disaster 5th 1108_5th ed 2011 - Homeland Security and Emergency ...

EMP AREA BY BURSTS AT 30, 120 AND 300 MILES
Dr. Gary Smith “Electromagnetic Pulse Threats”, testimony
to House National Security Committee on July 16, 1997
Sizes of nukes - Nuclear weapons are measured in kilotons (KT = 1,000
tons of TNT) or megatons (MT = 1,000,000 tons of TNT). According to
FEMA, the most common weapons today range from 100KT to 1MT. A
suitcase nuke or portable device would most likely be a 1KT to 10KT
bomb. For some perspective, the device used on Hiroshima was about a
15KT bomb.
Damage estimates - Blast effects of a nuke depend on the size of the device
and whether it’s a surface blast or a high-altitude blast. For example, the
number of miles affected by a 500KT blast is fairly small (< 6 mile radius)
according to FEMA graphics from “Nuclear Attack Environment
Handbook” (posted on www.radshelters4u.com).
Also realize a suitcase nuke or portable device used by a terrorist group
would potentially be a 1KT to 10KT bomb reducing the blast zone
immensely. In other words, if you are several miles away from Ground Zero
your chances of survival are good if you take immediate actions to protect
yourself.
Map impact - An interesting widget by Carlos Labs provides a visual
map of the impact a nuclear device would have by entering a city anywhere
on the planet. You can also choose a weapon size between a 1KT to 50MT.
Check out Ground Zero II at www.carloslabs.com/index.phpq=node/20
www.itsadisaster.net or call 1-888-999-4325
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