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19 Additional Considerations When Responding to a Nuclear Attack
wend their way through Brooklyn to reach Manhattan and Queens. The loss of access
to the George Washington Bridge, the Triboro Bridge, and the Lincoln and Holland
tunnels, all of the food for more than eight million people had to travel along a single
corridor, one that was also being used by emergency response vehicles, government
vehicles, and personal vehicles.
New York City is a major port so the exercise looked at bringing food in by
sea, only to realize that the majority of the docks were on the New Jersey side of
the harbor and were also cut off from the city by the fallout plume. Air cargo was
also investigated; one airport was also located in New Jersey and was unusable, but
two other airports were available. The problem is that airplanes do not carry as much
volume as do ships and are more a more expensive mode of shipping than trucks—the
city’s airports could help, but were not sufficient to meet the city’s needs either.
What quickly became clear to the participants was that a nuclear weapon detonated
in New Jersey could affect more people in New York City than in New Jersey. By
cutting the city off from the harbor and all but one road, a single (simulated) nuclear
weapon with a relatively low yield was able to affect food and other supplies to more
than eight million people. In many parts of the world such a temporary interruption
in supplies would be an inconvenience; in some cities, however, the typical resident
might keep only a few days’ worth of food in their home, relying on frequent shopping
or on food delivery from local restaurants; in such cities, even a small interruption
in the transportation of food and other supplies can put lives at risk. As an example
of this, Figure 19.1 shows the limited number of access points into New York City.
As a result of this exercise, one conclusion was that the city should take immediate action to transition the airports immediately from passenger to cargo facilities,
realizing that New Yorkers needed to eat and that it was also essential to be able to
bring in the personnel and equipment to begin to address the emergency. Finding
docks for cargo ships was also important if New York City might be cut off from the
majority of port facilities. Finding ways to reopen ground transportation routes was
also essential, along with convincing drivers that these routes were safe to use.
This exercise made it clear that logistics can be a major problem in the immediate
aftermath of a nuclear attack. But this had become clear to the author several years
earlier, during a trip to Japan a month after the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear
reactor meltdowns in Fukushima. Over the course of discussions with officials in
various cities in the area affected by the accident the team heard that, even one
month after the accident, the logistics of continuing to feed, clothe, and provide
supplies for residents, responders, and workers in the affected area continued to be
an issue. Considering the relatively low population of that area compared to many
major cities (hundreds of thousands versus millions), this highlights the importance
of ensuring that supply routes are opened quickly and that they remain open.
19 Additional Considerations When Responding to a Nuclear Attack
wend their way through Brooklyn to reach Manhattan and Queens. The loss of access
to the George Washington Bridge, the Triboro Bridge, and the Lincoln and Holland
tunnels, all of the food for more than eight million people had to travel along a single
corridor, one that was also being used by emergency response vehicles, government
vehicles, and personal vehicles.
New York City is a major port so the exercise looked at bringing food in by
sea, only to realize that the majority of the docks were on the New Jersey side of
the harbor and were also cut off from the city by the fallout plume. Air cargo was
also investigated; one airport was also located in New Jersey and was unusable, but
two other airports were available. The problem is that airplanes do not carry as much
volume as do ships and are more a more expensive mode of shipping than trucks—the
city’s airports could help, but were not sufficient to meet the city’s needs either.
What quickly became clear to the participants was that a nuclear weapon detonated
in New Jersey could affect more people in New York City than in New Jersey. By
cutting the city off from the harbor and all but one road, a single (simulated) nuclear
weapon with a relatively low yield was able to affect food and other supplies to more
than eight million people. In many parts of the world such a temporary interruption
in supplies would be an inconvenience; in some cities, however, the typical resident
might keep only a few days’ worth of food in their home, relying on frequent shopping
or on food delivery from local restaurants; in such cities, even a small interruption
in the transportation of food and other supplies can put lives at risk. As an example
of this, Figure 19.1 shows the limited number of access points into New York City.
As a result of this exercise, one conclusion was that the city should take immediate action to transition the airports immediately from passenger to cargo facilities,
realizing that New Yorkers needed to eat and that it was also essential to be able to
bring in the personnel and equipment to begin to address the emergency. Finding
docks for cargo ships was also important if New York City might be cut off from the
majority of port facilities. Finding ways to reopen ground transportation routes was
also essential, along with convincing drivers that these routes were safe to use.
This exercise made it clear that logistics can be a major problem in the immediate
aftermath of a nuclear attack. But this had become clear to the author several years
earlier, during a trip to Japan a month after the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear
reactor meltdowns in Fukushima. Over the course of discussions with officials in
various cities in the area affected by the accident the team heard that, even one
month after the accident, the logistics of continuing to feed, clothe, and provide
supplies for residents, responders, and workers in the affected area continued to be
an issue. Considering the relatively low population of that area compared to many
major cities (hundreds of thousands versus millions), this highlights the importance
of ensuring that supply routes are opened quickly and that they remain open.