Shelter From the Storm- P&S: Dutch Harbor, Alaska

[Zoom]

Is an update in the works?

 

[General_Paul]

Is an update in the works?

An update is indeed in the works, I just need to find the time to finish it up!

 

[General_Paul]

Regarding the Absence of Updates

Hey Everyone,

Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to this. I've been busy the past few months and, more importantly, I've had some serious writer's block on the next chapter. I do intend on bringing this back in the very near future but I need to find the time to do some story outlining, as my first story outline that I wrote back in July for the next few chapters sounds like total garbage to me now. I know that a few of the other P&S Timelines have finished up in the mean time, and I intend on getting this back on track to completion. It's going to be a long haul to get to the end, but I have a general idea of where I'm going and how I want to get there. From here on in, it's more action, more political strife, and, to top it all off, lots of small town politics! Before I get to work on the next update, I'd love to get some feedback on the first chapters here, what you guys want me to explore, and any ideas you all might have for me. Any new readers are welcomed to give me any ideas they might have as well! For right now, I'm slowly starting to have ideas bubble and percolate, and I'm going to go back and re-read The Island from start to finish, along with Chipperback's Land of Flatwater to see where I can strengthen my story.

Anyways, long story short, I want your input as I get back to work on this! Who do you want to make an appearance? What are some things that you want to see happen? Is there anyone in particular you want me to spend more time on? Are my characterizations alright, or should I work more on fleshing out characters and their personalities? Lastly, how much action do you want, and how much politics do you want? It may be my story, but I also don't want to disappoint the readers!

As I start the writing process anew, I want to extend to all of you who have read and commented on my story to this point my personal thanks and gratitude. This is something of a labor of love for me, as I fell in love with the original P&S when it first came out. Alaska is something of a second, adopted home state for me and I rarely get the chance to explore its history and people, who are among some of the most interesting people I've ever had the chance to meet. That's what I want to bring to this story more than anything else is the character of the people who live and work in that wild and untamed last frontier. They might be crazy for living up there, but you have to be if you want to make it past the first month!

So, for all my old readers and any new ones, I'd like to once more welcome you back to the world of Protect and Survive and to Alaska: 1984. The nukes have fallen, the world is in chaos, and the people of the fair state of Alaska are facing a choice: Do they reconvene a state government and try to rebuild and make contact with what's left of the United States, or do they strike out on their own, toss their shared history with the Lower 48 aside, and build a new nation atop the ashes of the old? This is Alaska in 1984 after the nuclear war. This is Dutch Harbor after the nuclear war. This is Protect and Survive.

 

[Unknown]

Welcome back.

If you could link to the previous chapters so newcomers can see them (or just repost them).

 

[General_Paul]

Chapter Links

Hey Everyone,

Here's a list of chapters by page for those of you who want to catch up:

1) Chapters 1-3: https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=314373
2) Interlude and Chapter 4: https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=314373&page=2
3) Chapter 5, Part One: https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=314373&page=3
4) Chapter 5, Part Two: https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=314373&page=4
5) Narrative Aside, "Remembrance": https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=314373&page=5

 

[Astronomo2010]

this is an amazing storyline, i sure hope it never happens in real life , but lets see how the Reconstruction will proceed ,And new tech that maybe discovered during the reconstruction , of the USA , And Europe . ,i hope you can update soon .

 

[SactoMan101]

By the way, in my opinion by 2014 Fairbanks and Juneau will likely start to recover, since it's likely both cities were hit with airbursts, since it was the goal to destroy buildings, not destroy a military base. But Anchorage will likely be abandoned forever, since it would have been hit be a ground burst 1 MT nuclear warhead at Elmendorf AFB--and that will make the entire Anchorage area essentially unlivable for perhaps hundreds of years.

 

[Canadian Dragon]

By the way, in my opinion by 2014 Fairbanks and Juneau will likely start to recover, since it's likely both cities were hit with airbursts, since it was the goal to destroy buildings, not destroy a military base. But Anchorage will likely be abandoned forever, since it would have been hit be a ground burst 1 MT nuclear warhead at Elmendorf AFB--and that will make the entire Anchorage area essentially unlivable for perhaps hundreds of years.

Yeah, but what about the Mat-Su Valley area? It could become a major population centre in Alaska after a nuclear war - if it doesn't get severe fallout (most, if not all, of it would get blown over the Chugachs and SE Alaska). I can imagine there'll be probably tens of thousands of refugees flooding into there from Anchorage.

Fairbanks actually has a large military base right next to it to the east - Fort Wainwright/Ladd Army Airfield. A groundburst could render most, if not all of Fairbanks uninhabitable for quite awhile if, especially if winds blow in from the east and also gets carried by snow, like can occur in low-pressure weather systems.

Reconstruction of Juneau could well be underway by the mid-2010s, I'd agree. But there's one thing - if you look at any map or Google Street view of Juneau, you'll see that its built-up area is actually split into two major areas miles apart due to the terrain, the old town/Douglas Island and Mendenhall Valley. If only the old town was hit and Mendenhall Valley survived along with the airport, then Juneau could still serve as Alaska's state capital shortly after the war onwards. If not, I don't know. But I'm well aware that in OTL, there were plans to relocate and build a new State Capitol in the Mat-Su Valley in Willow. There was huge opposition to that idea, as such a move could have had devastating economic consequences for Juneau.

 

[SactoMan101]

Fairbanks actually has a large military base right next to it to the east - Fort Wainwright/Ladd Army Airfield. A groundburst could render most, if not all of Fairbanks uninhabitable for quite awhile if, especially if winds blow in from the east and also gets carried by snow, like can occur in low-pressure weather systems.

It's still more likely Fairbanks will be hit with an airburst, since Ladd Army Airfield has a pretty short runway so it cannot be used as a recovery base for B-52 bombers circa 1984. But Elmendorf AFB's long runways can be used by B-52's (and would have F-15's based there), so it would be a first-strike target with a ground burst of around 1 MT.

 

[Canadian Dragon]

It's still more likely Fairbanks will be hit with an airburst, since Ladd Army Airfield has a pretty short runway so it cannot be used as a recovery base for B-52 bombers circa 1984. But Elmendorf AFB's long runways can be used by B-52's (and would have F-15's based there), so it would be a first-strike target with a ground burst of around 1 MT.

You've got a point there about Ladd's runway not being long enough for B-52s and of Elmendorf AFB being a target, but it's interesting to note that Fairbanks International Airport just to the SW has a runway up to 11,800 feet long. Eielson AFB has an even longer runway - 14,530 feet.

While Eielson AFB would have likely been a first strike target with a groundburst like Elmendorf AFB, it's far enough from Fairbanks that a 1-Mt nuke would not destroy Fairbanks itself and most, if not all, GB fallout would be blown away from Fairbanks itself.