In reply to Jed Rothwell's message of Mon, 9 Mar 2009 20:47:53 -0400: Hi, [snip] >Robin van Spaandonk wrote: > > >> Evacuate a city, which is approximately the amount of damage a 1 MT blast >> would >> do. > > >One week ahead of time, could they determine with enough accuracy where the >object will strike? Or would they have to say: 'evacuate everyplace from X >west to Y'? > >I do not know enough about astronomy to judge.
I think after tracking it for 1 or 2 days they could come pretty close, and the closer it got the more accurate their determination. One could start by beginning to evacuate people from what would most likely be the impact point. If the zone was initially large, you could provide a general warning, and suggest that those who were able, leave. This might be applicable if the zone were to include e.g. the whole Eastern seaboard, but make clear that only a city sized area would ultimately be affected. That gives people a sense of their chances of survival if they stay put. It also ensures that those who are in a position to leave early do so, thus limiting the last minute congestion. Regards, Robin van Spaandonk http://rvanspaa.freehostia.com/Project.html
