Would you be ready?

[Matt]

With the tensions in the Middle East growing every day and the threat of a nuclear attack in the US becoming more of a reality I wonder, how many would be ready? Let me lay out the scenario for you. It’s around 8am EST and people fill the streets of New York as they do every day. Only today is not an ordinary day, today is the day the world changes. Shortly after 8am it happens, from over New Jersey a huge mushroom cloud raises as a shockwave destroys everything for miles. The east coast grinds to a halt, minutes later another bomb goes off this time in Florida and the mushroom cloud can be seen for hundreds of miles. Then another this time in Huston, and another in Las Vegas then San Francisco in all 5 cities are leveled the dead number in the hundreds of thousands.

For hours millions of Americans wait in fear. No one knows what has happen, most all the power is out cross the US and TV networks are down. Scattered reports start to come in over the radio that IRAN and Al-Qaeda have claimed responsibility for the attack. The President declares Marshall Law and the US braces for full scale war. The illegal’s see this as a chance to fight and take to the streets. Looting, riots, and utter chaos ensue all across the US and even into Canada and Mexico. Most every major city in the US is shut down and ordered to evacuate.

Would you be ready?

Matt

[JerryNH]

Not as ready as I would like to be but more prepared than most. Of course the long term effects are almost impossible to be ready for. The scarcity of uncontaminated food and water in the long run would be a major hurdle.

[billy_56081]

  Well I have lottsa guns and ammo, quite a bit of stored food. Dads place has 10,000 gallons of propane and a 16Kw generator, and fireplace for heat. My friend has laying hens and we have gardened allour lives and know how to can. I guess we'd be ok. I don't have much of a problem with killing someone in self defence so I think me n mine are ready.

[JerryNH]

Yeah, i have enough to get by early...guns for self defense, plenty of water, wood for the fireplace, 2 generators, gas cans, canned goods, but if things got out of hand after we removed Iran from the face of the earth, it's the long term effects of radiation fallout that I thing would be our undoing.

[magooch]

Why would al Qaeda want to take out San Francisco--that place is loaded with sympathizers?

Anyway, if your scenario did take place, maybe we can once and for all be done with the anti-warmongers and we can get on with the job of killing terrorists, their sympathizers and supporters.  In short, rid the world of homicidal Muslims.

[buffermop]

Best thing to do is pray it doesn't happen.

[WylieKy]

If the ports were still serviceable, it would almost be a wash.  Yes we would lose a little industry and entertainment, but most people in those areas either sign pay checks or cash welfare checks.  Neither are very important to how this country runs.  There would be a HUGE economic readjustment (read depression) until the draft started up and the war (cash) machine began running on all 8 cylinders.   The urban areas were more important in years past, but now that industry has decentralized into foreign countries and suburban areas, most of the cities you mentioned are as much blight as boon.  For most of the country the water would still run, the lights would still be on, and food would still be on the table. The major loss would be the ports mentioned, and if you replaced Las Vegas with New Orleans, it would be a much larger problem, but still more economic than anything else, the US could still sustain itself with the necessities.  What would frighten me more than the instant loss of life in an urban nuclear attack would be some kind of areal burst dirty bomb in our farming areas.  It would also be harder to defend against.  Imagine losing millions of acres of producing farmland for generations......

WylieKy

[S.S.]

Look How serious the economy was damaged by a few well placed planes ! It would take decades to recover from the
scenerio described in the original thread. I grew up in the early parts of the cold war so I know what the constant looming threat
of Nuclear war feels like.. I am more afraid of Germ warfare myself. Am I prepared? More than most, less than some. I do not know how much thought went into the targets that Matt described as being hit, But they were good ones. The jet stream would cover most of the country with fallout from them to one degree or another. one somewhere in Idaho would just about do it.

[Sourdough]

Yeap, I'm ready!

[Almtnman]

I'd hate to see that happen on that large of scale, but as of right now, I can survive for a good long while without any assistance. I guess the bad part of it would be getting medical supplies that is needed by family members. Might have to resort to taking medical supplies if it came down to that bad of scenario.

[RaySendero]

With the tensions in the Middle East growing every day and the threat of a nuclear attack in the US becoming more of a reality I wonder, how many would be ready? Let me lay out the scenario for you. It’s around 8am EST and people fill the streets of New York as they do every day. Only today is not an ordinary day, today is the day the world changes. Shortly after 8am it happens, from over New Jersey a huge mushroom cloud raises as a shockwave destroys everything for miles. The east coast grinds to a halt, minutes later another bomb goes off this time in Florida and the mushroom cloud can be seen for hundreds of miles. Then another this time in Huston, and another in Las Vegas then San Francisco in all 5 cities are leveled the dead number in the hundreds of thousands.

For hours millions of Americans wait in fear. No one knows what has happen, most all the power is out cross the US and TV networks are down. Scattered reports start to come in over the radio that IRAN and Al-Qaeda have claimed responsibility for the attack. The President declares Marshall Law and the US braces for full scale war. The illegal’s see this as a chance to fight and take to the streets. Looting, riots, and utter chaos ensue all across the US and even into Canada and Mexico. Most every major city in the US is shut down and ordered to evacuate.

Would you be ready?

Matt

Lets see: New York City, New Jersey, Florida, Las Vegas and San Fransisco - Would put quite a dent in the democratic votes ahead of the next election!

[Almtnman]

Lets see: New York City, New Jersey, Florida, Las Vegas and San Fransisco - Would put quite a dent in the democratic votes ahead of the next election!

Matt might be onto something! 

[Matt]

Matt....you been watching 24  too much?. If something real bad happens then nobody will be ready for the final death of our constitutional republic in any event. If the Islamicist are into this kind of attack it will be most assuredly designed to have maximum economic devastation...attacking NYC or other large city may not exactly have that effect....there are other targets. 

......TM7

Nope never even seen the show. I picked the cities at random and there was little reason behind them as this is just a hypothetical question.

[Sourdough]

I could see them hitting New York, but New Jersey is a waste of a good nuke, too close to NY.  The places I have always thought were NY, Boston, Atlanta, L.A., San Francisco, Seattle/Tacoma, and maybe Chicago.  They would want an area where the fallout will maximize exposure.  That rules out Miami and places in Florida, and places like Denver, Salt Lake City, Albaqurque, Pheonix, Tucson, and Las Vegas.  While these places in the desert would seem like likely targets, with big populations, there is low population in the surrounding area.

Just my $.02 worth

[Brett]

I would hope to be in or near one of the targeted cities and evaporated immediately rather than suffer a slow, painful, lingering death from radiation poisoning.