A West Coast city in the United States is preparing for a nuclear attack from North Korea. Fears of World War 2 are pervasive and very real. Relations with North Korea are far from diplomatic and the country's leader, Kim Jung Un, is just unpredictable enough to launch a deadly nuclear attack on Americans.

Several missiles have already been fired to send a loud message that he's not afraid to test the weapons.The latest test launch done over the weekend has U.S. officials concerned about what's next.

Seattle a prime target

According to Fox News, officials in Washington state are preparing for a North Korea missile attack in Seattle.

It's the closest major U.S. city to North Korea and is a prime target given the fact it houses 1,300 nuclear warheads and is home to tech giants like Microsoft, Amazon, and Boeing.

The state has evacuation plans set for every disaster scenario except missile attacks. Other than Hawaii, states are barred from preparing for disasters in the event of a nuclear attack.

Top emergency planners differ on bracing for nuclear bomb

Robert Ezelle, one of Washington state's top emergency planners who is the director of Washington Military Department of Emergency Management, says it's not a big deal no plans for such an attack are implemented. He notes that the same is true of volcano erupting or any other number of hazards one can think of.

Ezelle tends to think people should prepare for the most likely disasters, such as earthquakes or a dirty bomb attack. He estimates that public response would be about the same if North Korea launched a missile at Seattle.

Irwin Redlener, director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University, opposes Ezelle's viewpoint.

He notes that such an extreme tragedy would warrant "its own category of planning" due to "radiation and long-term contamination of areas."

It could be that his reasoning will be backed by a bill expected to pass next year allowing the state to actively set a plan in place to brace for a nuclear attack.

Military experts aren't worried just yet

It's added in the report that military experts believe North Korea is about three years away from its nuclear missiles being capable of hitting the West Coast.

The U.S. may wish it implemented a plan sooner if anything were to happen unexpectedly. North Korea's leader has proven himself unstable and President Donald Trump is still in chartered territory as America's commander-in-chief. Those two factors alone have been enough to cause concern.

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