Chilling map reveals where 250m Americans would perish in a nuclear attack amid fears of WWIII

Daily Mail​

3 days ago

Israel 's overnight attack on Iran 's nuclear facilities and missile factories has sparked fears that WWIII may be imminent.
While the White House played no direct role in the strike, President Donald Trump suggested that Iran had brought the attack on itself by resisting an ultimatum in talks to restrict its nuclear program.
While Iran does not possess such weapons yet, its allies Russia and China have more than 6,000 nuclear warheads combined.
Now, a map has resurfaced on online that illustrated the potential devastation of a large-scale nuclear attack on American soil.
It shows that nearly all major cities across the East Coast, Midwest, West Coast and South could be in the crosshairs, killing up to 250 million Americans, roughly 75 percent of the country's population.
Areas in California, much of the East Coast and large swaths of the Midwest would suffer severe radioactive fallout, forcing survivors to shelter in place for more than three weeks.
Only a few regions, including parts of West Texas, Nevada, Michigan, and Wisconsin, would avoid a direct blast, although even these areas would be profoundly affected by nuclear winter in the attack's aftermath.
The map was created using data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which models blast radius, fallout patterns, and radiation exposure based on detonation location and population density.
As well as densely populated cities, more than 100 military facilities would likely be prime targets, including sites that house Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) silos.
These silos are located in Montana, Colorado, Wyoming and North Dakota, and the map shows these regions would come under heavy attack.
Infrastructure such as power plants, transportation hubs, oil refineries and key communications centers would also be vulnerable if nuclear strikes were to take place.
Israel said Thursday evening it had no choice but to act against Iran before Tehran could develop a nuclear weapon.
The strikes hit more than 100 targets, including Iran's nuclear and military sites, and resulted in the deaths of several senior military figures.
On Friday, Trump warned Iran that further attacks would be 'even more brutal' if it failed to come to the negotiating table.
Russia condemned the attack, calling it unprovoked and a violation of the United Nations Charter.
Iran's ally, Russia, leads the world in nuclear warheads with about 5,580 in its arsenal, while the United States has 5,044. China's stockpile stands at 500 to 600 warheads.
The 2015 map, created by Halcyon Maps, a project that produces detailed maps on a range of topics, shows how fallout would rapidly spread across the country, turning targeted cities into danger zones and putting millions at risk of death from radiation.
It has since resurfaced this year amid growing military tensions worldwide.
Symptoms of radiation poisoning, depending on the dosage, can include nausea, fatigue, vomiting, diarrhea, skin damage, seizures and even coma. At high enough levels of exposure, these symptoms can manifest within minutes and become fatal.
Major metropolitan areas, including New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Houston, and Washington, DC, would likely be among the first to be hit.
That is because losing such cities would cripple the US economy, leadership and workforce.
Severe fallout would spread from Boston to New York City, Philadelphia and Chicago, engulfing millions of Americans in radioactive debris.
Hazardous areas are also expected along the California coast and near key military installations.
Surrounding these danger zones are medium-risk areas, where people would need to shelter in place for up to three weeks.
The map also illustrates how states like Georgia, Mississippi and Arkansas would suffer minimal fallout, suggesting residents there may not need to take protective measures.
The US has strategically positioned nuclear forces across the country that could become prime targets in a nuclear attack.
These sites include ICBM silos, naval and Air Force bases, and nuclear storage depots, all scattered across the nation.
Military targets are marked by red circles on the map, with the largest clusters located where the silos are based.
John Erath, the Senior Policy Director for the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, told Newsweek: 'While those who live near military facilities, ICBM silos in the Midwest or submarine bases along the coasts might bear the most immediate and severe consequences of a nuclear attack, there's no question: Any nuclear war or weapons detonation would be bad for everyone.
'Nowhere is truly 'safe' from fallout and other consequences like contamination of food and water supplies and prolonged radiation exposure.'
Scientists have speculated that the 450 ICBM silos would serve as key targets in a nuclear attack due to their role in America's defense.
But the new map shows attacks could come from all directions, striking nearly 150 military sites across the country.
These targets include the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) in Colorado, the Pentagon, and naval bases in California and Washington.
Texas, California, and the Midwest show a high concentration of infrastructure targets, marked by yellow circles on the map.
The Mississippi River region also contains numerous infrastructure sites. likely to disrupt transport and commerce in the event of an attack.
Even if a global war is not on the horizon, the recent chaos on the world stage is a cause for concern, according to Dr John Schuessler, associate professor of international affairs at Texas A&M University.
'Americans are not wrong to worry about the United States getting dragged into wars where it is supporting one side against another,' Schuessler said.