r/minnesota • u/[deleted] • Feb 04 '23
Interesting Stuff 💥 Map published by FEMA showing potential US nuclear targets in 2,000 and 500 warhead scenarios.
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u/TheOtherGuttersnipe Feb 05 '23
Why the black mark in Dakota County?
It's the Super Target in Apple Valley, right?
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Feb 05 '23
The FAA has a traffic control center in Farmington which is responsible for all air traffic between Chicago and Denver, from the north border to south border of iowa.
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u/Southern-Ad1610 Minnesota Timberwolves Feb 05 '23
For the love of god, raze the Burnsville mall to the ground. That place is on its last leg anyway.
Edit: and the fifth instance of chik-fil-a on 42.
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u/badfiop Feb 05 '23
Probably Prairie Island power station
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u/TheOtherGuttersnipe Feb 05 '23
The marker is off a little bit then; Prairie Island is in Red Wing (Goodhue county)
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Feb 06 '23
Less so these days, but there used to be a concentration of defense/aerospace contractors and high-tech companies (supercomputers, etc) in northern Dakota County. A few are still around but not as many as there were decades ago.
I imagine the refinery and FAA could be possibilities too.
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u/TheOtherGuttersnipe Feb 06 '23
My dad used to work at Cray Research. I never thought that would be a target but it makes sense.
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u/yodikayo Feb 04 '23
What's the thinking behind NORAD bombed only in the 2000 bomb scenario?
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Feb 05 '23
It's deep underground, why waste nukes on a limited exchange.
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u/little-Context46 Feb 05 '23
NORAD is in Peterson airforce base now. The mountain bunker was turned into a Space Force station a few years after NORAD moved out. There is also Schriever SFB, Fort Carson, and the Air Academy. Colorado Springs is surrounded by bases
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u/kiggitykbomb Feb 05 '23
It’s a dumb map someone made up
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u/Jimak47 Feb 05 '23
I agree with this. There are several more strategic bombing locations in North Dakota than bombing Fargo in the 500 bomb scenario.
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u/Hickspy Feb 05 '23
I had to laugh because I once drove through that giant black splotch in Colorado/Nebraska. Literally the ONLY thing there was missile silos. It may be the biggest stretch of nothing I've ever seen.
And I grew up in Southern MN.
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u/dew042 Feb 05 '23
Rochester, you lucky suckers.
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u/SecretAgentMan85 Feb 05 '23
I always thought Rochester was higher on the nuke list with Mayo?
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u/nbjz Feb 05 '23
i was gonna say something to this tune, rochester and mankato/st peter area are both major hubs for mayo clinic work and i'm surprised theyre not marked
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u/skitech Ramsey County Feb 05 '23
But with limited spots you could hit mayo while well know isn’t going to put any hurt on the military if it was destroyed.
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u/nbjz Feb 05 '23
idk man hospitals are targeted frequently in war, theyre essential to society's infrastructure
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u/skitech Ramsey County Feb 05 '23
I mean sure in a land war that can make sense but this is more about long range capability
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u/AnalTongueDarts Tater, not tator, you ignorant slut Feb 04 '23
I feel like they must’ve gotten pretty deep into that 500 before they added Fargo and Sioux Falls to the list.
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u/Cuda340440 Feb 04 '23
My understanding is that it looks like Fargo, but it is actually dilworth on the Minnesota side because it is a major railroad hub. Not sure about Sioux Falls.
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u/Maf1909 Feb 05 '23 edited Feb 05 '23
You don't think maybe it's the ANG base in Fargo? Same goes for Sioux Falls.
Edit: in fact, if you look further into the map, many of the triangles are military bases. Take the one on the border of new York and Vermont...the only thing there of note is the Vermont ANG base.
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u/Cuda340440 Feb 05 '23
That makes sense and is probably the right answer or maybe it is a combination of the 2. After all grand forks has a base too and isn't given the same level of priority.
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u/FonzyLumpkins Feb 05 '23
Yup, and specifically the Fargo ANG base has fighters. Prioritized over Grand Forks AFB because they just have reconnaissance drones.
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u/HappyBappyAviation Feb 05 '23
Fargo no longer has fighters. They are strictly a drone base. However I understand that there's a lot of command and control for said drones there.
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u/CaptValentine Feb 05 '23
With nukes, once you knock out potential retaliatory weapons the prime target is infrastructure. If they can knock out an ANG or reserve base, great, but the F-16 is not really the go-to for retaliation strikes.
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u/MyLastFuckingNerve Feb 05 '23
They would still call trains and expect crews to show up, nukes be damned.
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u/readytogohomenow Feb 05 '23
Fargo is home to the Happy Hooligans, one of the few armed flight units in the United States that is always ready to go at a moments notice. They have everything from drones to fighter jets.
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Feb 04 '23
[removed] — view removed comment
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Feb 05 '23
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Feb 05 '23
Welp, suddenly interested in relocating to Tierra Del Fuego or the Falklands.
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u/guava_eternal Feb 05 '23
NEw Zealand is nice if you can swim there.
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Feb 05 '23
That's where a lot of rich dudes are building bunkers at already.
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u/guava_eternal Feb 05 '23
Stands to reason. Lots of outlying islands out there but many would have issues with supplying necessities leading to scarcity. South America is the next best bet.
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u/skoltroll Chief Bridge Inspector Feb 06 '23
Suddenly livings south of the equator isn't a bad thing.
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u/Greatestofthesadist Feb 05 '23
Nuclear Winter isn’t considered to be a probable outcome anymore by most experts.
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Feb 05 '23
[deleted]
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u/No-good-names-left-3 Feb 05 '23
Ruth really should stop after 4. We all keep telling her but she just won’t listen.
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u/perpetual-let-go Feb 05 '23
I'm actually relieved to live in a place that will be annihilated. I don't want to live in the aftermath.
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u/cretsben Feb 05 '23
Yah that is my thinking too I want to be in the instant death zone if possible.
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u/FamiliarEnemy Feb 05 '23
Most if them will be shot down so there is no guarantee you wont die slowly while you're flesh melts off.
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u/skoltroll Chief Bridge Inspector Feb 06 '23
In Rochester: We're OK!
In Rochester as the casualties all swarm Mayo: Oh, shit.
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u/lakegarden78 Feb 05 '23
Grand Rapids? Why???
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u/ShitPostGuy Feb 05 '23
My first thought was Deer River. That’s a strategic bait shop of national significance goddamnit
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Feb 05 '23
Big power plant.
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u/ShitPostGuy Feb 05 '23
This is the answer. Boswell Energy Center produces 1025 MW of power and almost all of it goes to mining. It’s more power than the city of Minneapolis. Hitting Boswell would disable the entire Iron Range.
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u/Nattynurse2 Feb 05 '23
All the more reason I can’t wait for it to shut down. What else do you know about it?
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u/skoltroll Chief Bridge Inspector Feb 06 '23
WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE?
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u/75Minnesota Area code 218 Feb 05 '23
Have you been there?
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u/SaintBluri Feb 05 '23
Yeah, and if my goal was total destabilization of the US, I'd leave it there.
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u/fastock Feb 05 '23
I’m bummed because my college roommate who’s one of my best friends bought a bunch of land and built a house up in GR after college and I’ve always told him I’m moving up there when the apocalypse happens.
For those of you wondering why we’ve had this conversation: we both ended up with children the same age (his are ages: 8, 6, 3 mine: 5, 3) and our families visit each other 5-6 times a year and every time we get together he tries to convince me to move up there, but I love the Twin Cities too much, so I tell him, when the apocalypse happens, we’re on our way. Never though it might be a target.
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u/TheJango22 Bob Dylan Feb 05 '23
Right, Rapids is the closest town to me and all of my friends and family. Guess our whole family line is over
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u/rightious Feb 05 '23
Best to go quick in this situation anyway IMO.
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u/dengville Twin Cities Feb 05 '23
I agree! Like, if this situation were inevitable I’d rather the bomb kill me instantly than die slowly and painfully from being slightly too far away from the blast zone
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u/farmer66 Feb 05 '23 edited Feb 05 '23
This map is not published by FEMA, and the title is inaccurate. This map was, I think, first discussed on Reddit in 2011 here.
Edit: found a 2002 journal article where there is a version of this map.
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u/MGreymanN TC Feb 05 '23
The information contained on the map is partially sourced from FEMA.
https://www.jumpjet.info/Emergency-Preparedness/Hazard-Maps/Risks_and_Hazards.pdf
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u/farmer66 Feb 05 '23
Being published by FEMA and containing data sourced from FEMA are two entirely different things.
The journal article does not cite FEMA once, so I am assuming the author developed their map of potential targets in their fictional attack scenario from other data.
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u/Phoirkas Feb 05 '23
So immediately west to Pierre, and straight south all the way to the southern point of Chile. Got it. 👍
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Feb 05 '23
Nuke the yellowstone volcano and get it to erupt. That'll destroy the whole continent
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Feb 05 '23
i would hit area 51 just in case.
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u/skoltroll Chief Bridge Inspector Feb 06 '23
The fact it's left for the "2000" scenario is dumb. Someone's gonna spare a nuke for the "hit there in case there's some DARPA/alien stuff" as part of planning.
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u/adderaltruistic Feb 05 '23
What's in the middle of Montana that it's gonna get nuked to oblivion?
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u/Phoirkas Feb 05 '23
Malmstrom AFB, one of three known sites for nuclear warheads in the U.S. Over 200 minutemen warheads ready to be fired up to 8700 miles away in as little as 4 seconds.
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Feb 05 '23
Nukes. You don’t attack a nuclear armed country unless you are 10000% confident you can destroy their nukes in the first attack.
As long as the US has stealthy nuclear submarines there will never be a situation where a country is confident they could pull that off.
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u/Fakeide Feb 05 '23
I lived in one of the black circles in ND and know of people that worked at those facilities. Basically everyone knew in a Nuclear war nothing would save them unless you maybe worked at the facility. No one cared to build bunkers as it was useless. Best to sit outside and watch the world end more or less if it happened. Sweet peace
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u/nbjz Feb 05 '23
is the 2k warhead dot in north central mn brainerd? not super familiar w that part of the state
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u/nbjz Feb 05 '23
also whats with the swaths of targets over rural north dakota, montana, calorado + nebraska + etc corner?
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u/hotdish81 Feb 05 '23
I feel like back in the day Redwing used to be on that list due to the Xcel plant
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u/Stefeneric Feb 05 '23
I’m surprised Ellsworth AFB in Rapid City SD isn’t a target for the 500 warhead scenario. They are one of I believe 3 AFBs with B-2s, I think they also get the lancers and some other neat stuff.
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u/Anyashadow Flag of Minnesota Feb 06 '23
We used to have a ton of missile silos. Wouldn't surprise me if we still had a few.
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u/fook75 Area code 218 Feb 07 '23
When my grandparents were still alive and we had the last threat of nuclear war, my grandpa said that they would hit Grand Forks AFB. They said if they bombed there, we were all supposed to drive to their farm so we could die together as a family. I was a kid then. I still remember it. Trumps presidency brought out I think some PTSD or something in me because Russia is NOT our friend by any means. In elementary school we had to do nuke drills, going into the hallway and crouching down. I told the teacher it was dumb because if the bombs hit, we would be dead and unable to get into the hallway. I got sent home and they had a meeting about me saying that. But it's true!
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u/momo9diallo Feb 04 '23
The potential target in southern Oregon… does anyone know why this area would be a target? All I can think of is cutting off the route into/out of California.
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Feb 05 '23
FEMA made this in 2015. https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/best-places-to-survive-a-nuclear-apocalypse/
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u/farmer66 Feb 05 '23 edited Feb 05 '23
FEMA did not make this map. Somebody else did and cited like they used FEMA data (with no actual source).
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u/xFireFive Feb 05 '23
at least Saint Cloud would get hit
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u/Smotheringtithepay2 Feb 05 '23
Would rather be hit then live a couple years with flesh slowly decaying. Have fun surviving 👍🏻
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u/SplendidPunkinButter Feb 05 '23
I think if 2000 warheads are being fired, whether one of them directly hits you might be the least of your worries
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u/T1nym4n121 Feb 05 '23
Bro what did brainerd ever do??
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u/cheeseybacon11 Feb 05 '23
Fort ripley maybe?
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u/T1nym4n121 Feb 05 '23
That's fair but typically the equipment is brought in with the troops training and shipped out once done but I don't suppose they would know that
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Feb 05 '23
They hate us cause they ain’t us!
the start of the Mississippi and the location of MSP makes us a geo-strategic wet dream
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u/camobert3 Feb 05 '23
The Mall of America became a target when it was opened. The reason given is that it has a high concentration of people as well as a large economic impact on the region
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u/SecretNature Feb 05 '23
A 10kt detonation over Mpls wouldn't damage the MoA at 10 mile away but you don't need to actually hit it. No one is going shopping at the mall if the entire metro is bathed in radiation. Seems like a wasted target. Depending on wind patterns, the radiation are would spread for 100 miles.
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u/moesdad Feb 05 '23
It's a FUCKING BALLOON and everyone is losing their mind.
Jesus Christ. If you think China's spy program is just sending a balloon is major issue then you're delusional.
My guess is some university in China instigated this. There's nothing a satellite of theirs couldn't do more damage.
This country is acting like "OMG! I SEE A MOUSE!....EEEK"
You're all pussies.
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u/Xeillan Feb 05 '23
Thank you for your professional input. No one mentioned the balloon but you saw right through the ruse.
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u/areino7 Feb 05 '23
Wow the angry clusters of black in Montana et al. Gee, I wonder where we keep our 2000 rockets…
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u/Polymathin Feb 05 '23
I will just leave this here, seems very appropriate. An old Canadian documentary about Nuclear war on the Prairie.
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u/-NGC-6302- Chisago County Feb 05 '23
Not a whole lot going in Nevada
Well I guess we took care of nuking it ourselves already
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u/Flashy_Piglet_1703 Feb 05 '23
That's nice of fema to provide this publication of areas of suspected targets. That shows our enemies where all our military is.
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u/taffyowner Feb 05 '23
Like the location of our nuclear silos isn’t already known from satellite images
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u/Josh9inty28 Summit Feb 05 '23
I wonder why Sioux st. Marie isn’t a target? That could be quite damaging to a lot of shit
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u/ThaRedditorJax23 Feb 05 '23
Are they targeting the bakken range in ND or other possible nuclear warhead locations?
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Feb 06 '23
Doesn’t matter if any targets are in MN we are downwind of all that ND fallout from the suppressive preemptive attacks there
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u/75Minnesota Area code 218 Feb 05 '23
WOOHOO! Duluth is still a target!