SEATTLE, Wash. — Last year was a rapid year of progress for North Korea's missile program with at least 21 missiles fired during 14 tests. North Korea, known for being a propaganda machine, has claimed that a missile could carry a nuclear warhead. Whether that could actually happen, physicists do not yet know.
As tensions rise between the United States and North Korea, some Washington state residents are concerned of what's to come.Below you can find the latest developments, if a missile can hit the West Coast, and how Washington is reacting.
What’s the latest?
- In early January, North and South Korea held their first talks in about two years, agreeing to hold military talks and restore a military hotline.
- In November 2017, North Korea fired what appeared to be another intercontinental ballistic missile on Tuesday — possibly its longest-range test yet, according to The Pentagon.
- In mid-November, the Trump administration declared North Korea a state sponsor of terrorism.
- In September and August, the country flew unidentified missiles.
- President Donald Trump warned supreme leader Kim Jong Un's government in early August to "get their act together" or face extraordinary trouble, and suggested his earlier threat to unleash "fire and fury" on North Korea was too mild. This raised fresh fears of a confrontation with North Korea, which has vowed to defend itself with nuclear weapons if necessary.
- That came after North Korea laid out plans to strike near Guam – an island in the middle of the Western Pacific with an American air base – with unsettlingly specificity.
- North Korean capitol Pyongyang completed its second successful intercontinental ballistic missile test in July.
Can a missile hit the West Coast?
After the first two ICBMs launched, analysts calculated everything west of Chicago could be in range.
“The distance from North Korea to Seattle is about 5,100 miles (8,200 km),” said David Wright, a physicist and co-director of the global security program at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
“We don’t know how heavy North Korea’s nuclear warheads are, and the weight affects how far a missile can carry them. However, most experts believe North Korea’s longest range missile, the Hwasong-14, may be able to carry a nuclear warhead as far as Seattle or will be able to in the near future.”
Scroll down to keep reading.
Related coverage on North Korea
- Live in Washington state and concerned about North Korea? Read this
- Japan: North Korean threat to sink Japan is 'outrageous'
- Trump threatens N. Korea with 'trouble,' escalating tensions
- Why does North Korea wake people with 6 a.m. musical alarm?
- U.S. Otto Warmbier freed by North Korea died at 22
Missiles are highly inaccurate. Wright told KIRO 7 News that Kim would likely shoot at a city physically bigger than Seattle in an attempt of hitting a population center.
But depending on the trajectory and variables such as time and weight of the warhead, a missile from North Korea could reach Seattle in about 30 minutes.
%
%
While terrifying, Wright explained it’s unlikely that Kim would fire at the United States randomly.
“Having the capability to hit a U.S. city is important to him since he wants that capability to deter an attack by the U.S., which he would launch in response to an attack,” he said.
How far did the latest missile reach?
Pentagon spokesman Col. Rob Manning said the missile was launched from Sain Ni, North Korea, and traveled about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) before landing in the Sea of Japan within 370 nautical kilometers (200 nautical miles) of Japan's coast. It flew for 53 minutes, Japan's defense minister said.
Should people in the U.S. worry?
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told reporters in early August that he was not worried about "any imminent threat," when North Korea talked about attacking Guam.
On Tuesday, he said that diplomatic options with North Korea remain viable "for now. "
>> Related: Trump threatens N. Korea with 'trouble,' escalating tensions
"The United States remains committed to finding a peaceful path to denuclearization and to ending belligerent actions by North Korea," Tillerson said in a statement to The Hill.
In response to the launch, Trump said the United States will "take care of it." He told reporters: "It is a situation that we will handle." He did not elaborate.
Are emergency departments planning for this just in case?
King County Emergency Management agrees that it’s unlikely North Korea would fire at the Puget Sound. As far as disasters are concerned, earthquakes and flooding are more top of mind.
"It's far less likely to be attacked with a nuke than something like a flood, earthquake or winter storm," said King County Emergency Management spokeswoman Lynne Miller.
But that doesn’t mean considering a nuclear incident would be left in the dust.
“State, local, county has adopted an all-hazard approach, even FEMA has encouraged it gives more flexibility. Rather than remember 20 or 30 scenarios, it’s much easier to remember and prepare,” Miller said.
An all-hazard approach looks at situations from natural disasters to radiation and creates drills. Miller told KIRO 7 it allows agencies to take strategies and procedures from one disaster and apply it to another.
%
%
Drills for emergency scenarios – like earthquakes – are tested regularly, though the radiation drill has not been exercised recently. Miller explained as a public agency, it’s limited on funding and focuses on threats that emergency leaders feel we’re more vulnerable to.
"Anything that comes to our attention we address; we incorporate it into our planning," Miller said. "We don't ignore any threat. … We see the threat and we think and talk about it and talk about if plans are in place and what would be our response."
Currently a Washington law prevents planning for a nuclear disaster at a state level, but that law does not prohibit county or city agencies from talking about what to do in anticipation for a nuclear attack. Scroll down to read how Miller says you can plan for your family.
But isn’t planning on a state level important?
Local emergency management departments have a heavy hand in preparing and aiding the public in a disaster, but much of the emergency planning on the state level involves the military.
Right now, military and state emergency management leaders have the authority to direct with an all-hazard approach in planning for a disaster, but they are limited when it comes to nuclear incidents.
The state law says that in the state’s all-hazard emergency plan, leaders cannot prepare for emergency evacuation or relocation of residents in anticipation of a nuclear attack.
Why? During the Cold War, Washington state had a clear plan and 686 fallout shelters. See a map of bunkers built in case of nuclear disaster here.
But in 1984, this law passed as a symbolic end with the Soviet Union. A Federal Way lawmaker believes it has to change.
"The threat to the Northwest is not imminent today, but it's approaching the day in the not-too-distance future when it could be a threat to Seattle and Washington state," Washington state Sen. Mark Miloscia told KIRO Radio. "Not today. Maybe three years out it is. There's a threat. … We need to start planning right now."
%
%
Miloscia filed a bill in the Washington state Senate to remove this prohibition on planning for a nuclear attack. The bill will be discussed by lawmakers in a Senate committee this January.
KIRO 7 News reached out to Gov. Jay Inslee’s Office, which plans to review the bill before the legislative session.
“More broadly, the state must be prepared to respond to a wide range hazards that include both natural and manmade disasters,” said Inslee’s deputy communications director, Tara Lee. “Washington state currently takes an all hazards approach in emergency management planning, preparedness and response so we can be ready for disasters and threats of all types.”
So what can you do?
If you’re about the potential of any disaster, the best thing you can do is have a plan for you and your family.
>> Learn how to build a 7-day disaster emergency survival kit on a budget
%
%
“Whether it’s a storm or traffic or a catastrophe, we urge people to take steps now to prepare,” Miller said.
“It doesn’t have to be complicated or costly, it involves giving family and having a game plan. That’s how people’s lives are saved – is they plan ahead.”
In the event of a major catastrophe, people should be prepared with a plan that would last up to 10 days. From personal kits to checklists, emergency departments through Western Washington have provided resources on makeitthrough.org here.
More specifically to a nuclear incident, King County Emergency listed how people can prepare for radiation emergencies.
Here's what the emergency department says to consider:
• Be prepared to evacuate with your emergency supplies kit or shelter in place in your home.
• Make a list of existing or potential shelters near your home, workplace, and school (basements or windowless areas in high-rise buildings, bus or light rail tunnels).
• Be observant and report suspicious activities to law enforcement.
• Be prepared for any type of terrorism event.
Some things to do if ever in a radiation emergency:
• During a radiation event, people should try to stay inside and close windows; turn off air conditioners and other ventilation systems.
• If you are warned of a radiation release inside, cover your nose and mouth and go outside immediately.
• If you are outside, seek immediate shelter indoors in the nearest undamaged building.
• To limit the amount of radiation you are exposed to, find thick shielding, distance yourself from the blast, and take time away from radiation. Read about specifics here.
• If you think you have been exposed to radiation, carefully take off the outer layer of your clothing and put it in a plastic bag; then take a warm shower to rinse off any radioactive materials.
If interested in reading more about radiation exposure, click here.
Why does North Korea hate the U.S.?
A lot of North Korea’s hate for the U.S. comes from memories of the Korean War’s destruction in the 1950s.
During the war, which lasted from 1950 to 1953, the U.S. bombed towns and cities across the North. The war killed millions of people, according to historians.
North Korea’s propaganda machine has kept the memory of war alive.
“North Koreans live in a war mentality, and this anti-American propaganda is war-time propaganda,” Tatiana Gabroussenko, an expert in North Korean propaganda who teaches at Korea University in Seoul, told The Washington Post.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Related coverage on North Korea
- Live in Washington state and concerned about North Korea? Read this
- Japan: North Korean threat to sink Japan is 'outrageous'
- Trump threatens N. Korea with 'trouble,' escalating tensions
- Why does North Korea wake people with 6 a.m. musical alarm?
- U.S. Otto Warmbier freed by North Korea died at 22
Cox Media Group
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/ALMUY7EXLRGVFLXRTA25IWORAQ.jpg)
:quality(70)/d1hfln2sfez66z.cloudfront.net/11-19-2024/t_7885524f9f76476a9b59a6aec9e1a324_name_file_960x540_1200_v3_1_.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/EQFLTTW5ERC2XEYH2RZMTLSI3A.jpeg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/P5XBTBBX2BGWFEBZXOOSTUMJ6E.jpeg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/WHVNHPXJVBGTJM4MBAS7E22DMU.png)