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How the U.S. Military Could Stop a Hurricane: Destroy it with a Nuclear Weapon?

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DemolitionMan:
Matthew Gault

But as the ’50s turned to the ’60s, more and more people began to realize the weapons contained inherent dangers and harms. The nuclear explosion at the Marshall Islands–which irradiated populated atolls–and the arms race with the Soviet Union helped to heighten those nuclear fears. In 1958, Washington decided to reform the image of atomic weapons with Project Plowshare.

There are few natural forces that kill so many and cost so much as the hurricane. Hurricane Katrina killed more than 1,500 people and Hurricane Sandy flooded lower Manhattan.

We can’t stop them. The best thing we can do is run away or, failing that, take cover. But others have asked whether we could do more. America has the most powerful weapon on Earth at its disposal. Why not use it on Mother Nature? Why not nuke a hurricane?

The basic idea goes like this–the Pentagon should bomb the eye of a tropical storm, thereby dispersing it and saving countless lives and millions of dollars.

It’s ridiculous, but in the early days of atomic energy and under the auspices of a federal project aimed at the peaceful use of nuclear weapons, one meteorologist attempted to convince the world it was a sound policy.

http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/how-the-us-military-could-stop-hurricane-destroy-it-nuclear-22624

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