Aftermath (26 сент 1983 г. – 31 дек 1983 г.)

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General Overview

Predictions of the results of a nuclear exchange from the late 1970s and early 1980s prove fairly accurate. In addition to the initial death toll, subsequent mortality rates due to fall-out, out-of-control fires, starvation, dehydration, and unchecked disease add another 700 million lost, mostly in the Northern Hemisphere. The predictions of a "nuclear winter," however, come up short. Only a 10°F drop is noted, and as the attack occurred going into late fall, it had no major effect on typical weather patterns. The dust cover blocked out the sun for several days, but within a week, it dissipated and cloud patterns returned to normal by mid-October. By contrast, later in the summer of 1984, predictions of a "nuclear summer" do come true, as nitrogen oxides and a reduced ozone layer raised temperatures to an average high 10-25°F over normal.

Vast areas of North America, most of Europe, much of the Soviet Union, and many parts of China are uninhabitable. Radiation levels dropped with the predicted two weeks fall-out pattern, but irradiated regions and areas where toxic chemicals have been spilled remain lethal to humans. Several nuclear reactors in the US, Europe, and the Soviet Union experience critical meltdowns and explode, releasing additional radiation into the atmosphere.

Death tolls keep rising. By March 1984, the population of the United States dropped to 28 million people, almost 1/10 the pre-Doomsday level. The story was similar in the rest of the Northern Hemisphere, with Great Britain's population reduced to numbers not seen since the Norman Conquest.

North America

United States

After a week in the National Airborne Command Post jet, President Reagan is transferred to the still-surviving Mount Weather command bunker. (Oddly, though known to the Soviets for years, no attack on the facility was made.) Vice President George Bush is relocated to the Greenbrier Hotel facility (this was to have been the Congressional relocation center, but no evacuation of Congress was possible).

Subsequent attempts of coordination of remaining police, fire, and especially National Guard units in the United States prove only marginally successful. With the widespread death, starvation, and fall-out, few National Guardsmen report for duty. Most couldn't, but many (with no safe zones for their families) refused. Chaos reigned.

By Christmas, Hawaii is the only US state with a functioning state-wide government, but shortages of food and medicine cause violence between various factions. Hawaii's main union of farm laborers has won control through its control of the food and the consent of the now-powerless local officials. The union's leader, Louis Goldblatt, takes the title of Governor and imposes Marxist-style labor quotas and rations. His restrictions hold the conflict in check, but just barely. The remote island state is, however, still completely isolated from the mainland US.

Many areas of the U.S. that didn't get hit by nuclear missiles and weren't devastated by fallout and/or violence had strong, functioning governments and leadership of some type at the local level. In these areas, from the Rocky Mountains to Texas to the deep South to New England, surviving cities, towns and villages took control of their own survival, taking on responsibilities (the best they could) that would be normally handled by Federal and state agencies making alliances with other nearby towns in order to get through the crisis. Most of the city states and alliances that were able to get past the end of the year were in good position to survive.

A coordinated effort by the Greenville, SC, city and county law enforcement agencies institute the "Greenville Protocol" by which hundreds of officers spread out from downtown Greenville and secure the county. Contact is quickly made with officials in Spartanburg and Pickens Counties. An emergency government is set up in Greenville.

In nearby Anderson County, radical religious leader Royall Jenkins of the United Nation of Islam takes over the city of Anderson. It is learned later that there had been bloodshed as a racist African-American city-state was set up there, though Jenkins claims that the casualties were a result of "racist resistance to necessary change" as he was setting up the provisional government in the town.

Cuba

Cuba was one of the few Communist nations to survive Doomsday. Although Havana and Santiago were hit by nuclear devices, strategic plans in the USA did not target massive destruction on the island, partly because they did not wish to set off nuclear devices so close to their border, and partly because Cuba did not harbor nukes of their own. However, because Miami was a major target for the USSR, Cuba was expecting major effects from fallout.

Fidel Castro was assumed dead, as was his brother and second-in-command Raul Castro, and other top officials, but the Cuba communist system was built from the bases of society. Important military personnel were overseas, particularly in Angola, so the chain of command could be re-established once communications were restored. The surviving Cuban government, anticipating drastic effects from fallout, decreed that any resident was free to leave the island and suggested that evacuees try to flee to Central or South America but did not provide any means of evacuation.

Canada

The major population centers were hit hard by incoming missile strikes. The largest group of survivors were in the Atlantic Provinces (Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia), as only two bombs hit this region. The territories also escaped major damage, but due to their size, most contact with them was lost. Social and civil order proved difficult, if not impossible, to maintain in many regions, as only Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island held onto their provincial governments amidst the storm of refugees and radioactive fallout.

Central America

Nicaragua/Costa Rica

Post-Doomsday unrest adds fuel to the Nicaraguan Civil War. The conflict spills across the border into Costa Rica as right-wing Contras enter the country from Nicaragua's sparsely populated southwest. The left-wing Sandinistas soon follow; Nicaragua's Sandinista government is in control of Costa Rica's Guanacaste province by the end of the year.

Haiti

Jean-Bertrand Aristide, having returned in 1983 for his ordination as a Salesian priest, quickly took the reigns of Haiti and won a landslide victory in the presidential elections of 1984.

Oceania

Australia has – along with New Zealand - weathered the war the best. Though it has lost Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth, the capital at Canberra has survived and much of the population has taken shelter and have stockpiled provisions. Australian agriculture remained relatively intact and in the years after the war, has maintained a sufficient level of production. Rationing of food has been enacted, but it is not burdensome. Prime Minister Bob Hawke had been in office only for a few months, but has proved an able leader.

With a strong agricultural and fishing economy, both American and Western Samoa are also relatively stable following the attacks. However, the American half of the islands has lost its main trading partner. In November, New Zealand passes the Samoan Aid Act to help both Samoas. On December 20, the Governing Committee for Samoa is created to run affairs in both halves of Samoa - the first of many international unions to emerge after Doomsday.

South America

Though the continent had been spared any nuclear attacks, breakdowns in trade and civil unrest had taken their toll. Small amounts of fallout, mainly brought about by trade winds, affected South America, mainly Colombia, Venezuela and the Guianas; and more was expected to come in the following years.

Argentina

Argentina suspended Presidential elections, originally scheduled for late October.

Brazil

Brazil was on the verge of restoring democratic rule after 19 years of military dictatorship when Doomsday occurred. As a result, re-democratization was halted, and rioting began in major cities.

Colombia

Fallout effects began to be evident, mainly in the Northern Shore area and in San Andres, however the most notorious effect was the disruption of international trade. Some civil unrest was capitalized upon by FARC guerrillas to achieve a better standing in peace negotiations with the Colombian government.

Venezuela

Almost completely dominated by oil exports to the US, Venezuela's economy collapsed. Some regions also begin to feel the effects from radioactive clouds brought by trade winds.

Asia

Several regions in Indonesia are shaken by separatist uprisings which force the central government to withdraw the bulk of the army from the outer regions back to Java and Southern Sumatra to at least keep order in the economical and political heart of the Archipelago. At first caught by surprise by the sudden retreat, GAM then-in-command Hosein di Tiro, a cousin of the exiled Hasan di Tiro, quickly regrouped the loyal GAM units (supposedly around 3.000 men) and led them to the provincial capital of Banda Aceh, where they started to fight for control of the city.

The Dalai Lama returns to Tibet and on March 15, the Tibetan monarchy is proclaimed.

Europe

Portugal

Emergency plans were enacted, but proved largely ineffective, even with quickly combined Portuguese and Spanish local security forces. All mid - or even long-term plans appeared senseless as the massive fallout spread over Continental Europe. The only remaining mainland governmental body was a small parliamentary delegation which at the time of the detonations was aboard the Portuguese frigate "Álvares Cabral" (F-331) to observe a demonstration of an amphibious landing operation. Upon incoming news of the attacks and no contact to Lisbon possible, the maneuver was canceled and an emergency session of the few surviving parliament members (headed by a Vice President of the Parliament) along with a handful of navy generals took place.

In order to maintain a functioning government, it was immediately decided to set course for the Portuguese Islands of Madeira and Azores as no hits were reported from local authorities. So the Álvares Cabral and the small accompanying convoy - namely the Submarine Albacora and a small supply ship- headed first for Funchal, Madeira then to Punta Delgada on the Azores Islands. En route, all naval and air force units that could be reached were ordered to relocate to Madeira and Azores. A few aircraft and several navy ships -mainly a second submarine- arrived later in Funchal. After consultations with the local authorities and governments, it was decided to officially relocate the capital and install a Portuguese Interim Government in Punta Delgada. The Vice President of the Parliament was named provisional head of state.

Celtic Alliance

The Irish government implements full martial law awaiting for an attack from the Soviet Union, it never happens, though Belfast suffers a direct hit. 100,000 Northern Irish refugees head west and south to the Republic. Plans are put in motion to contain civil disorder, with conscription enacted in an emergency sitting of Parliament in Dublin. The Northern Irish counties are overcome by desperation and work with the Republic to assist the dying and injured. British army units in Northern Ireland accept the Irish President as their acting Commander In Chief till contrary information is received from the UK High Command.

Four weeks after Doomsday, contact is received via Morse code from the Isle of Lewis in western Scotland. Five UK MP's (all Scottish Nationalists) have survived and are officially, as one is a Privy Councilor, the de facto UK government. They are brought to Dublin which lays the foundations for the Celtic Alliance which was formally declared in 1986. British army units in Northern Ireland ask the UK MP's to clarify their position, Gordon Wilson, MP Privy Councilor (SNP), as de facto head of State, formally amalgamates the regiments in Northern Ireland into the Irish Armed Forces.

Soviet Union

After Doomsday, significant parts of the Soviet Union have been utterly destroyed. The number of people killed is staggeringly high, with some initial estimates in the 270 million range. Very few of the Soviet officials in Europe and Central Asia have survived the attack, leaving its small remaining population essentially in a state of anarchy. Siberia, the Russian Far East and parts of the Kazakh SSR however have survived the blunt of doomsday much better and several of its leaders along with most of it population are still alive.

Middle East

Israel, Syria, and Jordan have all been struck by nuclear missiles. Israel and Jordan manage to hold on to organized government, but Syria's one-party power structure is totally shattered, plunging the country into chaos. Egypt escapes attack, but falls into economic and political meltdown, allowing the Muslim Brotherhood to seize power and impose their Islamist vision upon the country.

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