While the detonation of a nuclear weapon in the United States is considered highly unlikely, Los Angeles and other U.S. cities are preparing for such a disaster by assessing old bomb shelters and preparing emergency response plans, the Los Angeles Daily News reported Monday (see GSN, July 13).
Last week, the Los Angeles County Public Health Department held a seminar for emergency personnel from the 88 county municipalities regarding "Golden Phoenix," an emergency drill set to occur in June 2010. The scenario is expected to involve the explosion of a 10-kiloton nuclear weapon in Los Angeles.
The county is also conducting an inventory of its estimated 6,200 nuclear shelters, which could hold more than 14 million people in the event of a strike.
"These aren't comfortable things to talk about, but it all begins with preparations," said Angelo Bellomo, head of the county's Radiation Management unit.
"We think this is a great opportunity for us to open a dialogue with the 88 cities so they can begin to amend their emergency plans to include planning for a nuclear device," he said.
The U.S. Homeland Security Council has called on local and state governments to put in place the necessary preparations to respond to the detonation of a nuclear weapon in a large city.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is looking into how to include a nuclear attack scenario in a public awareness campaign, Homeland Security Department spokesman Matthew Chandler said.
U.S. defense expert Brian Kennedy said there is worry among experts over the likelihood that Iran could gain the capability to deploy nuclear missiles on ships and use them against the United States.
Kennedy said he is worried that a nuclear missile could explode at a high-altitude and produce an electromagnetic pulse with the potential of taking out the nation's power network. This could strand a large portion of the U.S. population without access to food, water and communications (Troy Anderson, Los Angeles Daily News, Dec. 13).