At what point does a human-made event Become a Disaster
It is unthinkable that a nuclear explosion could occur in the United States. It is even more unrealistic that an American nuclear bomb could be used against the country it was meant to protect. On 19th September 1980, a Titan II Intercontinental Ballistic Missile with a nuclear warhead in a silo in Damascus, Arkansas, exploded during routine maintenance. The explosion separated the nuclear warhead from the ballistic missile triggering a rapid response from the United States Strategic Command. The nine megaton warhead was retrieved by the Air Force 200 yards from the silo. The warhead on the ballistic missile was three times as powerful as all the bombs used during World WAR II.
A man-made event becomes a disaster when humans cannot influence or control the adverse impact of the event. The Red Cross (2016) defines a disaster as a combination of hazards and vulnerability, and the inability to control the potential negative consequence. A man-made event such as constructing a dam could turn into a disaster when the dam collapses and floods occur.
Is the United States Prepared for an Internal Nuclear Disaster
The US strategic command maintained nuclear weapons as a deterrence against external aggression and did not foresee a domestic explosion. Nuclear warheads are machines that may break down and cause unexpected results. The incident highlighted the many accidents that occur in nuclear facilities across the country and the risk they pose. Today, most ballistic missiles and nuclear warheads are stored far from civilian settlements to minimise the impact of an accidental explosion. Despite measures taken to prevent such an occurrence, there are more than 4,000 nuclear warheads in the United States. The US is prepared to intercept and respond to external nuclear attacks, but the country is ill-prepared for any internal explosion.