Washington Nuke Attack: 2 Targets Hours Drive From Tri-Cities

If Russia or China decide to launch a nuclear attack on the United States, would the Tri-Cities be close to any main targets? A list of the top targets most likely to be hit in nuclear attack was released, and 2 of the top 15 targets are within a few hours drive of our home in Tri-Cities. Great!

SO HOW CLOSE IS CLOSE?

Well, the bad news is that 2 of the top 15 targets in the United States are in Washington State. This list that was released by the Business Insider names "the places in the US most likely to be hit in a nuclear attack." They list both the Naval Base at Kitsap and the Jim Creek Naval radio station as the two main targets in our state.

The Kitsap Naval Base is about 270 miles from the Tri-Cities or about a 4 1/2 hours drive on a good day. The Jim Creek Naval radio station is located just east of Arlington Washington, also about 270 miles from the Tri-Cities. The main blasts would immediately effect Seattle with power issues and radiation fallout. In turn, that would affect the Tri-Cities.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR US?

The study was based on the book "Atomic Audit: The Costs and Consequences of U.S. Nuclear Weapons Since 1940" by Stephen Schwartz. Besides the obvious issues of fallout and loss of power from the blast EMP, Schwartz does not think that large population centers would be hit by a direct attack. He says, "people in big cities like New York and Los Angeles most likely shouldn't worry about being struck by a nuclear weapon." He says that because weapons today are so accurate, there is no need to attack population centers and only attack main targets.

It looks like we will miss the first wave of attacks according to the list besides the loss of power and other complications from the attack. We also might have a good view of the blast flash if the bomb is big enough, but remember it can blind you. Of course, living right next to a working nuclear reactor or the Hanford site doesn't make me feel so good about our chances for the next wave of missiles. At least it won't be in the first 15 attacks, right?