Posted on 02/10/2003 9:41:40 AM PST by Salvation
120 Cities Most at Risk For the past few years, the federal government has been providing training and assistance to police and emergency response workers in the 120 cities considered most at risk of terrorist attacks. A complete list of those cities appears at the end of this report. As you will see, the list includes major government centers (Philadelphia, Miami, Sacramento, Washington, D.C.), cities with extensive industry (Detroit, Houston, San Jose), major business centers (Chicago, Miami, Philadelphia), important media centers (New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C.), major seaports (Newport News, Oakland, San Diego, Tampa), and important military facilities (Colorado Springs, Honolulu, Long Beach, Norfolk, San Francisco). The federal government is providing extensive training for police and emergency workers in these 120 cities, including preparation for conventional (e.g., bomb), biological, chemical, and radiological (dirty bomb) attacks. However ... Are the At Risk Cities Now Prepared?The short answer is no, they are not. So if you live in or within 50 miles of these cities, you should consider yourself at significant risk for the duration of the War on Terror, which President Bush says could last as long as 50 years. Fifty miles should be considered the minimal safe distance from an at risk city. The reason is that in event of even a small radiological or nuclear attack (5-20 kiloton weapon), lethal radiation and fallout will be carried by prevailing winds at least that far. In plain English, if the winds are blowing away from you, you will probably survive if you are 10-20 miles away. However, if winds are blowing toward you, you will probably be dead in a few days. Similarly, in event of a major biological attack, winds and fleeing survivors could easily carry pathogens at least 50 miles. In the event a more serious attack, you may need to be as much as 100-300 miles away from a target city to survive. While the government is now attempting to train emergency personnel in the 120 cities at greatest risk, please recognize it will take many years before most cities are even minimally prepared. Even then, government assistance is absolutely no guarantee that there will be enough drugs, water and food to go around for everyone in the event of a radiological, nuclear, or biological attack, which could put hundreds of thousands, even millions of people at risk. In many cases, the consequences will be nationwide. Furthermore, there are many biological weapons for which no effective treatments exist, and the only protection is to not be anywhere in the area when people are exposed, and to get out before you and your family are exposed. Also, in a crisis, expect emergency facilitiesincluding hospitals and medical clinics to be quickly overwhelmed. In fact, they are likely to be reservoirs of disease and contagion. Dark Winter: What to Expect in the
|
120 Cities Most at Risk
|
|
State | City |
Alabama | Birmingham |
Mobile | |
Montgomery | |
Alaska | Anchorage |
Arkansas | Little Rock |
Arizona | Phoenix |
Mesa | |
Tucson | |
California | Anaheim |
Bakersfield | |
Fremont | |
Fresno | |
Glendale | |
Huntington Beach | |
Long Beach | |
Los Angeles | |
Modesto | |
Oakland | |
Riverside | |
San Bernardino | |
San Diego | |
San Francisco | |
Santa Ana | |
San Jose | |
Sacramento | |
Stockton | |
Colorado | Aurora |
Colorado Springs | |
Denver | |
District of Columbia | Washington |
Florida | Fort Lauderdale |
Hialeah | |
Jacksonville | |
Miami | |
Orlando | |
St. Petersburg | |
Tampa | |
Georgia | Atlanta |
Columbus | |
Hawaii | Honolulu |
Illinois | Chicago |
Indiana | Fort Wayne |
Indianapolis | |
Iowa | Des Moines |
Kansas | Kansas City |
Wichita | |
Kentucky | Lexington |
Louisville | |
Louisiana | Baton Rouge |
Metaire | |
New Orleans | |
Shreveport | |
Maryland | Baltimore |
Massachusetts | Boston |
Springfield | |
Worcester | |
Michigan | Detroit |
Grand Rapids | |
Warren | |
Minnesota | Minneapolis |
St. Paul | |
Mississippi | Jackson |
Missouri | Kansas City |
St. Louis | |
Nebraska | Lincoln |
Omaha | |
Nevada | Las Vegas |
New Jersey | Jersey City |
Newark | |
New Mexico | Albuquerque |
New York | Buffalo |
New York | |
Rochester | |
Syracuse | |
Yonkers | |
North Carolina | Charlotte |
Greensboro | |
Raleigh | |
Ohio | Akron |
Cincinnati | |
Cleveland | |
Columbus | |
Dayton | |
Toledo | |
Oklahoma | Oklahoma City |
Tulsa | |
Oregon | Portland |
Pennsylvania | Philadelphia |
Pittsburgh | |
Rhode Island | Providence |
Tennessee | Chattanooga |
Knoxville | |
Memphis | |
Nashville | |
Texas | Amarillo |
Arlington | |
Austin | |
Corpus Christi | |
Dallas | |
El Paso | |
Fort Worth | |
Garland | |
Houston | |
Irving | |
Lubbock | |
San Antonio | |
Utah | Salt Lake City |
Virginia | Arlington |
Chesapeake | |
Newport News | |
Norfolk | |
Richmond | |
Virginia Beach | |
Washington | Seattle |
Spokane | |
Tacoma | |
Wisconsin | Madison |
Milwaukee |
Look, my point was that we are all at risk from a terrorist attack, no matter where we are. I also took a shot at humor, which apparently went over your head.
This list of the 120 cities most at risk is assinine. Podunk, TN is just as much at risk as New York City. The fact that major economic, business and population centers would be primary targets is about as obvious as the nose on your face.
Yes, this is always a possibility. So was the collapse of society due to the Y2K bug. Yes, you have to recognize the threat, but you also have to analyze the risk and plan accordingly. The fact remains that no matter how well you think you prepare, you either will have prepared for nothing, or have seriously underestimated the risk. How many people still have crates of canned food and bottled water in the basements? And if Y2K turned out to be be disaster that they thought it was, would those supplies have made that much of a difference for them in the long run? In otherwords, there's very little that you can do except live your life.
Look at the Isrealis. They have lived with the real threat of terrorism for 40 years. They recognize that each day could be their last. They see that they have two choices: to cower in fear in their basements waiting for death to come or to live their lives. They assess the risk and try to plan for it, but in the end, they go about their lives. Like the Isrealis, I choose to live my life.
Well, now you're making sense! Anyone that thinks that the threat of terrorism has past is delusional.
This is likely an error on their part. They forgot about these two states.
"If you live in the United States, and live somewhere near any city, or if you fly on airplanes, or ride on trains, or buses, or drive a car over a bridge or through a tunnel, you are at risk of a terrorist attack."
I stand by that statement. The rest was just my attempt at humor. The fact remains that every time you get behind the wheel of your car, you are at risk of being killed in an accident. You can't let fear paralyze you.
Over on Michigan in West Deadbored? Yeah, and if you listen carefully you can hear the burger moo...
The real issue here is this...EVEN if the attack is "Weapon of Mass Disruption"...
Then once water supplies are being controlled, and electric is disrupted, and travel is minimized due to marshall law...you will have plenty of time to choose how you are gonna live your life.
Fact is many cities especially the top 10 largets cities provide alot more to the rest of the USA then you can imagine.
Imaging Houston having all of it's oil and gas refineries shut down thanks to a radioactive contamination? Think it can't happen? Think it won't affect you and the life you live?
Imagine pipe lines blown up across the fruited plains? Imagine major shopping malls contaminated...imagine a few grocery stores that are proven to be sources of poisonings...imagine the hysteria...the fear...remember what happened to the airlines. The airlines were destroyed by the FEAR of flying and diving into buildings...imagine how truckers with out fuel WON'T be able to get food to people...
I know it isn't time to OVER REACT to paranoia...BUT it is time to "prepare" for worse case scenarios...because I can tell you...once your/their food and water run out and you/they come sniffing around mine...it won't be pretty.
Ahh, yesss! Happy memories from a previous life. Friday's were always long lunches (from the Ford Research Center) with 2-3 beers, Miller-burger and fries! No utensils required...
Dang it, that was classified!! Now we'll have to relocate the recipes back to the bunker again.....
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.