A wide analysis and risks assessment has been carried out to understand the variety of the influences of a standard nuclear explosion or an Improvised Nuclear Explosion Device (INED) on a representative model of a structure of an emergency department in an urban acute care medical center (Fig. 1). Emergency departments are most important after the occurrence of a nuclear event and their continuous performance is significant in reducing the consequences of the nuclear explosion. The research compares the influences and the resultant damage of un-protected and protected of a typical emergency department consisted from Reinforced Concrete (RC) framed structure in various methods. The scenarios carried out analyzed ground nuclear explosions of 30 kilotons in distances ranging between 200 meters to several kilometers (Fig. 2). Each of which is matching a different probability of occurrence. All of the above-mentioned scenarios are aimed towards the medical center as well as other targets in the area. The calculated and summarized consequences based on a deep literature survey are the blast and its characteristics (reflected pressure, reflected impulse, positive duration, etc.) on the front wall and on the other facades of the emergency department, thermal radiation, fire ball and potential fires, the immediate and the residual radioactive radiation, ground shock, and cratering. The consequences will be expressed as functions of the distance, real and scaled. The structural and nonstructural damages and the vulnerability due to the blast will be estimated according to the literature such as Pressure-Impulse (P-I) curves of the US Department of Defense Explosives Safety Board (DDESB)- SAFER code and its technical manuals. The physical findings will be expressed in terms of casualty rate and damage to the medical center systems as well as the consequences of lack of performance of the medical center. The collected data will lead to a risk assessment that will point out to the profitability of retrofit as against an as-is unprotected emergency department and its recommended scope. The outcome of the research will be a Decision Support tool that may be applicable for other infrastructures exposed to a nuclear explosion.
