"Sky on Fire" Zombies, World, ect. INFO

[NethanielShade]

This OOC thread will contain information pertaining to Earth in 2019 when "Sky on Fire" takes place. Please do not post in this thread unless you feel like you can make a quality post similar to mine or better, and have asked to do so in the OOC.

Table of Contents.
• The Nukes
• The Zombies
• The United States
• The World

[NethanielShade]

The Nukes

Only two types of "nukes" or, more accurately, Hydrogen Bombs, were dropped on the United States, but all in all there were 38 detonations and at least 4 not detonated bombs. The first type is the 100 Megaton Tsar Bomba, developed and deployed by the Russians, and the second type is a 15 Mt bomb very similar to the USA's Castle Bravo.

The 100 Mt Tsar Bomba
Crater Radius: 1.79 km (10.1 km²)
Air blast radius (200 psi): 3.82 km (45.8 km²)
Approximately the pressure felt inside of a steam boiler on a locomotive. All buildings and people within are vaporized.
Air blast radius (20 psi): 10.5 km (347 km²)
At 20 psi overpressure, heavily built concrete buildings are severely damaged or demolished; fatalities approach 100%.
Air blast radius (5 psi): 23.5 km (1,730 km²)
At 5 psi overpressure, most residential buildings collapse, injuries are universal, fatalities are widespread, anywhere from 60% to 40%.
Air blast radius (1.5 psi): 51 km (8,170 km²)
At a 1.5 psi overpressure, glass windows can be expected to break. This can cause many injuries in a surrounding population who comes to a window after seeing the flash of a nuclear explosion (which travels faster than the pressure wave.)
Fireball radius: 7.92 km (197 km²)
Maximum size of the nuclear fireball; relevance to lived effects depends on height of detonation. If it touches the ground, the amount of radioactive fallout is significantly increased.
Thermal radiation radius (35 cal/cm2): 50.7 km (8,090 km²)
Everything inside this area is scorched or incinerated.
Thermal radiation radius (3rd degree burns): 64.2 km (12,960 km²)
Third degree burns extend throughout the layers of skin, and are often painless because they destroy the pain nerves. They can cause severe scarring or disablement, and can require amputation. 100% probability for 3rd degree burns at this yield is 13.9 cal/cm2.
Thermal radiation radius (3rd degree burns (50%)): 67.1 km (14,130 km²)
Third degree burns extend throughout the layers of skin, and are often painless because they destroy the pain nerves. They can cause severe scarring or disablement, and can require amputation. 50% probability for 3rd degree burns at this yield is 12.6 cal/cm2.
Thermal radiation radius (2nd degree burns (50%)): 81.2 km (20,710 km²)
Second degree burns are deeper burns to several layers of the skin. They are very painful and require several weeks to heal. Extreme second degree burns can produce scarring or require grafting. 50% probability for 2nd degree burns at this yield is 8.1 cal/cm2.
Thermal radiation radius (1st degree burns (50%)): 103 km (33,260 km²)
First degree burns are superficial burns to the outer layers of the skin. They are painful but heal in 5-10 days. They are more or less the same thing as a sunburn. 50% probability for 1st degree burns at this yield is 4.7 cal/cm2.
Thermal radiation radius (no harm): 138 km (60,210 km²)
The distance at which anybody beyond would definitely suffer no damage from thermal radiation (heat), but they would feel the heat. 100% probability of no significant thermal damage at this yield is 2.4 cal/cm2.
Radiation radius (5000 rem): 6.54 km (134 km²)
5000 rem radiation dose. 100% fatal exposure.
Radiation radius (500 rem): 6.99 km (153 km²)
500 rem radiation dose; without medical treatment, there can be expected between 50% and 90% mortality from acute effects alone, with treatment. Without treatment, 99% chance of mortality. Dying takes between several hours and several weeks.
Radiation radius (400 rem): 7.03 km (155 km²)
Extremely severe dosage of radiation, survival only possible with treatment.
Radiation radius (200 rem): 7.15 km (161 km²)
Severe radiation poisoning, nausea and vomiting, but recovery is likely.
Radiation radius (100 rem): 7.28 km (166 km²)
Temporary radiation sickness, nausea, low blood cell count. Not fatal.
Radiation radius (50 rem): 7.42 km (173 km²)
Slight effect, decrease in blood cell count, return normal in a few days. Increase in lifetime cancer risk: 1 in 250.

The 15 Mt Castle Bravo
Bombs set off 1.17 km above the surface, measurements are radius from where bomb blew up in the air, not the ground point below it.
Crater Radius: 0.95 km (2.85 km²)
Air blast radius (200 psi): 2.03 km (12.9 km²)
Approximately the pressure felt inside of a steam boiler on a locomotive. All buildings and people within are vaporized.
Air blast radius (20 psi): 5.58 km (97.9 km²)
At 20 psi overpressure, heavily built concrete buildings are severely damaged or demolished; fatalities approach 100%.
Air blast radius (5 psi): 12.5 km (490 km²)
At 5 psi overpressure, most residential buildings collapse, injuries are universal, fatalities are widespread, anywhere from 60% to 40%.
Air blast radius (1.5 psi): 27.1 km (2,310 km²)
At a 1.5 psi overpressure, glass windows can be expected to break. This can cause many injuries in a surrounding population who comes to a window after seeing the flash of a nuclear explosion (which travels faster than the pressure wave.)
Fireball radius: 2.85 km (25.6 km²)
Maximum size of the nuclear fireball; relevance to lived effects depends on height of detonation. If it touches the ground, the amount of radioactive fallout is significantly increased.
Thermal radiation radius (35 cal/cm2): 25.7 km (2,070 km²)
Everything inside this area is scorched or incinerated.
Thermal radiation radius (3rd degree burns): 39.8 km (4,980 km²)
Third degree burns extend throughout the layers of skin, and are often painless because they destroy the pain nerves. They can cause severe scarring or disablement, and can require amputation. 100% probability for 3rd degree burns at this yield is 13.9 cal/cm2.
Thermal radiation radius (3rd degree burns (50%)): 42.6 km (5,700 km²)
Third degree burns extend throughout the layers of skin, and are often painless because they destroy the pain nerves. They can cause severe scarring or disablement, and can require amputation. 50% probability for 3rd degree burns at this yield is 12.6 cal/cm2.
Thermal radiation radius (2nd degree burns (50%)): 52 km (8,480 km²)
Second degree burns are deeper burns to several layers of the skin. They are very painful and require several weeks to heal. Extreme second degree burns can produce scarring or require grafting. 50% probability for 2nd degree burns at this yield is 8.1 cal/cm2.
Thermal radiation radius (1st degree burns (50%)): 68.7 km (14,830 km²)
First degree burns are superficial burns to the outer layers of the skin. They are painful but heal in 5-10 days. They are more or less the same thing as a sunburn. 50% probability for 1st degree burns at this yield is 4.7 cal/cm2.
Thermal radiation radius (no harm): 85.6 km (23,020 km²)
The distance at which anybody beyond would definitely suffer no damage from thermal radiation (heat), but they would feel the heat. 100% probability of no significant thermal damage at this yield is 2.4 cal/cm2.
Radiation radius (5000 rem): 2.8 km (24.7 km²)
5000 rem radiation dose. 100% fatal exposure.
Radiation radius (500 rem): 3.43 km (37 km²)
500 rem radiation dose; without medical treatment, there can be expected between 50% and 90% mortality from acute effects alone, with treatment. Without treatment, 99% chance of mortality. Dying takes between several hours and several weeks.
Radiation radius (50 rem): 4.01 km (50.5 km²)
Slight effect, decrease in blood cell count, return normal in a few days. Increase in lifetime cancer risk: 1 in 250.


Keep in mind fallout from a 100 Megaton bomb will be much worse, being dangerous for about two weeks, and cautionary for much, much longer. This is theoretical on my part, as there's no actual research on a 100 Megaton bomb, but it seems like a plausible amount of time.

How long will the radiation stay?
"The danger of radiation from fallout also decreases with time, as radioactivity decays exponentially with time, such that for each factor of seven increase in time, the radiation is reduced by a factor of ten. For example, after 7 hours, the average dose rate is reduced by a factor of ten; after 49 hours, it is reduced by a further factor of ten (to 1/100th); after two weeks the radiation from the fallout will have reduced by a factor of 1000 compared the initial level; and after 14 weeks the average dose rate will have reduced to 1/10,000th of the initial level." Wikipedia.
So, the 5000 rem ring will be reduced to 500 rem after 7 hours, 50 rem in 49 hours, after two weeks it will be 5 rem, and in 14 weeks, 0.5 rem. This is mathematically, but in reality it takes slightly longer and is inconsistent due to more radioactive dust piling up in different areas. Fallout is also washed away by the elements but stays radioactive indoors if it sits there.

Nuked Cities in the United States:
100 Mt Tsar Bomba (all surface bursts):
New York, NY
Los Angeles, CA
Chicago, IL
Houston, TX
Philadelphia, PN
Phoenix, AZ
San Antonio, TX
San Diego, CA
Dallas, TX
San Jose, CA
Washington DC

15 Mt H-Bomb (all air-bursts*):
Jacksonville, FL
Indianapolis, IN
San Francisco, CA
Austin, TX
Columbus, OH
Fort Worth, TX
Charlotte, NC
Detroit, MI
El Paso, TX*
Memphis, TN
Baltimore, MD
Boston, MA
Seattle, WA
Nashville, TN
Denver, CO
Louisville, KY
Milwaukee, WI
Portland, OR
Portland, ME
Las Vegas, NV
Tampa, FL
Miami, FL
Orlando, FL
Atlanta, GA
New Orleans, LA
Kansas City, MO
Seminole, TX

*: El Paso's H-Bomb failed to detonate in the air, but detonated upon impact with the surface.

Map of detonations in the USA.

[NethanielShade]

The "Zombies"
This is supposed to be two-years-in-the-future earth, not a parallel universe where zombies don't exist. So even though they aren't undead, people will generally call them zombies, the infected, or other popular terms, as thats what they closest resemble. The virus is caused by a genetically engineered version of the rabies virus, altered as a bioweapon by Russian scientists specifically to hunt down and infect other humans. The virus damages parts of the brain that carry emotion, thought, and personality, while simultaneously boosting the part of the brain that carries primal urges, senses, and surprisingly, logic. People infected by the virus lose their free will, personality, everything, and are instead filled with the intense consuming urge to hunt. They are perpetually hungry and will hunt down animals and eat them raw, and hunt down humans and not kill but just bite until they are infected with the virus. Along with all this, they also feel absolutely no pain and will push their muscles to the point of self-harm to perform any task, and as a result they are very strong and fast. They will run at humans with the speed of an olympic athlete, they will break their own bones to knock down doors, and they will jump through windows or off one story buildings without a second thought. However, if they are not too close to you to be in a blind rage, they are surprisingly and terrifyingly good at problem solving, so they will not stand under a building and look up at you, but they will instead try to climb it. If there is no way to climb directly up, they will climb adjacent buildings or lower areas, pathfinding their way to where they last saw you. While their senses are not superhuman, they do not have thoughts clouding their minds and will always be alert for the uninfected. The virus does what it can to preserve the host's body, and as such will expend energy to heal wounds and will also attack other bacteria and viruses, allowing them to eat raw meat without getting sick. They will chase down and try to eat any animal they see, dogs, cats, deer, and even bears. They will not scream to alert others of animals, but when they see and chase humans they will scream high pitched and at the top of their lungs, damaging vocal cords to do so. When one screams, any who hear it will scream, causing a chain reactions and drawing massive hordes to the location of any uninfected human.

The infected can be told apart by other humans due to their pale sickly look, loss of hair, and sometimes tumors due to rapid healing. They can and will bleed to death, be suffocated and/or drown, crushed, and other ways humans can die, but not as easily as a human. They cannot pass out from pain or shock, and will exert as much physical strength as possible to get themselves out of a deadly situation. Despite their logical abilities when it comes to chasing, they are not smart enough to open doors, unlock windows, or move things aside. Instead they will knock down doors, break windows, and jump over things.

There exists two "variants" of the virus other than the normal infected. One just seems to be a personality quirk of the virus, instead of chasing humans down and screaming, they will stand in place, throw their heads back, and scream until their throats are torn and bleeding, for minutes, much louder than any others can possibly scream, before chasing. The other seems to be a variant of the virus that was probably engineered imperfectly, instead of only regenerating wounds, it constantly regenerates cells as if each cell in the body was a cancer cell. These ones heal very rapidly, from minutes to hours instead of days, but they develop more tumors than others and after weeks or months will be significantly slowed down by the tumors.