Odds That Hanford Would Be a Target in a Washington State Nuclear Strike

What Are The Odds That Hanford Would Be A Nuclear Strike Target?

One of the best experiences I've had while living in the Tri-Cities is taking the Reactor B tour offered by the Department of Energy. The tour is a fascinating trip into the past to learn the importance of the Hanford Nuclear Site during World War II.

Does Washington State Have To Worry About A Nuclear Strike?

There are still a lot of misconceptions about the site and the clean-up currently being done outside of Richland Washington. Some still believe the site has functioning nuclear reactors hence all the security but that is a myth propagated like Area 51 in New Mexico.

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Michelle, the host of our tour was fantastic and she answered the questions especially the one on the site's secrecy.

She stated that with today's technology, any nation could easily from orbit peer into Hanford and the work that is getting done.

She said that it was not much of a secret if a rival nation wanted to spy on Hanford because they could easily do it from space.

We, of course, still think Hanford gives us Area 51 vibes but she said it's mainly clean-up of the nuclear waste left behind and decommissioned nuclear reactors so mundane stuff at best.

I did do a little digging on what are the odds that the Hanford site would be a potential nuclear strike site in case of a war and I was surprised by the information I found.

According to a map provided by the Natural Resources Defense Council, If there was a 500-warhead strike from a rival nation, the odds are slim that Hanford would be a target but if there was a 2000-warhead strike, then Hanford could be a potential target.

As you can see, the coast of Washington State is more likely a target but again we hope it never comes to pass. I remember being a kid in the 80s and being terrified after seeing the TV movie "The Day After" and that's all I needed to see to not want any type of nuclear conflict in the world.