A chilling map produced by nuclearsecrecy.com reveals the catastrophic damage that would be inflicted on New York City if a nuclear bomb were to be detonated within its metropolitan area. The maps , which depict the apocalyptic aftermath of nuclear weapons being detonated in major cities worldwide, were created with the assistance of Alex Wellerstein, a nuclear historian at Stevens Institute of Technology.
If a weapon similar in size to the "Fat Man" - the bomb dropped on Nagasaki by the United States on August 9, 1945 - were to be detonated in New York, the devastation would be immense. The "Fat Man" had a yield of 20 kilotons.
According to Wallerstein's expert modeling , such a horrific event would result in the deaths of 287,660 people.
If you're unable to view the map below, click here.
In addition, there would be 515,160 injuries and the light blast damage radius would extend as far as Jersey City. This damage would result in broken windows and potential injuries, despite being the "lightest" impact of a nuclear bomb explosion in a locality.
The fireball radius caused by the hypothetical explosion would primarily affect Soho and Noho. According to the map, this reaction would instantly vaporize anything within its radius. At a minimum, it would reach a height of 597.113 feet.
The heavy blast damage radius would spread for half a mile and either severely damage or completely demolish concrete buildings. This magnitude of a blast, which would have close to a 100 percent fatality rate, would mostly be focused on the Little Italy area, according to the map.
To view the map below, click here.
The radiation radius caused by the blast would spread for over two miles from the point of detonation. It would be likely fatal to most residents of the area, which would include Greenwich Village and Hudson Square, and 15 percent of survivors would likely perish within one month from the cancer brought upon by the radiation levels.
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The moderate blast damage radius would spread for 3.5 miles, according to the modeling, and this would cause most residential buildings to collapse and lead to widespread fatalities. The chances of fires spreading are also heightened, which would only add to the damage.
The thermal radiation radius would spread for almost six miles. With this, there is a 100 percent certainty of third-degree burns. This reaction to radiation is often painless, however, because pain nerves are destroyed in the process. This spread of radiation is shown to stretch as far as the Meat Packing District. Luckily, these scenarios are only hypothetical and the chances of any such weapons being dropped remain remote.
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