Nuclear War

[CharlesHarris]

After 9/11 they were re-evaluating which radio and TV towers would work best as primary Emergency Alert System transmitters. The towers are expected to survive up to 5 psi peak overpressure and the associated blast winds.

Had the Soviets exploded a 3.5 MT warhead in downtown DC back in the 80's, the 5 psi damage radius would have been about 6 miles, so, the towers in the surrounding suburbs in MD and VA should survive.

Today warheads are very much smaller. Russian, Chinese and DPRK warheads typically 800kt or less with most being 500 kt or less.

The reason these sorts of calculations are done is emergency managers need the ability to provide trans- and post-attack information and instructions to the public. So broadcast transmitters in areas that are thought to be survivable are prioritized for EBS/EAS use. I would expect the UK plans are quite similar. Effects that will be expected from EMP are more difficult to predict so it's wise to at least have a plan in case EMP doesn't burn out every transistor and IC across the nation.

We didn't get to where we are as a nation by throwing up our hands and giving up at the first sign of adversity, though I think that concept is rapildly becoming lost on younger generations who didn't experience the Great Depression, WW2, the Cuban missile crisis, the cold war, 9/11, etc.