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The Triangle is thousands of miles away from North Korea, but tensions between the U.S. and the rogue Pacific nation are stirring old memories of the Cold War and provoking new concerns about a nuclear crisis.
"Post 9/11, post (Hurricane) Katrina, we face all of these types of events day in and day out," Josh Creighton, Director of Wake County Emergency Management, told ABC11. "We encourage everyone to take an all hazards approach to emergency preparedness."
That includes a nuclear attack or a nuclear event at one of the state's four nuclear power plants. The NC Department of Public Safety confirmed to ABC11 that state officials held a planned safety drill earlier this week at its plants, including the Shearon Hills Plant in Wake County.
Still, Creighton says the probability of a North Korean attack affecting the Triangle is close to zero.
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"The North Koreans are establishing missiles that can reach the United States, but what's important to identify is they're speaking of U.S. territory - not the sub-continental United States and certainly not the eastern seaboard of the United States," Creighton added. "In the Cold War, Cuba was 90 miles off the coast of Florida and Russia had a much more robust military."
VIEW: Wake County's shelter and evacuation maps
A more probable disaster affecting the Triangle is a volatile hurricane season, which according to NOAA is likely for the fall. No matter the disaster, though, the prepping never changes: make a plan, make a kit, stay informed.
MORE: Emergency Kit Checklist