Traveling in a post nuclear war world

Yeah but for how long with no-one maintaining them?

How long depends on the subsequant use, weather (extreme hot and or Cold) and local geography (ie mud slides / rock falls)

If left unattended then yes said road / rail will degrade but if it is being used then its more likely that the people using it will try to maintain it - at least locally.
 
How hard would traveling great distances be after a nuclear war? This would be based off of the 1983 Doomsday TL which depicts a nuclear war in 1983.


For example, Let's say I'm a Mexican living in the Northern US, let's say Boston. The US was destroyed in that TL but not Mexico, and Mexico still manages to survive as a functioning nation afterward the nuclear war, and took in quite a large number of US refugees from border states. Assuming I survive, how long would it be before I'll be able to make it back home?

Now a harder scenario: Say I'm an Argentinian living in the UK. So I have to either fly or sail home. Again, UK is destroyed but Argentina remains as a functioning nation and remained actually fairly stable throughout the 1983 DOomsday TL. How long would it be before I'd be able to cross the Atlantic back home?



for Mexican senario
he and his family must travel over 4000 km from Boston to Mexico border
They will face destroy cities by Nuclear bombs and there Radioactive Fallout.
If they take US Highway system like every one else in this situation, they face traffic congestion
next to that commes bandits, distressed ready to murder for a Car, food, gasoline
They face also lost of infrastucture on Gasoline, Food, water.
so the chance to strand during there odyssey is very high

if they switch on Horse or to feet, will increase the Travel time by month even years.

for Argentinean senario
It depend how many UK harbor towns are hit by nukes
if the Argentine find a working ship (either Cargo ship or sailboat) with Crew willing to travel to Argentinean
would take several weeks to get from there

Note
Both scenario not deal with Nuclear Winter
with nuclear winter the chance that Mexican family died during there odyssey is very high.
the chance Argentine survived the Travel during Nuclear Winter is marginal,
Here is better Both try to stay were there are try survive the Nuclear Winter and then try to travel home
of course to find working vehicle after the Nuclear Winter, is more difficult...
 

jahenders

Banned
One significant question is the level of impact of EMP. You'll definitely have some EMP effects from all the bombs going off, but I'm not sure how widespread the destructive effects will be. That is, does a nuke that hits DC cause EMP effects in Baltimore? Boston? How severe are those effects?

Assuming heavy enough EMP, you could have LOTS of electronics and machinery knocked out all over the US. Assuming that's the case, you may have to walk quite a ways until you get to where you can find a working car. Then, as others have noted, you'll have to find a way to negotiate with people who aren't going to be willing to share their scarce resources or are actually trying to kill/rob you.

All in all, I think you'll have a fairly slow and circuitous route back to Mexico.

Finally, while Mexico may be notionally "functional", I think it's going to be significantly impacted. A flood of US refugees is going to severely impact a semi-fragile economy, as will the loss of all trade with the US. Mexico may not get heavy (immediate) nuclear effects, but it's likely going to fall into anarchy in many areas.
 
dam I forgot EMP
it will fried the electronic of modern Cars, airliner in 1983

i Hope that the Mexican Family drives a older, 1970s car, who are immune toward EMP.

Oldtimer are desired sought-after in post war atomic World...

mad-max-fury-road-car.jpg
 
for Mexican senario
he and his family must travel over 4000 km from Boston to Mexico border
They will face destroy cities by Nuclear bombs and there Radioactive Fallout.
If they take US Highway system like every one else in this situation, they face traffic congestion
next to that commes bandits, distressed ready to murder for a Car, food, gasoline
They face also lost of infrastucture on Gasoline, Food, water.
so the chance to strand during there odyssey is very high

if they switch on Horse or to feet, will increase the Travel time by month even years.

for Argentinean senario
It depend how many UK harbor towns are hit by nukes
if the Argentine find a working ship (either Cargo ship or sailboat) with Crew willing to travel to Argentinean
would take several weeks to get from there

Note
Both scenario not deal with Nuclear Winter
with nuclear winter the chance that Mexican family died during there odyssey is very high.
the chance Argentine survived the Travel during Nuclear Winter is marginal,
Here is better Both try to stay were there are try survive the Nuclear Winter and then try to travel home
of course to find working vehicle after the Nuclear Winter, is more difficult...

I can imagine the few remaining boats being occupied by people who are waiting out the war at sea. With the few remaining being scrapped up by the local authorities or being unfit to use. If someone so happened to be on a seaworthy vessel capable of travelling the distance, they may come under attack by pirates and remnants of militaries and cost guards.

Most horses will either starve or get eaten. Freight Trains may still be operational and they will be covered in refugees fleeing the cities. Slavery will most likely come back in some form and bands of thugs may hunt down people of other races. The only safe way out is a blimp and they wont have enough gas to make the large journey.
 
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