THE alerts mistakenly sent to residents of Hawaii, warning them that a missile was on the way, were a reminder of an era when terror was measured in kilotons. In the 1950s and 1960s public-service broadcasts informed Americans about what to do in case of a nuclear attack. Since then, with nuclear conflict seeming less likely, such knowledge has seemed esoteric, like taking an interest in Brutalism or taxidermy. Here is a reminder of something we hope you will never need to know.
If a nuclear bomb exploded in an airburst, around 90% of people would die instantly near the centre of the blast: a roughly 1.9km (1.2-mile) radius for a 300-kiloton (KT) device—the estimated force of the weapon North Korea tested in September. Within a 15-square-kilometre area, at least half the population would die more slowly, from radiation and burns. Those who make it through the blast or are farther away can take steps to increase their chance of survival.
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