenal Should Experience

Love this story. “Brezhnev turned pale, began perspiring and trembled visibly. He repeatedly asked Grechko: ‘is this definitely an exercise?’…” pic.twitter.com/7kHWJPxWSw

— Shashank Joshi (@shashj) December 31, 2022

WNU Editor: That must have been one incredible exercise and briefing.

Report Warns Risk Of Nuclear War At Its Highest Since The Atomic Bombings Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki In 1945

© Russian Defence Ministry/TASS  

AFP: The end is nigh? Climate, nuclear crises spark fears of worst 

For thousands of years, predictions of apocalypse have come and gone. But with dangers rising from nuclear war and climate change, does the planet need to at least begin contemplating the worst? 

When the world rang in 2022, few would have expected the year to feature the US president speaking of the risk of doomsday, following Russia's threats to go nuclear in its invasion of Ukraine. 

"We have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban missile crisis" in 1962, Joe Biden said in October.  

Read more ....  

Update: Report Warns Risk of Nuclear War At Its Highest Since US Nuked Japan (Antiwar.com)  

WNU Editor: Here is the Atomic Bulletin of Scientists 2022 nuclear review report .... The 2022 nuclear year in review: A global nuclear order in shambles. 

One more note. A prediction. Next month the Doomsday Clock will be moved to one minute to midnight from the current 100 seconds to midnight setting.

Kyiv Prepares For Nuclear War

Shelters, backpacks and FM radios: Kyiv prepares for nuclear war  

Washington Post: Shelters, backpacks and FM radios: Kyiv prepares for nuclear war 

KYIV, Ukraine — If Kyiv is struck by a nuclear bomb, Serhiy Dmytruk’s biggest fear is that he will survive the blast but die anyway from hunger, thirst or cold. So he has assembled what he calls his “nuclear backpack,” crammed with enough provisions and survival paraphernalia to sustain him for a week. 

Pavlo Huk, who has compiled a similar pack, is kitting out the basements of his home and his workplace, and has rented a house in the countryside, planning to equip it with a generator, food and fuel. His worry is that friends and relatives who have shrugged off the threat will die because they have not taken similar precautions. 

Natalia Sulima fears only that she will be separated from her 5-year-old son Misha, and she has been drilling him on the importance of following adults to a shelter whenever sirens sound. She won’t let him out without his own version of a nuclear backpack, a school bag containing a Transformers toy, snacks, and his favorite book: “The Boy Who Lives With Dragons.” 

“I can’t believe we have to do this. In the 21st century,” Sulima said.  

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WNU Editor: Ukraine is not the only country preparing for nuclear war .... Russia is preparing for nuclear war (Insider).

Top US Military Nuclear Commander Warns Ukraine War Is Just The 'Warmup' For China

Richard has been commander of Stratcom since 2019 - described by the Pentagon as being 'responsible for the global command and control of U.S. strategic forces to meet decisive national security objectives'  

Daily Mail: 'The big one is coming': US military nuclear commander warns America is falling behind China, is 'going to get tested in ways that we haven't been tested in a long time' - and that Ukraine is 'just the warmup' 

* Navy Adm. Charles A. Richard, commander of Stratcom, addressed a gathering of top military officials in Arlington, Va., on Wednesday 

* Richard warned that further investment in the US military was needed, in the face of rising threats 

* 'This Ukraine crisis that we're in right now, this is just the warmup,' he said. 'The big one is coming' 

* Richard added: 'It isn't going to be very long before we're going to get tested in ways that we haven't been tested a long time' 

* He said not enough was being done to counter Chinese aggression, saying: 'As I assess our level of deterrence against China, the ship is slowly sinking' 

* Richard called on Pentagon chiefs and policy makers to return to the dynamism of the 1950s and 60s, and a phase which saw the U.S. put man on the moon 

One of America's most senior military commanders who oversees the US nuclear weapons program has urged the United States to dramatically upgrade its defense capabilities, warning that the China was developing nuclear weapons faster than the U.S. and adding: 'The big one is coming'. 

Navy Adm. Charles A. Richard, the commander of U.S. Strategic Command, issued an unusually blunt warning on Wednesday, saying that China's nuclear threat was a 'near-term problem'.  

Read more ....  

Update #1: Ukraine War 'Warmup' for U.S. in Face of China Threat: Stratcom Commander -- Newsweek  

Update #2: US military nuclear chief sounds the alarm about pace of China’s nuclear weapons program -- CNN  

WNU Editor: Stratcom commander Navy Adm. Charles A. Richard says there is a solution .... Stratcom Commander Says U.S. Should Look to 1950s to Regain Competitive Edge (US Department of Defense).

Western Governments Are Making Plans To Avoid Public Panic If A Nuclear Incident Occurs In Ukraine

The Guardian: West makes plans to avoid panic if Russia uses nuclear bomb in Ukraine 

Crisis is considered unlikely but officials re-examine plans to provide support for fearful populations 

Western officials are engaged in “prudent planning” behind the scenes to prevent chaos and panic in their home countries in the event Russia was to detonate a nuclear bomb in or near Ukraine. 

Although a nuclear crisis is considered highly unlikely, the insider said officials internationally were re-examining plans to provide emergency support and reassurance to populations fearful of nuclear escalation. 

Hints of the thinking emerged in a briefing by an official on Friday, who was asked if there would be measures in place to prevent panic buying or people fleeing cities en masse in fear of escalation after a nuclear event.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: You can take this to the bank. If there is a nuclear incident in Ukraine, there will be global mass panic. The stores will be empty within 24 hours.

French President Macron Criticized For Breaking With 'Strategic Ambiguity' On The Use Of Nuclear Weapons

A senior Nato source said Mr Macron (pictured) should not have talked publicly about what would happen if Putin used nuclear weapons in Ukraine  

Daily Mail: Nato officials slam Emmanuel Macron for shattering West's united front against Putin: French leader 'reveals his hand' and says Paris WON'T use nuclear weapons even if Moscow does in Ukraine 

* Emmanuel Macron said he won't use nuclear weapons if Russia does in Ukraine 

* UK defence secretary Ben Wallace said Mr Macron had 'revealed' his hand 

* It comes as Nato allies warn Russia of dire consequences should it go nuclear 

* Next week it will hold a drill with no live weapons to simulate an attack on Russia 

Defence secretary Ben Wallace has rebuked Emmanuel Macron after the French president ruled out launching a nuclear strike on Russia. 

The UK's secretary of state for defence said Mr Macron had revealed his hand by confirming that if Vladimir Putin goes nuclear in Ukraine then France would not repay it in kind. 

There are raised tensions that the Russian president could authorize a nuclear attack as his illegal invasion of Ukraine continues to falter, although the Kremlin has denied it intends to use its arsenal.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: The French government has responded to these criticisms .... French Official Says Macron Hasn't Changed Nuclear Doctrine (Bloomberg). 

French President Macron Criticized For Breaking With 'Strategic Ambiguity' On The Use Of Nuclear Weapons 

Macron under fire for saying France wouldn’t respond in kind if Russia launched nuclear attack on Ukraine -- Politico  

Macron breaks ranks by ruling out nuclear option in response to Putin -- The Times  

Emmanuel Macron criticised for breaking with 'strategic ambiguity' on nuclear weapons -- Financial Times  

Macron 'revealed his hand' in nuclear war of words with Putin -- The Telegraph  

Macron criticized at home for saying France wouldn’t respond in kind if Russia attacked Ukraine with nukes -- New Voice of Ukraine  

UK defence secretary rebukes Macron over nuclear comments -- RT

Best Places To Survive A Nuclear Apocalypse In The US

Zero Hedge: Best Places To Survive A Nuclear Apocalypse In The US 

After President Biden's nuclear "Armageddon" statements and reports, the federal government is purchasing $290 million in anti-radiation drugs for use in "nuclear emergencies," the first question that comes to mind is where to shelter in the event of nuclear war. 

To answer that question, the survivalist website Survivalfreedom.com outlines that some of the safest regions in a nuclear war "include the upper Midwest, Maine, West Texas, and multiple small pockets, usually in areas that don't have large populations." The most dangerous region is the East Coast because of the significant presence of military installations, defense companies, critical infrastructure, and major cities.  

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: Not many safe zones after an all-out nuclear attack.

Where Is The Best Place To Survive A Nuclear War In The U.S.?

 

Newsweek: Best Place to Survive Nuclear War in the U.S. 

In the wake of President Biden's mention of nuclear "armageddon", and Elon Musk tweeting that "nuclear war probability is rising rapidly," it is natural that people have pondered online what they would do, and where they would shelter, in the event of a nuclear war. 

But, the safest place to go in the case of a nuclear bomb being detonated depends on where the bomb is targeted, as well as the size of the nuclear weapons, the time of year, the weather conditions, and variety of other factors, meaning the safest location will vary considerably. 

Some estimates name Maine, Oregon, Northern California, and Western Texas as some of the safest locales in the case of nuclear war, due to their lack of large urban centers and nuclear power plants.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: My bug-out location is in the Laurentians of Quebec, Canada. Fallout and desperate humans will be my number one problem.

US Stocking Up On Radiation Sickness Drugs

 

Daily Mail: Do they know something we don't? US stocks up on $300m worth of radiation sickness drug - but officials insist it has nothing to do with Vladimir Putin's nuke threats 

* The US Government makes its first purchase of Nplate for 'nuclear emergencies' 

* The drug treats radiation sickness by stopping life-threatening bleeding 

* Putin's nuclear warning did not spur the purchase, the Government said 

The US has stocked up on radiation sickness drugs just weeks after Vladimir Putin threatened to use nuclear weapons against the West. 

Officials said the deal — worth $290million — was ‘part of ongoing work’ and ‘has not been accelerated’ by the Kremlin leader's escalating rhetoric. 

The US Health and Human Services (HHS) - whose motto is to 'improve the health, safety, and well-being of America - announced the purchase of romiplostim Tuesday. 

 Read more ....  

Update #1: US splashes $290m on anti-radiation drugs after Putin ups nuclear threats (The Telegraph)  

Update #2: US purchases $290 million of drug for use in radiological and nuclear emergencies (The Hill)  

WNU Editor: These anti-radiation doses are super expensive. And that is a lot of doses. Do they know something that we do not know?

UK Press Says NATO Is Warning Its Members That Russia May Test A Nuclear Device Or Launch A Tactical Nuclear Strike On Ukraine

FILE PHOTO: Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a conference of heads of security and intelligence agencies of the Commonwealth of Independent States member countries via a video link in Moscow, Russia, September 29, 2022. Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Kremlin via REUTERS  

Daily Mail: NATO 'warns Putin may test a NUKE on Ukraine's borders' as Kremlin 'insiders' claim he 'is preparing to make decisions about launching a tactical nuclear strike while hidden in a bunker outside Moscow' 

* Putin is in a bunker outside Moscow mulling over nuclear decisions: report 

* He has list of 'necessary minimum' of Russian officials and family to save 

* Former President Dmitri Medvedev and love child Luiza Rozova fail to make cut 

* The dictator will be 70 on Friday amid ongoing rumours about his poor health 

Vladimir Putin could have decided to detonate a nuke on Ukraine's borders, NATO is believed to have warned its members, in an escalation designed to terrify the West. 

The warning comes as Putin was reportedly 'preparing to make key decisions about launching a tactical nuclear strike from a bunker' a long way outside Moscow. 

The Kremlin has been attempting to signal to its NATO adversaries that it was willing to brandish its one remaining trump card lately even as the Russian army suffers defeat after defeat at the hands of the Ukrainian army.  

Read more ....  

Update #1: Russia feared to be planning major nuclear test near border with Ukraine: report (NYPost)  

Update #2: Russia Sends ‘Signal to West’ With Nuclear Maneuvers (Moscow Times)  

WNU editor: The Kremlin is dismissing these reports .... Kremlin Dismisses UK Media Report on Russian Nuclear Test (Reuters).

Commander Of US Strategic Command Says Nuclear War Is Possible

US Navy Admiral Charles Richard. Lisa Ferdinando, Department of Defense 

Newsweek: Direct Conflict With Nuclear Powers Russia, China 'Possible'—U.S. Commander 

The U.S. Strategic Commander has spoken about the reality of the the U.S. entering a conflict with China and Russia following a speech by Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

According to a U.S. Department of Defense report published on Wednesday, Navy Admiral Charles A. Richard joined a panel discussion on the issues facing the U.S. regarding national security. 

This comes after Putin announced that Russia would further escalate the conflict in Ukraine.  

Read more ....  

Update #1: Conflict With a Nuclear-Capable Peer Possible, Says Stratcom Commander (US Department of Defense)  

Update #2: Nuclear war is possible – US commander (RT)  

WNU Editor: U.S. Strategic Commander Navy Admiral Charles A. Richard made his remarks on the possibility of nuclear war on the same week that the debate on funding America's nuclear arsenal is now on Congress' agenda .... Not Funding Strategic Weapons Programs Biggest Threat to U.S. Nuclear Triad, Says Panel (USNI News). I do not think this is a coincidence.

New Study Says Billions Would Die From Starvation In A Nuclear War

Nature: Nuclear war between two nations could spark global famine 

A pall of smoke from burning cities would engulf Earth, causing worldwide crop failures, models show.

Even a small conflict in which two nations unleash nuclear weapons on each other could lead to worldwide famine, new research suggests.

Soot from burning cities would encircle the planet and cool it by reflecting sunlight back into space. 

This in turn would cause global crop failures that — in a worst-case scenario — could put 5 billion people on the brink of death. 

Read more ....  

WNU editor: The study is here .... Global food insecurity and famine from reduced crop, marine fishery and livestock production due to climate disruption from nuclear war soot injection (Nature). 

 New Study Says Billions Would Die From Starvation In A Nuclear War  

Nuclear war between the US and Russia would cause a global famine and kill more than 5 BILLION people, study finds -- Daily Mail  

Nuclear war would cause global famine with more than five billion people killed, new study finds -- SKY News 

Nuclear war between US and Russia ‘could cause two-thirds of humans to starve to death’ -- The Telegraph  

Study: Billions would die of hunger after nuclear war between U.S., Russia -- UPI  

Billions would die from starvation in nuclear war: research -- The Hill  

Nuclear war between US, Russia would leave 5 billion dead from hunger, study says -- USA Today  

Nuclear war would cause a global famine and kill billions -- Science Daily