In Photos: The U.S. Plan During a Nuclear Armageddon

Cannonball, Pennsylvania

The remains of a nuclear-hardened microwave tower, known by the codename Cannonball, rises above the Appalachian mountains near Sylvan. Cannonball was one of a network of towers secretly built during the cold war to facilitate communications between the White House and other continuity of government facilities in the event of a nuclear disaster. The 103-ft tower was deactivated in 1977

Vivos xPoint, South Dakota

Former munitions bunkers the developer Robert Vicino is repurposing into a doomsday community for civilians. Vivos estimates that its 575 bunkers can hold 5,000 people

Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center, Virginia

A passing truck’s lights colour a long exposure image of the top-secret 564-acre facility, which would serve as a relocation site for members of the executive branch, including those from Homeland Security, in the event of a nuclear war. Though no journalists have visited the site, they became aware of its existence in 1974, when a TWA airliner crashed into the mountain, killing all 92 people aboard