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Typical American Community Destroyed at Test Site
 On May 5, 1955 a 29-kiloton device named "Apple II" was detonated
from a 500-foot tower on Yucca Flat.
It was the second nationally televised nuclear test associated with
an extensive civil effects program. The first shot was "Annie" on March
17, 1953. Annie was part of a civil effects test named Operation Cue,
conducted by the Federal Civil Defense Administration (FCDA).
The FCDA completed 40 separate projects in Operation Cue. All were
designed to evaluate the effects of nuclear detonations on civilian
communities and to test the emergency response capabilities of Civil
Defense organizations.
The FCDA constructed "a typical American community" complete with
houses, utility stations, automobiles, furniture, appliances, food, and
even mannequins simulating the people who might live in the town.
The houses were constructed of different materials with varied
exteriors, and were heavily instrumented. Fresh food was flown in from
San Francisco and Chicago and placed with the mannequins in kitchens and
dining rooms throughout the test area.
Today, only the shells of two houses remain, one of brick and one
wood frame building; all other structures were destroyed by the
explosive force of the test.
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