Starvation will be the major killer. Anyone needing specialized services/medicine (blood pressure meds, insulin, special diets, etc) will be in real trouble from the outset of the conflict. Many people out of shape with minimal job skills will also be in real trouble as manual labor will be in demand but short supply. Those without a trade in engines, medical care, or something tangible / useful will likely be doing field work to eat by the sweat of their brow as it were. And that might include anyone whose job was reliant on computers that no longer work or paper pushers who no longer have a bureaucracy to insulate and manage them. People used to government assistance would also be in trouble for similar reasons. The refugees from the dying and dead cities will be the major problem. The survivors of the blasts will need medical attention, food, water, and shelter. They will be numerous and will seek the necessary resources by whatever means necessary. Most people can go about three days without eating before serious problems arise and maybe two days without drinking, so the first week will be the most desperate. The closer you are to an interstate or federal highway within a day's drive or a few days walk from a major city (200 miles or so) the more trouble you are likely to find.
Day One will see much of the Northeast, West Coast, and parts of the Great Lakes eradicated along with state capitals, eastern Tennessee, western Nebraska, northwestern Missouri, parts of Montana and Colorado, Hoover Dam/Las Vegas, and specific military bases especially along the coasts. Wilmington NC might be the largest surviving port left in the US for example and save the chance of a triad of duds no major city in the US is safe. With sufficient warning many might go into the cities before the strike to avoid having to rebuild. When it happens though it will not be like anything Hollywood has told us so far.
This is not about civilization but *survival* and the folks who make it through that first week will not be very nice to deal with. Moral boundaries will be tested quickly and it will be murder for canned goods in many places. Robbery and murder will be justified in the name of survival, likely along iwth cannibalism if things get desperate enough. There will be plenty of food in some wilderness areas but most people can not identify the helpful plants or the harmful ones, so they are SOL. What order remains will be on a local level at first, mostly towns with sheriffs and maybe counties that band together if they are lucky and organized. But justice will be harsh and quick, probably with capital punishment making a rapid recovery. Towns like Douglas, GA and Dodge City, KS and Coos Bay, OR will be more likely sites for where civilization on a larger scale recovers first- towns of 10,000+ that are well away from major travel arteries and have the economy to support some non-agricultural occupations along with enough educational infrastructure to make life more tolerable. Appalachia might also be a nice place to live as they will be adept with older technology while being far enough out of the way to stay relatively intact. With time, say in about 5-10 years, regional trade blocs will arise that evolve into larger governments, perhaps with a new union as a Federation of North American States or somesuch. They might also settle for regional governments with 6-10 out of what was the US, Canada, and Mexico. South America, South Africa, and Australia/New Zealand should be in better shape. They will likely be the powers to watch, especially South America.
Day One will see much of the Northeast, West Coast, and parts of the Great Lakes eradicated along with state capitals, eastern Tennessee, western Nebraska, northwestern Missouri, parts of Montana and Colorado, Hoover Dam/Las Vegas, and specific military bases especially along the coasts. Wilmington NC might be the largest surviving port left in the US for example and save the chance of a triad of duds no major city in the US is safe. With sufficient warning many might go into the cities before the strike to avoid having to rebuild. When it happens though it will not be like anything Hollywood has told us so far.
This is not about civilization but *survival* and the folks who make it through that first week will not be very nice to deal with. Moral boundaries will be tested quickly and it will be murder for canned goods in many places. Robbery and murder will be justified in the name of survival, likely along iwth cannibalism if things get desperate enough. There will be plenty of food in some wilderness areas but most people can not identify the helpful plants or the harmful ones, so they are SOL. What order remains will be on a local level at first, mostly towns with sheriffs and maybe counties that band together if they are lucky and organized. But justice will be harsh and quick, probably with capital punishment making a rapid recovery. Towns like Douglas, GA and Dodge City, KS and Coos Bay, OR will be more likely sites for where civilization on a larger scale recovers first- towns of 10,000+ that are well away from major travel arteries and have the economy to support some non-agricultural occupations along with enough educational infrastructure to make life more tolerable. Appalachia might also be a nice place to live as they will be adept with older technology while being far enough out of the way to stay relatively intact. With time, say in about 5-10 years, regional trade blocs will arise that evolve into larger governments, perhaps with a new union as a Federation of North American States or somesuch. They might also settle for regional governments with 6-10 out of what was the US, Canada, and Mexico. South America, South Africa, and Australia/New Zealand should be in better shape. They will likely be the powers to watch, especially South America.
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