Seriously...What would happen if a nuke went off in DC?

30k isn't that large a blast area at ground level. I figure when you say DC you're talking right on the step of the capital set off. I don't see that happening but for the war game I'll go with it.

First off 25,000 to 50,000 would die in the blast. I'm betting the president would be killed in the blast as well if he wasn't some place else in the nation at the time. I figure they would time it to take out he most so most likely wait till he was there. The fallout would most likely kill another 15,000 to 20,000 people with in the first week.

But with in the first hour phone lines would break down communication networks would be overloaded. Most utilities would suffer as well. what is left of DC, North VA and MD would lose some power and water. Any gas lines would be having problems and be leaking all over DC. This would cause a auto shutdown in valves cutting back-up power for some buildings. Local hospitals would be over loaded.

Next couple hours phone lines would unload and come back up. Panic would set in, and the road to DC would be packed with loved ones trying to check in on people. The roads out would also be pack heading out. Most likely the bridges to DC would be damaged and may give out after the sudden shock wave and now being loaded up. There would go 1,000 to 2,000 people once they gave out with them on it.

Almost a day after over 15,000 people would drop off the network and run in to hiding. Looting would set in for VA, DC, MD and maybe CA and NY due to panic. More would die from radiation, kill in looting or just the out right panic. Some would kill them self thinking it was the end of the world.

Some other nation would send help and others would be playing the blame game. North Korea would be having a good old time with the media.

Military powers would try to find out who set off the bomb and if there are more. This could take a while as there might be a power void and most units would be busy providing aid and security. Most likely it'll be some found footage that leads to telling who set it off, most likely video on the web of the attackers near the time and location of the bomb going off.

After figuring out who set it off, it would really depend on who was left to run the nation. I don't think we'd nuke in return. But there would be a large out cry for it to be done.

a reply to: iDope

There has not been a war on our soil since the Revolutionary war that was between another country.

So the war of 1812 never happened then ?

Can't forget the world outcry after people figure out small parts of the worlds history and art has been turned to dust. But I think it would take at least a week be for people cooled off enough to think about it.

Let's be honest. If a nuke went off in DC. We would see Americans cheering. I don't see Russia or China taking advantage of it and attacking us. Our military would be on high alert and given green light to use every option available to defend this country.

originally posted by: all2human

Massive depression , starvation, disease, illness and death, for hundreds and thousands of years
Can't even imagine it happening.

LOL!!! NOPE. Control reverts back to state goverments in the event of a decapitation strike in DC. AS fro me id be doing backflips in the street especially if the whole bunch were at ground zero that day. It be a chance for th e people to take back control if all of them scumbags reached 1 million degrees and disappeared at one time.

a reply to: Echo007

NO we would NOT be cheering we would be ABSOLUTELY FERAL.
Stuff would happen fast and dirty "no one would know why the City of "_____" was vaporized or how".

Depends on the nuke and the city... but nothing good and for a long time thereafter.

But one thing I know for sure is that this thread got some views by an alphabet agency- or at least an algorithm.

Interesting video that addresses the question in the OP, and does a pretty thorough job: