As global tensions rise, nuclear war looms as the biggest threat. Recently, Russian President Vladimir Putin revised Russia’s nuclear policy, which happened after the reports of Ukraine using US-supplied long-range missiles to strike targets within Russian territory. This has sparked speculations about the potential for a nuclear war.
Have you ever wondered if a world war could actually happen? If it does, which place would be the safest to live and which would be the dangerous place to avoid?
Based on key survival factors, a new study has revealed the safest and most dangerous states to live in during a nuclear apocalypse.
Safest states to live
As per NoDepositDaily.com, Vermont, Maine, Louisiana, Wyoming and New Hampshire are some of the safest states to live in during a nuclear apocalypse.
Dangerous states to live
On the other hand, Hawaii, Nevada, California, Arizona, and New York were ranked as the most dangerous states to live in during a nuclear apocalypse.
How were the safe and dangerous states determined?
The study was made by using 18 key indicators grouped into categories, some of which are mentioned below
- Weapons and security
- Supplies and survival resources
- Population density
- Medical services
- Gas and vehicle supplies
- Climate
- Access to fresh water
- Access to food
Each state was given score out of 100 based on the above factors.
How calculations were done?
To create the map, Bing Maps data was used to calculate relevant facilities in each state.
For example: The factor ‘weapons and security’ was assessed based on the number of police stations, access to weapons, and fire stations in each state.
Vermont became a top survival hotspot
The other factor access to freshwater was assessed determined using US Government Climate data on rainfall and freshwater lakes. Scoring 72.35 out of 100 points, Vermont ranked the highest, making it a top survival hotspot. It also topped the list for food availability, which is a crucial survival factor. The state ranked second in both weapons and security, and survival resources, further solidifying its position as a survival hotspot.
Maine ranks second
Maine occupied the second place with a score of 68.28 points. Excelling in food availability, Maine scored 86.31 and secured the second spot in this area. It also did well in all the other survival factors, and ranked fourth nationwide for supplies and survival resources.
Louisiana secured third place
Scoring 65.47 out of 100, Louisiana ranked third in the list of the best state to live during nuclear war. Although it had low scores in some metrics like 28th for supplies and survival resources and 25th for population density, it stood out in long-term survival metrics. It scored 95.12 for climate, securing third place. The state also has the best access to fresh water nationwide.
Wyoming claimed fourth place
Scoring 63.42 out of 100, Wyoming secured the fourth place to survive a nuclear apocalypse. Since the state has highest number of weapons available, it earned a score of 95.66 out of 100 in this category. However, due to its harsh winter climate, it ranked 48th in this area (climate).
New Hampshire
Scoring 61.23 points out of 100, New Hampshire secured the fifth spot to survive a nuclear apocalypse. It ranked first for supplies and survival resources.
Other states in the top 10 list
Montana, Arkansas, Florida, South Dakota, and North Dakota are the other states that secured their places in the top 10 list to survive a nuclear apocalypse.
When it comes to the least suitable places to live during a nuclear apocalypse, some of the most populated US states have the lowest survivability ratings.
Hawaii is least suitable for apocalyptic survival
Hawaii scored only 24.08 out of 100 for survival readiness, and thus considered the least suitable state to survive during an apocalypse. Its remote location makes it hard to get essential supplies from the mainland. Although it ranks low in most areas, it has a favorable climate, securing second in this category, which would make surviving the winter easier.
Nevada is the second-worst state for surviving an apocalypse
With a score of 32.05, Nevada ranked second-worst state for surviving an apocalypse. It secured 15th place in ‘access to food,’ and struggled in other survival factors. However, it scored 68.42 out of 100 for population density, ranking ninth, which means there would be less competition for resources.
California: Third-worst state for surviving an apocalypse
The Golden State scored 38.24, ranking third-worst state for surviving an apocalypse. Its heavily populated urban areas and dependence on external resources are some of the major challenges for survival. In addition to the lack of ‘access to fresh water and food’, a high ‘population density’, makes it a dangerous place during an apocalypse. Also, the state’s strict gun laws place it in the 46th place for access to weapons, which could be a problem in a survival situation.
Arizona: Fourth-worst state for surviving an apocalypse
The desert state scored 39.08 out of 100 and ranked fourth-worst state for surviving an apocalypse. Although it ranked first for ‘access to medical services,’ the lack of other resources got its score down. It scored extremely low for ‘access to fresh water’, scoring 4.67 and ranking 49th in this category.
New York: Fifth-worst state for surviving an apocalypse
Scoring 40.01, New York ranked fifth-worst state for surviving an apocalypse. The state’s cold climate acted against it, placing it 49th with a score of 21.32. Except that the state ranked sixth for ‘access to medical services,’ in almost every other category, it landed in the bottom ten.
