WI: Columbus, Ohio survives a Nuclear Exchange

Aranfan

Aranfan

The premise of this thread is that in 1983 Able Archer goes hot. However, due to luck and happenstance, all of the devices aimed at Columbus, Ohio's capital, are either shot down or fail to do any damage because of mechanical failure.

How is this likely to impact the post-Exchange world? What are the short, medium, and long term interests and desires of Columbus likely to be in this new world they find themselves in?
 

nbcman

Donor
In the short term (immediately following the attack) Columbus would get contaminated by fallout due to attacks around them such as a Wright Patterson AFB near Dayton and the Lima Tank Plant. There were target locations in almost all directions from Columbus other than due south.

For the medium term, I know that there were some fallout shelters well stocked due to the increased tensions at that time as I was in High School in the east part of Columbus and we found the supply room for the fallout shelter when we were exploring the school after hours. Assuming the power stays on, Columbus would be receiving casualties from the surrounding areas and would probably cope OK due to the hospitals in the area, including the OSU Hospital facilities.

In the long term assuming the communications and transport lines can be restored, Columbus and the surroundings should be able to feed itself and get most necessary resources other than oil. Coal powered trains or electrified rail lines would replace automobiles as there is plenty of coal in Ohio and in the adjacent states.
 

zoomar

Worse, there's nobody left of Ohio State to play.

Seriously the city of Columbus will de a slow death from the complete elimination of the regional power grid, probably near permanent breakdowns in regional and interstate transport in food and other supplies obtained from across the country, irradiation of most arable farmland in the vicinity, and climatic degradation resulting from nuclear winter, which would not be a good thing at Columbus's latitude.
 

nbcman

Donor
zoomar said:
Worse, there's nobody left of Ohio State to play.

Seriously the city of Columbus will de a slow death from the complete elimination of the regional power grid, probably near permanent breakdowns in regional and interstate transport in food and other supplies obtained from across the country, irradiation of most arable farmland in the vicinity, and climatic degradation resulting from nuclear winter, which would not be a good thing at Columbus's latitude.
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If you remove the Columbus nukes, much of central Ohio will be nuke free other than fallout from Dayton see this nuke targeting map from 1990. There will not be as much irradiation around Columbus as you think unless it is a doomsday scenario where not much will survive in the entire northern hemisphere. There is a power plant (Picway) in the Columbus area which generated 100 MW and the trash burning plant on the south side of Columbus which generated 90 MW (came into production in 1983) plus there is the possibility that some other plants in Southeast Ohio would survive.
 
Aranfan

Aranfan

nbcman said:
In the short term (immediately following the attack) Columbus would get contaminated by fallout due to attacks around them such as a Wright Patterson AFB near Dayton and the Lima Tank Plant. There were target locations in almost all directions from Columbus other than due south.

For the medium term, I know that there were some fallout shelters well stocked due to the increased tensions at that time as I was in High School in the east part of Columbus and we found the supply room for the fallout shelter when we were exploring the school after hours. Assuming the power stays on, Columbus would be receiving casualties from the surrounding areas and would probably cope OK due to the hospitals in the area, including the OSU Hospital facilities.

In the long term assuming the communications and transport lines can be restored, Columbus and the surroundings should be able to feed itself and get most necessary resources other than oil. Coal powered trains or electrified rail lines would replace automobiles as there is plenty of coal in Ohio and in the adjacent states.
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Interesting. But by Long Term I meant longer than that. Like, after the ashes settle, what are the likely foreign policy imperitives of Ohio? What are it's interests regarding... the mississippi river system, for example?
 

fscott

Aranfan said:
Interesting. But by Long Term I meant longer than that. Like, after the ashes settle, what are the likely foreign policy imperitives of Ohio? What are it's interests regarding... the mississippi river system, for example?
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Although these buildings are not used now Western Electric, Westinghouse, Fisher Body, and many more are still there. I-270 is 56 miles in length around the city. Western Electric was built about 1-2 miles outside it in a depressed area with no windows except a few in the offices. It was built in the 1950's. It used Natural gas for heating and could use fuel oil to heat and supply electric. How very cold war. Look in your city at road locations and where plants were/are.
 

hzn5pk

We would see the Toledo war round II

Or actually, Michigan might agree that the Upper Peninsula was not so bad after all.
 
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