Map Shows How You Would Be Affected By A Nuclear Bomb

A rather macabre interactive map demonstrates how the area you live in would be impacted if a nuclear bomb were to hit it.

Nuclear tensions have been steadily increasing even since Russia's attack on Ukraine, with Vladimir Putin repeatedly threatening to use such weaponry on the west.

What's more, North Korea fired eight short-range ballistic missiles last month, leading US and South Korean officials to believe the Hermit Kingdom could be building up to its first nuclear test explosion since 2017.

While experts suggest not to be concerned about an all-out nuclear war just yet, Nukemap has been created to keep the public informed on how they would be impacted should a strike hit their city.

Creative Commons

The brain behind the site is Alex Wellerstein, a historian of science who specialises in the history of nuclear weapons at the Stevens Institute of Technology.

All you have to do is head to the page where you'll see a variety of presets to choose from. First up, you put in your location, then you either enter a 'yield' or click one of the dropdown options to choose which bomb.

These range from the US's smallest nuclear bomb named the 'Davy Crockett' all the way through to the 'Tsar Bomba' – the most powerful nuclear bomb ever created and tested.

Nukemap

There are also several advanced options for factors such as ionising radiation rings, fireball generation and mushroom cloud dimensions.

For example, if the 'Davy Crockett' were to hit London, it would result in an estimated 930 deaths and 1,000 injuries, with a fireball radius of approximately 20m.

But if the 'Tsar Bomba' hit the UK capital, it would result in an estimated 5,920,060 deaths and 6,052,200 injuries. The fireball radius would span approximately 6.1km.

Dozens of people have been making use of the map since it was launched amid ongoing warnings of nuclear strikes.

Easing people's concerns on the matter, Matthew Bunn – a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School and former adviser to President Bill Clinton’s Office of Science and Technology Policy – previously told Vox 'there is virtually no chance nuclear weapons are going to be used in the Ukraine situation'.

Alamy

As the Russian president ramped up the attack on Ukraine, Bunn later added: "No one outside of Putin’s inner circle knows for sure why Putin has taken this action.

"My guess – and it’s only that – is that it is intended as further signaling to deter anyone in the West from even thinking about intervening militarily to help Ukraine."

If you would like to donate to the Red Cross Emergency Appeal, which will help provide food, medicines and basic medical supplies, shelter and water to those in Ukraine, click here for more information 

Topics: Ukraine, Russia, Vladimir Putin, Military, North Korea

Daisy Phillipson

Daisy graduated from Kingston University with a degree in Magazine Journalism, writing a thesis on the move from print to digital publishing. Continuing this theme, she has written for a range of online publications including Digital Spy and Little White Lies, with a particular passion for TV and film. Contact her on [email protected]

@DaisyWebb77