February Quintana

The fact that we still have nuclear weapons tells me people don’t understand them. When I was at Uni, we studied descriptions from survivors of the atomic blasts at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I thought it would be like learning about any other harrowing history. I was very wrong. It disturbed me in my bones and never left me. When the atomic bombs detonated in Japan, some of these survivors literally thought it was an alien invasion. This was because the flash was so blinding bright and silent, they had never imagined anything like it before. There was also no noise for those close to the blast. The shockwave hit their ears at the same time as the sound, sending them flying and shattering everything in its wake. This became known as the Pika-Don. For those further away from the detonation, the sound following the flash was deafening beyond description. It was described as an impossible crack, as if the sky had snapped open. This was trailed by a terrifying deep roar that screamed outwards. It was considered one of the loudest events in human history. Then there was the thermal heat wave. It was so hot it vaporised people in the open instantly and other peoples clothes melted into their skin. Many were burned beyond belief and just stood there screaming or silent, as the sky turned black from the dust, ash and debris. Wild firestorms spread throughout the city, as people searched in darkness for their families and friends. But the worst was yet to come. Those that died in the blast were the lucky ones. Over the coming days and weeks, people’s hair fell out. Without explanation those that had incredibly survived, started to confusingly fall ill and perish over time. I don’t want to describe the side effects of the radiation sickness, but it made me cry reading about it. The hopelessness, suffering and courage of the people that succumbed to this, should be mandatory reading for everyone, to understand the true power of nuclear weapons. “I know not with what weapons World War Three will be fought, but World War Four will be fought with sticks and stones” - Albert Einstein