Results Of Nuclear Attacks In Iowa

Wow... what a terrible thing to think about. Yet it is at the top of many people's minds. Newsweek used maps made by a professor and historian named Alex Wellerstein to determine the impact of a Russian nuclear strike using their most powerful missile. So, if you're looking for nuke results from a different country... they would most likely look pretty similar.

You would think Iowa is low on the target list, but thanks to Council Bluffs, Iowa... we are in a top 10 target list.

Obviously Des Moines will be our main focus of what an attack would like like since it is the Capital, but I was shocked at how high of a target Iowa and Nebraska were.

Why Council Bluffs, Iowa

The target is located on the border of Iowa and Nebraska. Wallstreet 24/7 even puts this location in the top 15 in America. This spot is known as the Offutt Air Force Base and is actually the headquarters of the U.S. Strategic Command.

In the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, President George W. Bush, who was in Florida at the time they struck, was first flown to Barksdale AFB (No. 15), then to Offutt, where he was taken into an underground command center bunker designed to withstand a nuclear blast and as a place from which a presidential order to go to nuclear war could be issued. There he held an hours-long teleconference with his senior cabinet staff, the CIA, Pentagon, and FBI, among others.

Besides this location no where else on Iowa is that high. Though there are a few other possible targets that include the following.

• Cedar Rapids, Iowa - Collins Aerospace, it is a Raytheon Technologies subsidiary. It is also one of the world's largest suppliers of aerospace and defense products. They have a location in Cedar Rapids. It was formally known as Rockwell Collins.
• Quad Cities, Iowa & Illinois -The QC is made up of two Iowa cities, and three Illinois cities. It's a well-known location off of the Mississippi River, and it is also next to the Quad Cities Generating Station which is a two-unit nuclear power plant located near Cordova, Illinois, United States, on the Mississippi River.
• Des Moines, Iowa - It's the capital.

What the results of an attack on Des Moines Would Look Like

It is reported that a blast could and would affect people for many miles, but the worst of it is obviously at the drop point.

Severe shockwave damage could extend to about a half mile. Severe thermal damage would extend out about a mile. Flying debris could extend up to a few miles. Initial (prompt) nuclear radiation for a 10-Kt blast could expose unprotected people within about 3/4 mile of the explosion site to lethal radiation dose.

The population of Des Moines is around 210,381. It is double the population size of Cedar Rapids.

Again, this is an extreme idea that is very unlikely. Though many still wonder. "What If?"

You can learn more about the Iowa targets here.