Houston holds week-long NUCLEAR training exercise led by the FBI and the military to learn how best to deal with a nuke dropped on a US city

  • FBI tells residents not to be alarmed by presence of military and hazmat suits
  • Drills will be carried out at locations including joint military base Ellington Field
  • Analysis shows about 130,000 people could be killed if Houston was attacked

A 'large-scale' nuclear training drill will be held in Houston this week as the military war games the unthinkable. 

The FBI has warned residents of Harris County and southeast Houston that 'multi-agency' exercises will be carried out from Monday to Friday to simulate a nuclear attack.

The agency reassured the public there was no need to be alarmed by the presence of 'military personnel and aircraft, and people in protective equipment'.

It comes amid growing threats from North Korea and Russia and analysis that shows a missile from Pyongyang could kill around 130,000 people if dropped on Houston.  

Fatal radioactive fallout from a North Korean missile tested in 2017 would cover an area of around 3 sq-km, engulfing landmarks such as the Downtown Aquarium and the George H. W. Bush Monument, according to NukeMap, a tool developed by nuclear weapons historian Alex Wellerstein.

Analysis that shows a nuclear attack on Houston from North Korea could kill around 130,000

Analysis that shows a nuclear attack on Houston from North Korea could kill around 130,000

Houston will host a series of 'large-scale' nuclear training drills this week to prepare for attacks

Houston will host a series of 'large-scale' nuclear training drills this week to prepare for attacks

One location chosen for the drills is Ellington Field, a military compound in south Houston

One location chosen for the drills is Ellington Field, a military compound in south Houston

It is home to military units from all five of the US armed forces, including the Texas Air National Guard 147th Reconnaissance Wing and a NASA Flight Operations unit under the aegis of the nearby Johnson Space Center

It is home to military units from all five of the US armed forces, including the Texas Air National Guard 147th Reconnaissance Wing and a NASA Flight Operations unit under the aegis of the nearby Johnson Space Center

One of the locations chosen for the drills this week is Ellington Field, the home of a defense and homeland security compound shared by various military units from all five of the US Armed Forces.

It is the base of the Texas Air National Guard 147th Reconnaissance Wing and a NASA Flight Operations unit under the aegis of the nearby Johnson Space Center.

The FBI did not say why Houston had been chosen to host the training, but a map originally released by the Natural Resources Defense Council in 2002 shows Houston could be a prime target for a nuclear attack due to its dense population and critical infrastructure.

Last May, the US Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration led a similar 'major radiological incident exercise' in Austin, Texas.

More than 30 local, state and federal agencies were said to have taken part in the exercise called 'Cobalt Magnet 22'.

FBI Houston said this week's drills were 'part of a series of regularly scheduled US government biannual exercises'.

The Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, the National Nuclear Security Administration, the FBI, and the Department of Homeland Security will conduct the exercises in Houston this week, the FBI said.

Several local and state law enforcement, fire, emergency management, and public health agencies will also be participating in the training, including the Harris County Sheriff's Office and the Houston Police Department.

As well as Ellington Field, the general areas in which the training exercise will take place go from near SH 288 to SH 146 and I-10 east to Highway 225.

A map, released in 2002, shows potential nuclear targets in the US, including ones in 2,000 (indicated in black) and 500 (purple) warhead scenarios, as well as state capitals (asterisk) and cities (squares)

A map, released in 2002, shows potential nuclear targets in the US, including ones in 2,000 (indicated in black) and 500 (purple) warhead scenarios, as well as state capitals (asterisk) and cities (squares)

An interactive tool developed by nuclear weapons historian Alex Wellerstein shows that a nuclear missile tested by North Korea in 2017 would be powerful enough to vaporize the George H. W. Bush Monument in Houston

An interactive tool developed by nuclear weapons historian Alex Wellerstein shows that a nuclear missile tested by North Korea in 2017 would be powerful enough to vaporize the George H. W. Bush Monument in Houston

Deadly nuclear radiation would spread around 3 sq-km from the epicentre of the blast, engulfing the city's Downtown Aquarium

Deadly nuclear radiation would spread around 3 sq-km from the epicentre of the blast, engulfing the city's Downtown Aquarium

Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros baseball team, would also be eviscerated

Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros baseball team, would also be eviscerated

The buildings surrounding the idyllic Discovery Green to the south would likely suffer moderate blast damage, meaning they could collapse or catch fire

The buildings surrounding the idyllic Discovery Green to the south would likely suffer moderate blast damage, meaning they could collapse or catch fire

'The exercise is an opportunity for participating entities to practice and enhance operational readiness to respond in the event of a nuclear incident in the United States or overseas,' the FBI said.

'The training exercise will not pose any risk or interference to the public.'

It comes after Joe Biden warned North Korea that a nuclear attack would be met with an overwhelming response.

The US President was speaking during a state visit by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol last week, in which the pair agreed to the 'Washington Declaration', formalizing steps to deter North Korea.

But the pact sparked fury in North Korea, which is developing tactical nuclear weapons that can target its neighbor, as well as refining long-range weapons that can hit the US.

The West is also facing a growing nuclear threat from Russia amid escalating tensions over the Ukraine war.

Last month, a top Russian security official warned the threat of nuclear war had increased due to NATO providing military assistance to Ukraine.

The effect of a nuclear blast based on a marginally less powerful missile than the one used to model the Houston map, centered on New York's financial district are illustrated. It would wipe out the entire southern tip of Manhattan and causing severe damage and burns spanning much of Brooklyn and Jersey

The effect of a nuclear blast based on a marginally less powerful missile than the one used to model the Houston map, centered on New York's financial district are illustrated. It would wipe out the entire southern tip of Manhattan and causing severe damage and burns spanning much of Brooklyn and Jersey

Rescue personnel prepared for a homeland defense emergency drill involving a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear attack in an urban environment, at the New York Fire Department Training Academy on Randall's Island in New York City, on August 4, 2021

Rescue personnel prepared for a homeland defense emergency drill involving a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear attack in an urban environment, at the New York Fire Department Training Academy on Randall's Island in New York City, on August 4, 2021

Rescue personnel trained to evacuate 'victims' from a subway train and tunnel with limited space

Rescue personnel trained to evacuate 'victims' from a subway train and tunnel with limited space 

The personnel wore protective gear as they would in a real life disaster response, and were equipped with emergency medical tools to rescue victims

The personnel wore protective gear as they would in a real life disaster response, and were equipped with emergency medical tools to rescue victims 

Mannequins used in the joint drill involving biological, radiological and nuclear attack training response are stored in a vehicle

Mannequins used in the joint drill involving biological, radiological and nuclear attack training response are stored in a vehicle 

Pictured: A volunteer is transported as rescue personnel evacuate "victims" during a homeland defense emergency drill involving a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear attack in an urban environment, at the New York Fire Department Training Academy on Randall's Island

Pictured: A volunteer is transported as rescue personnel evacuate 'victims' during a homeland defense emergency drill involving a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear attack in an urban environment, at the New York Fire Department Training Academy on Randall's Island

Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy secretary of Russia's Security Council, said: 'Every day when they provide Ukraine with foreign weapons brings the nuclear apocalypse closer.'

Vladimir Putin has repeatedly teased the possible use of nuclear weapons during the Ukraine war and has observed nuclear 'Thunder' exercises, involving submarines, bombers and ballistic missile launches inside Russia. 

In 2021, soldiers joined police and firefighters on New York's Randall's Island to train for 'America's worst day' - a catastrophic terrorist attack on the Big Apple.

Pictures showed the Army's Task Force 46 being coached on how to respond to a nuclear or biological attack on the New York City subway or Yankee stadium.

Around 170 soldiers from across the country participated in the three-day 'Dense Urban Terrain Exercise' joint exercise with personnel from the NYPD and FDNY on the island.

Their training included simulated nuclear, chemical and biological attacks, according to the Army Times, with the outlet saying that the soldiers were required to go underground and crawl through black-out conditions in subway car simulations in search of 'injured' people.

Vladimir Putin has repeatedly threatened to strike countries deemed to be interfering with his war in Ukraine

Vladimir Putin has repeatedly threatened to strike countries deemed to be interfering with his war in Ukraine

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has recently fired powerful missiles from his golf course - and the fairway itself may have been the launchpad. Pictured: Kim Jong Un with his ten-year-old daughter Kim Ju Ae

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has recently fired powerful missiles from his golf course - and the fairway itself may have been the launchpad. Pictured: Kim Jong Un with his ten-year-old daughter Kim Ju Ae

A map of a nuclear blast based on the 'Little Boy' bomb dropped on Hiroshima during WWII - which is around 10 times less powerful than the missile tested by North Korea in 2017 - shows around 100,000 people would die if it was dropped on Washington DC

A map of a nuclear blast based on the 'Little Boy' bomb dropped on Hiroshima during WWII - which is around 10 times less powerful than the missile tested by North Korea in 2017 - shows around 100,000 people would die if it was dropped on Washington DC

The 'Little Boy' bomb would kill more than 114,000 people if dropped over Boston's downtown

The 'Little Boy' bomb would kill more than 114,000 people if dropped over Boston's downtown

If a similar bomb was dropped over downtown Los Angeles, about 84,000 people would perish and more than 187,000 would be injured. Given how spread out LA is, many neighborhoods like Beverly Hills and West Hollywood would be relatively unscathed

If a similar bomb was dropped over downtown Los Angeles, about 84,000 people would perish and more than 187,000 would be injured. Given how spread out LA is, many neighborhoods like Beverly Hills and West Hollywood would be relatively unscathed

If the bomb was dropped over San Francisco's Mission District neighborhood it would kill roughly 56,000 people. The Golden Gate Bridge and the Marina District would be largely unaffected in the blast

If the bomb was dropped over San Francisco's Mission District neighborhood it would kill roughly 56,000 people. The Golden Gate Bridge and the Marina District would be largely unaffected in the blast

Almost 130,000 people would be killed and 245,000 would be injured if the 'Little Boy' bomb was dropped over Chicago

Almost 130,000 people would be killed and 245,000 would be injured if the 'Little Boy' bomb was dropped over Chicago

In sending out the warning to Houston residents ahead of this week's drills, the FBI will be hoping to avoid the catastrophic confusion sparked by a false ballistic missile alarm in Hawaii in 2018.

The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (HEMA) issued an alert that read: 'Emergency Alert: BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.'

The agency then failed to cancel the alert for 38 minutes, sparking widespread panic among the 1.4million people who live on the island.

Fearing a nuclear attack, terrified residents and tourists ran for their lives, taking cover in shelters, their garages and even lowered loved ones through manhole covers.

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