Would Nebraska Outlast the Blast?
How safe would Nebraska be during nuclear war?
Ever since the Cuban Missile Crisis, the distinct possibility of nuclear war casts an anxious pallor on humanity’s hopes and dreams for the future. Forecasts of the world’s fate rarely fail to include a radiation-soaked planet, its life-sustaining capabilities severely diminished. In recent years, the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine — condemned by NATO — has renewed fears of an atomic showdown amongst world powers. This being the case, it seems only appropriate to discuss nuclear war in the context of Nebraska.
A common assumption holds that Nebraska is relatively safe from this threat. After all, we have only a couple moderately-sized cities and no large industrial or financial centers. Surely places like New York, Washington D.C., or Silicon Valley would be higher up on a tactical hit list. Contrary to this assumption, Nebraska might actually be among the first states hit. Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, and Western Nebraska jointly contain 450 Minuteman III silos with a grand total of 400 nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles. Western Nebraska alone contains 82 of these silos which are fortified but penetrable — with the appropriate firepower. Their purpose is to draw the first wave of enemy missiles. Intentionally spaced apart, it would take numerous bombs to wipe them out completely. Additionally, their location across the more sparsely-populated rural Midwest means that more densely populated areas may have more time to evacuate in the case of nuclear attack.
Besides its Western side, there’s another Nebraska spot that may take the brunt of nuclear assault. Maps of Soviet nuclear targets have been leaked to the American public since the fall of the Soviet Union. According to these, North Platte was regarded with a relatively high strike priority. There are multiple reasons for this. The large Union Pacific railyard’s close proximity to highway 80 means that two transnational transportation checkpoints could be wiped out in one blow. Additionally, the North Platte River flows into the Missouri River and Mississippi Rivers. After a nuclear strike, it would act as a natural vehicle of destruction, dispersing nuclear contaminants all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. North Platte also sits on top of the subterranean Ogallala Aquifer. It’s one of the largest in the world and provides groundwater to support agriculture across the Midwest. All these things make North Platte a target that would trigger a domino effect of destruction.
Despite Nebraska’s reputation for being isolated and inconsequential, its role in a hypothetical nuclear war could be anything but. It’s important to pull back the veil of common assumptions by staying informed on the ripple effects of global conflicts. After all, even Nebraska may find itself caught in the crossfires of nuclear conflict.
By: Sidney Needles