"Post-Apocalyptic Terrain Inspiration Images?" Topic

Sand reclaiming desert cities might be of interest to some:

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Not that I mind, but I am curious how thigh high stockings help in the fight against the undead? Its not like the zombies will be distracted by the exposed flesh… or then again, maybe they would be. Hmmmmmmm.

OH, and I forgot to say, cool pics CC. : )

New twist:

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CC – Not sure if you have seen this yet, but it is cool none the less.

It is the website for a book called The World Without Us. Of particular interest is the slide show of New York toward the middle of the page.

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I keep finding interesting photos like this (this one of the "Beirut Green Line"):

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Wow. This image looks nice:

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englishrussia.com/?p=1305
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Is mad science, comrade!
englishrussia.com/?p=1584

opacity.us
lostamerica.com/urbex.html
uer.ca
infiltration.org
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No I am not into this stuff, in places like Townsville there isn't much for people who practice this to see much of. Let's face it, a small weatherboard house rotting to nothing isn't nearly as exciting as an abandoned theatre or factory or missile silo.

From what I know about nuclear war, pretty much everything will have been burned. A lot of buildings may survive the initial blast, especially some right near ground zero. They will have their upper floors punched in from the blastwave. Many will collapse in World Trade Centre fashion, from initial blast and structural failure from fires. Expect a lot of pancaked buildings, rubble, and one or two skyscrapers left with varying degrees of damage. Rock, concrete, glass, metal will be blistered and scorched. Plates, teacups etc, will be fused if dug up from the rubble. Manhole covers will be fused shut.

Further out, you will have a zone of total devastation. Anything prefab is toast. Smaller buildings may survive, especially when constructed from reinforced concrete. Highway bypasses and things will probably survive. Buildings like the Pentagon will probably be more or less intact. Buildings with sloped sides are also better able to take the sideways forces. Strong steel framed buildings will buckle but not totally collapse. Fires will burn for weeks, even months in some places. Some survivors might be found underground, especially in subways but wouldn't be able to leave for days due to radiation, fires, dust and smoke. If they are sealed off by debris they might have more of a chance because the atmosphere at or near ground zero for a while post-detonation is going to be lethal. They might have to wait two weeks for the radiation to die down before they can trek out without picking up a lethal dose. Cars will be picked up and flung, upholstery bursting into flames. 99% casualties in this area, falling to maybe 50% in the buildings further away.

Out in the suburbs, houses closer to ground zero will also be flattened (I am thinking of American prefab houses) and likely incinerated. Malls, gas stations etc. will remain standing, many gutted by flame. People in their cars will be badly burned and showered with glass. About 75% immediate casualties here because of flimsy houses. With brick houses, maybe half that.

Further out, the damage gets less severe. Terrain will certainly help, for example if a house is in the lee of a hill between it and ground zero. But overpressure waves will still shatter windows and so on. 50% casualties. Maybe 20% with red brick houses. People in cars may get sizzled but cars are better designed to handle overpressure.

And that's just one bomb. For repeated off-centre hits, only the people underground will survive. For a single H-bomb, only people in neighbouring towns will survive. Every single crop, uncovered water supply and food animal will be contaminated.

About 6 months after the blast, plants will start germinating in the city. 10-20 years later and the city will be covered in green with skyscrapers and rubble poking out of grass and scrub(assuming there's no nuclear winter and there is sufficient rain).

So the end result is kinda like this (assuming no reconstruction):

1. Up to 5 years after nuclear strike: A generally rubble-covered city, with a few random buildings poking up near ground zero. The suburbs are pancaked and generally burnt-out. Think "meteor crater" with a central cone and you get the idea. Some plants may be found here and there in the city.

2. 10 year after nuclear strike: Further collapse in the suburban areas. Greenery starts taking over the 'burbs area. Roads start becoming overgrown. Greenery starts appearing in the inner city.

3. 20 years – everything's heavily rusted. Lots of further collapses as vegetation starts undermining foundations and steel members rust out in critical spots and bend. Trees start appearing in the central city.

4. 100-200 years – most iron and steel, esp. in cars, is completely rusted and just forms rust piles. Most paint that isn't burned is gone. Most buildings have collapsed save for a few ground floor frames. Concrete is being reduced to sand and dirt. Compared to an ancient stone city, there is very little left.

Hmm, yes, though the programme Life after People gives some seriously different figures, however they have not assumed a nuclear apocalypse but that all the people simply either passed away peacefully in their sleep one night, inexplicably, from a cause that did not affect ANY other species on Earth but wiped out humanity to the last individual overnight; or that they all magically disappeared in the night.

Disappointing for many plotlines that reactors shut down into safe mode when they detect noone is using the juice, though how would they know? If people left their fridges/water heaters on wouldn't they still be detecting draw until the machines all broke, THEN shut down? Even more disappointing, my PA gangs can't take up residence in public transport tunnels as most of them are beneath the water table, with noone to run the pumps (nor any power to do so!) they will flood within about 36 hours. They'd need canoes.
Any top secret bunkers your PA characters came across with functioning technology inside would have to be in the American Southwest so their primary voltage source can be the Hoover Dam. And while that thing might last a while longer it would not supply more than a century or two before the turbines fail/shut down due to the intakes getting jammed with a little bivalve that noone exists any more to clean out of there.

More here:

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Interesting. This is supposed to be London in 2036.

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Isn't that the year Apophis is supposed to hit?

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These albums are unbelievable!!!

picasaweb.google.com/athlon.bhdw

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This is cool:

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Wow:

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And the cool images keep coming.

These are also from "Life After People":

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Nice, aren't they?

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Here's one of Seattle:

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Just found this one, from another of the POTA films:

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YOU GUYS HAVE GOT TO SEE THESE:

bensprout.com/killzone.html

Dan

For New York-specific:

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Dan

Here's my attempt at making a Post Apocalyptic Sampan (WIP):

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Guys, think of all the new raiding opportunities that will become available to Post Apocalyptic pirates:

100 meter rise
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170 meter rise
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Dan
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You can go to various stock photograph sites and look for "Urban Decay" to find lots of real world inspiration. For an example..

sxc.hu/category/1054

There was a site once that had great photos of city ruins made from plastic milk crates, any ideas where it went to?

This might be it:

skankgame.com/Highrises.html

That was it, the only thing I'd have done differently is to coat the outside partially in foamcore to represent wall covering.

This is cute:

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Dan

I really like this image here:

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Three simple but fortified buildings.

Dan

Just found this one, presumably of New York:

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Hope it inspires your projects, present and future.

Dan

This is a cool page:

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Dan

A more recent discussion on this topic:

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Hope this makes the anti-necro-thread-o-mancy crowd happy.

Dan

thanks morrigan thats just what i was looking for.
Cheers
Pat
Catweasels blog