Hawaii devises residents’ evacuation protocols for N.K.’s nuke attack

Hawaii devises residents’ evacuation protocols for N.K.’s nuke attack. October. 16, 2017 07:47. by In-Chan Hwang hic@donga.com.

With new signs of North Korea’s possible additional provocations being monitored, the government of the U.S. Pacific state of Hawaii prepared recently a detailed guide for residents’ evacuation in preparation for North Korea’s possible nuclear attacks, it has been confirmed. Home to the U.S. Pacific Command that is responsible for mobilizing of extra U.S. troops in the event of war, Hawaii is situated about 7,500 kilometers from the North. Military experts have said that the island state is within the effective striking range of the North’s Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile.

On Sunday, the Dong-A Ilbo exclusively acquired residents’ emergency response protocols for North Korea’s nuclear attack, which was released by the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency under the U.S. Department of Defense. The U.S. Pacific Command will detect a North Korean missile but could fail to intercept, the guide said, urging residents to prepare countermeasures. The A-4 size 30-page guide was prepared on September 21.

“North Korea is developing a nuclear missile that can reach Hawaii, and could fire without a prior warning. The missile can reach Hawaii within 20 minutes from North Korea,” the state government said. “The missile will likely target Honolulu (the state capital), but could hit nearby islands such as Maui.” The statement government went on to say, “(If interception of the missile fails and) a 100kt-class nuclear bomb explodes midair 300 meters in altitude, it will cause at least 15,000 casualties, and even if they survive 45 – 60 percent of them will be exposed to radiation and radioactive dust in early days after bombing.”

Hawaii has a population of about 1.4 million, and the state government has been informing people of the danger of Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons through informational meetings for residents since late last month.

Notably, the state government is guiding the residents on very specific measures to be prepared. The government has instructed that residents include in their “survival kits” for a nuclear attack a 14-day supply of food and water, a battery-powered or hand-cranked AM-FM radio, a two-way radio, a whistle, waterproof sheet and blanket, and bills in small denominations to be ready for unavailability of credit card transactions.

It went further to recommend residents to prepare in advance individual and family action plans since Pyongyang could launch a nuclear missile without a prior warning. “In the event of a nuclear attack, you will have no time to dial your family or friend. You should exercise on ordinary days to ensure that you can automatically move to take shelter,” the state government said.