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The US nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, at the end of World War II, and the damage they caused, have been etched in the collective memory of humanity.
But to truly understand the horror of nuclear weapons and how important it is to advance global nuclear disarmament, it is necessary to remember the horror of such an attack.
Imagine a normal day in Kuala Lumpur. People are just living their lives. Markets and shopping malls are bustling with life, restaurants are full of hungry customers, students study hard, and office workers fight their way through rush hour traffic.
Then a nuclear bomb explodes in the center of the city. In less than a second, a ball of plasma hotter than the sun grows to a size of 2 km across. Anything within this area instantly vanishes, without a trace, like water in steam.
An intense light illuminates the city, capable of temporarily blinding whoever looks at it. This light is extremely hot, and anything within a radius of 13 km from the center of the explosion will burn.
An area of 500 square kilometers will turn into a raging hell. So one moment a person could be walking down the street and the next being burned alive, screaming in agony.
The explosion is followed by a powerful shock wave that spreads throughout the capital. It is faster than sound, louder than a typhoon, and it flattens everything in its path.
Anything built without steel reinforced concrete is immediately leveled and people will fly away like dust in the wind.
Condominiums, hotels, offices, and shopping centers will collapse on the people inside them.
Gas stations will explode, setting fires across the city as a dark mushroom cloud hangs over the ruins. These fires are likely to spread, possibly culminating in a firestorm that incinerates anyone who survived the initial destruction.
Distance will not bring security. The shock wave can travel up to 21 km away. Someone in Puchong could be taking pictures of the mushroom cloud as windows shatter and glass shards fly off, cutting anyone or anything in its path.
But the worst time will be the period after the immediate destruction ends.
When a natural disaster strikes, people can count on emergency services to help save people and create order. But a nuclear explosion is like several natural disasters at once, magnified.
Hundreds of thousands or even millions of people need urgent and immediate medical attention and many will die before help arrives, if it does.
In toppled condos and office towers, thousands will be buried alive. Those lucky enough to be on the street are stumbling, deaf, blinded and in panic.
It is difficult to escape to safety with the roads blocked by debris. Hospitals cannot offer shelter, they have also been destroyed, with medical personnel injured or killed.
Those in the subways when the explosion occurred can be saved, or people can survive through serendipity. But then it rains, radioactive ashes and dust will be scattered everywhere.
Radiation poisoning will affect any survivor who cannot protect himself, possibly killing him within days. Those who manage to escape the worst run the risk of getting cancer and dying years later.
Those who survive the attack will have to fend for themselves. There will be no help because the infrastructure would have collapsed. Ambulances will not be able to cross blocked roads, trains will not be able to travel on melted tracks, and planes will need clear runways.
Survivors will have to cope as best they can without adequate access to food, water, electricity, or communication systems. Even if help arrives, rescuers will run the risk of radioactive contamination.
Hospitals outside of KL will do what they can to help, but will be overwhelmed by the massive influx of patients. No matter how well prepared authorities may be for natural disasters, there will be little they can do to prepare for a nuclear attack.
World politics have been tense of late and experts have repeatedly warned of the growing risk of nuclear war as major powers sound their sabers. Nuclear-armed countries often claim that they are doing it for their own safety, but all it would take is one terrible mistake to unleash all hell on earth.
Malaysia is largely and wisely committed to international neutrality and voted in favor of the 2017 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
No Malaysian would want this horror to happen to them or anyone else. Therefore, on the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, it is important that Malaysia remain committed to its stance against this existential threat.
