Nuclearsecrecy.com has designed a bone-chilling map that showcases the unparalleled devastation that would befall New York City in the event of a nuclear bomb detonation within its metropolitan area. The maps are an accurate representation of the catastrophic aftermath that would ensue if nuclear weapons were to be deployed in major cities globally. The creator of these maps, Alex Wellerstein, is a nuclear historian at Stevens Institute of Technology who provided valuable insights in their development.
Should a weapon with a comparable size to the “B-83” be detonated in New York, the destruction would be catastrophic. With a yield of 1.2 megatonnes, the “B-83” is the largest bomb in the US nuclear arsenal.
Wallerstein’s expert modeling predicts that a catastrophic event of this nature would lead to the loss of a staggering 1,410,660 lives. Furthermore, it would result in 1,638,610 injuries, and the light blast damage radius would reach up to Newark.
The map suggests that in the event of an explosion, even a minimum blast would reach a height of 0.94 miles. The radius of heavy blast damage would extend for 1.44 miles, leaving concrete buildings severely damaged or completely demolished. The Meatpackers District would be the primary location of this catastrophic blast, which would have a nearly 100 percent fatality rate.
If a blast were to occur, the radiation radius would spread for miles from the point of detonation. The resulting exposure to radiation would be fatal for most residents in the area, including those living in Chelsea and Dumbo. Approximately 15 percent of survivors would likely succumb to cancer within one month due to the high levels of radiation.
According to the modeling, the blast damage radius would extend up to 3.5 miles, resulting in the collapse of most residential buildings and leading to numerous fatalities. Moreover, the probability of fires spreading would also increase, exacerbating the overall damage.
According to experts, the thermal radiation radius has the potential to extend for more than seven miles, resulting in third-degree burns with a 100 percent certainty. Interestingly, the reaction to this type of radiation is usually painless since the pain nerves are destroyed during the process. Shockingly, it has been observed that the radiation can travel as far as New Utrecht, highlighting the extent of its impact.
Fortunately, these situations are merely theoretical, and the likelihood of such arms being deployed is highly improbable.