What if dc gets nuked

The concept itself isn't exactly groundbreaking, but until recently computers simply haven't been up to the task of handling all of the details of a city-sized simulation. Even using up-to-date technology, this monstrous simulation keeps processors churning for a good day and a half. With continued improvements in computing, though, we might expect those relatively simple-minded agents to develop in complexity. Computer gaming aside, these types of simulation programs that determine group behaviours based on the actions of individual agents have been a serious goal for computer scientists for decades.

Epidemiologists have traditionally used simple equation-based systems that compartmentalise the population in an attempt to predict outbreaks, usually based on a distribution of factors such as immunity versus susceptibility. Being able to model the complexity of populations could provide a window into emergent behaviours chunky equations could never hope to capture. According to the researchers, it comes down to how the simulations are used.

Running multiple simulations to determine a probability of various outcomes will provide a handy guide, but we can't expect them to accurately forecast every specific detail. Over time, validating different actions against reality with field studies will also help us determine the variables we can rely on and those which are wild cards.

The Capitol in ruins. The National Mall, scorched. And of course, many square miles of residential blocks exposed to shock waves and flying debris.

All of these are pretty bad—the first "zone" is a death sentence, the third still awful. And this is only including the destructive power of flame, fireballs, and shockwaves. What about fallout? The study notes fallout patterns would vary wildly with the time of year—in April, Washington's affluent Bethesda suburb is hit with an enormous column of radioactive dust, while through much of the rest of the year, the city's poorer lower quadrants and Northern Virginia are exposed to aerial poison.

Despite the again, relatively smaller "blast" of the nuke likeliest to be handed off by a terrorist, fallout is impossibly devastating:. Within 10 to 20 miles of the detonation, exposures from fallout would be great enough to cause near-term within hours symptoms such as nausea and vomiting. The orange area depicts exposures of to R for those who do not shelter soon enough.

Most would experience immediate health effects e. Evacuation is not an option in this area because fallout would arrive too quickly within 10 minutes to evacuate.

Not much! Short of keeping this from happening in the first place important , the report concludes poorly:. The magnitude of a terrorist attack involving [such an attack] will overwhelm all response resources. There's no way to truly prepare for a nuclear attack—the point is to dismantle any given society. It'll always do just that. New workplaces, new food sources, new medicine--even an entirely new economic system.

Nuclear terrorism is still very much a problem, as evidenced by a recent summit of world leaders aiming to quell the nuclear threat.

So what would really happen in the event of a nuclear detonation? Still, the possibility is there. At the very least, make sure you know where your nearest underground shelter is located. AWS Deloitte Genpact. Events Innovation Festival. Follow us:. By Ariel Schwartz 2 minute Read.