Deep Impact 1998

NomadicSky · Jan 15, 2006

What if the events of the movie deep impace had actually happend in 1998...
With a few changes here and there
there were some errors in the movie

The impact off Cape Hatteras forms a tsunami that we are told washes inland as far as the Ohio River valley. Given what we are told about its height, it actually could reach no farther than the Appalachian Mountains. If any part of the tsunami reached the land north or south of the mountains, either by a direct route across land or by diffraction around the end of Florida and then moving north, it would be too attenuated by this to continue as far as the Ohio River.

People on the ground are shown as watching while the 2km-wide comet fragment passes overhead. The radiant heat from the impactor's passage should have flash-burned them to a crisp immediately and set on fire everything under the impactor's flight path.

You get the idea

So Bill is in office when the comet is discoverd the events of the movie take place in our world...
it's been 8 years since the comet destroyed the east coast and part of Europe
What is our world like today

chunkeymonkey13q · Jan 15, 2006

We would still be recovering from the devastation and progress would be continuing on the reconstruction of cities and towns within the affected area. Perhaps by this point most of the debris would have been cleared up and people would begin moving back to the area.

CalBear · Jan 15, 2006

World-wide depression, shift of world's economic markets to Asia, damage to 3rd world countries untouched as usual donor nations are amongst the hardest hit. UN HQ transferred to Geneva, probably permanently. Chaos reigns in large areas of Africa (and small areas of the 1st world).

Generally a bloody mess.

Mr_ Bondoc · Jan 16, 2006

New Economic Order...

-Consider that Brazil, Russia, India, and China are the new economic super powers of the ATL. They hold sway over 75% of the world's population on a political basis, and at least 70% of the natural resources. To make things even more difficult they would have almost none of their resources affected by the initial impact.

-In the United States, consider the rise of a national Christian fundamentalist theocracy. In his novel, New World Order by Pat Robertson, the televangelist and sometime presidential candidate predicted in his novel a major asteroid impact. As such, the circumstances would have him proclaiming himself a "new prophet".

-Consider that you have confirmed the cult rantings of several self-proclaimed psychics, including the International Association of Psychics, Naomi Hutching (who called the event "the Great Tribulation"), Hing Ming Chen who formed a cult in Taiwan, Evangelist Mary Agee, and Concerned Christians led by Monte Kim Miller...

Rasputin · Jan 17, 2006

Hooray for considering!

There seems to be something of a consensus that the East Asian tigers would be the main beneficiaries of this cataclysm. The three great western financial centres, New York, London and Frankfurt, would all have been completely swamped, leading to much of the western world's financial capital disappearing overnight. That on top of the cost of rebuilding the east coast, Western Europe, and presumably large sections of the Caribbean, the Brazilian coast and North-West Africa as well, and the finances are going to have to come from East Asia, presumably along with a hefty amount of influence. The 'Asian Century' would have started 3 years early in this scenario.

Of course, the afore-mentioned fundies may have something to say about that.

NapoleonXIV · Jan 17, 2006

As many people would be after Robertson for supposedly bringing the Asteroid down as would be worshiping him, and another largish group would not care if he also made monkeys fly out of Bush's butt, they still wouldn't believe he had anything to do with it.

Dave Howery · Jan 17, 2006

NapoleonXIV said:
As many people would be after Robertson for supposedly bringing the Asteroid down as would be worshiping him, and another largish group would not care if he also made monkeys fly out of Bush's butt, they still wouldn't believe he had anything to do with it.

I have to wonder if Bush would even be elected in this TL.... so many butterflies from such a huge event.... if Clinton handled the disaster with speed and skill, that might just push Gore into the presidency in two years.... if Clinton fumbles the Federal relief efforts, then Bush could be elected... or somebody else....

Wendell · Jan 17, 2006

Mr_ Bondoc said:
-Consider that Brazil, Russia, India, and China are the new economic super powers of the ATL. They hold sway over 75% of the world's population on a political basis, and at least 70% of the natural resources. To make things even more difficult they would have almost none of their resources affected by the initial impact.

-In the United States, consider the rise of a national Christian fundamentalist theocracy. In his novel, New World Order by Pat Robertson, the televangelist and sometime presidential candidate predicted in his novel a major asteroid impact. As such, the circumstances would have him proclaiming himself a "new prophet".

-Consider that you have confirmed the cult rantings of several self-proclaimed psychics, including the International Association of Psychics, Naomi Hutching (who called the event "the Great Tribulation"), Hing Ming Chen who formed a cult in Taiwan, Evangelist Mary Agee, and Concerned Christians led by Monte Kim Miller...

Robertson might actually be a casualty of this disaster

This may or may stop an attack on any form in 9/11/01, but Islamic fundamentalism could thrive from this wave...

Tyr · Jan 17, 2006

I'm not so sure about London and Frankfurt being swamped, they are well sheltered from the atlantic, especially Frankfurt with how far inland it is in Germany- its got France and Britain to protect it.
London...Its on the east coast and well away from the sea. May get a bit flooded but it won't be destroyed ala New York.

Ivan Druzhkov · Jan 17, 2006

Dave Howery said:
I have to wonder if Bush would even be elected in this TL.... so many butterflies from such a huge event.... if Clinton handled the disaster with speed and skill, that might just push Gore into the presidency in two years.... if Clinton fumbles the Federal relief efforts, then Bush could be elected... or somebody else....

BTW, they did evacuate the entire federal government from Washington, right? I know their track record is spotty, but I'd think they could do something as simple as this.

Of course, you've also just had a large whack of the bureaucratic personnel wiped out in one shot, so it's probably going to be a while before any new government is in fighting trim. Hopefully, this would be survivable, though stuff like martial law may become necessary.

Also, I dimly recall the Americans and Russians firing some land-based ICBMs off in an attempt to knock out the comet. Would losing a bunch of fancy missiles really have any effect, or would their function be more or less duplicated by the tons of shorter-ranged stuff we have lying around?

Mr_ Bondoc · Jan 17, 2006

Another Idea...

-Consider that Taliban and Al-Qaeda leaders would certainly use the reports of the asteroid impact as proof as Cod's smiting of the "Great Satan". TThe fact that you have Washington D.C. and New York City, NY wiped out would be seen by both Christian and Islamic religious fundamentalists as the destruction of the "new Sodom and Gomorrah". The idea is that America had so angered the heavens, especially with Clinton's policies granting rights to gays, women, and pro-abortion advocates.....

-Also consider that you would certainly have militia groups such as those that launched the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, claiming that the deployment of FEMA and National Guard troops to the affected areas of the asteroid impact as being "agents of the New World Order"...

Midgard · Jan 17, 2006

Mr_ Bondoc said:
-Consider that Taliban and Al-Qaeda leaders would certainly use the reports of the asteroid impact as proof as Cod's smiting of the "Great Satan". TThe fact that you have Washington D.C. and New York City, NY wiped out would be seen by both Christian and Islamic religious fundamentalists as the destruction of the "new Sodom and Gomorrah". The idea is that America had so angered the heavens, especially with Clinton's policies granting rights to gays, women, and pro-abortion advocates.....

I wonder what would happen if said asteroid/comet did impact... but ended up turning a predominantly Muslim country with a record of hostility to the West/fundamentalism/theocracy/dictatorship etc - you get the idea (i.e. someone like Iran/Syria/Saudi Arabia - not sure about the latter, simply because the leadership seems to pay lip service to the US)... what happens to OBL and his cronies providing they survive? Would anyone care? I would imagine someone like Pat Robertson and associated crazies screaming on all street corners about how "God has smitten the infidel" or some other nonsense like that - and Halliburton and their friends busily laying claim to land under the guise of "humanitarian missions", but what else?

luakel · Jan 17, 2006

The movie has a comet hitting, and only the North American and European coasts are really heavily damaged? That sounds pretty implausible, seeing as a comet would cause much greater damage IMO...

But if it does happen, I'd see a MAJOR World Economic Crisis. Even with electronic records, pretty much the economic capital of the world is now underwater. The US, even if the govt. somehow evacuates in time, is going to be in major trouble. Alot of our industry just went down, and our military is going to take a hit too (bye-bye Atlantic Fleet).

Nicole · Jan 17, 2006

If the waves were high enough the reach the appalachians, I would think that the Comet would have to be big enough that it would damage the earth to the point of shifting course.

Anaxagoras · Jan 17, 2006

There'd have to be a new capital city chosen.

How about my home town of Austin, TX? it wouldn't have been damaged by the wave. We're already the Live Music Capital of the World, so why not the Capital of the Nation? We've got a nice Capitol Building already in place, and since we're the home of the Texas State Legislature, we're already used to corrupt and crazy politicians hanging around the bars (of which we have a great many).

luakel · Jan 17, 2006

Imajin said:
If the waves were high enough the reach the appalachians, I would think that the Comet would have to be big enough that it would damage the earth to the point of shifting course.

Not to mention the fact that the atmosphere will be having alot of changes in mere hours...

@Anaxagoras: Well, it seems pretty ironic to me that that's your home town and you're suggesting it...

Anaxagoras · Jan 17, 2006

Imajin said:
If the waves were high enough the reach the appalachians, I would think that the Comet would have to be big enough that it would damage the earth to the point of shifting course.

No, not really. At least not enough to make any difference.

Gamingboy · Jan 17, 2006

They'd move the capital to Chicago. Asia would become the leading financial region of the world. And I have beachfront property.

NomadicSky · Jan 17, 2006

Austin does have a nice looking capital building but then again so does Jackson Mississippi I agree with Chicago

Midgard · Jan 17, 2006

Anaxagoras said:
There'd have to be a new capital city chosen.

How about my home town of Austin, TX? it wouldn't have been damaged by the wave. We're already the Live Music Capital of the World, so why not the Capital of the Nation? We've got a nice Capitol Building already in place, and since we're the home of the Texas State Legislature, we're already used to corrupt and crazy politicians hanging around the bars (of which we have a great many).

I am thinking if something like this were to happen, and the East Coast was not eligible, Denver, CO would be more likely as a new capital - central location, no infrastructure damage, lots of space to build on, and already an established high-tech infrastructure (I remember about 5-6 years ago it was the high-tech capital of the Rockies, and probably still holds quite a few financial and technological centers). Not to mention that quite a few sci-fi writers that had nuclear war as a part of their backstory, limited or otherwise, had Denver as a capital of surviving US (Heinlein's "Doors To Summer" is one example of it)... and I happen to live in a Denver Metro area as well...