>> Although, if it happens anytime soon, given how fragile America is right now, it'll shatter the country I suspect. I mean, it would be hard to cope with that level of destruction and displacement of people at the best of times.<<
America is in no way equipped to handle a disaster of that magnitude, even if people were acting in concert. All the infrastructure connections -- roads, bridges, pipes, docks, etc. -- will be severed. We don't have enough cargo aircraft to supply the number of survivors. We don't have enough shelters to put them in. We don't have a system for swiftly transporting refugees out of a disaster area and settling them in houses and jobs elsewhere. America has performed very badly in previous examples such as the Dustbowl and Hurricane Katrina; this will be many times worse. In fact, the West Coast still uses Okie as a slur. It makes me wonder if Oklahoma will show them how it's supposed to be done ... or turn them away, laughing "Now it's our turn."
>> The way things stand now, with the Spray-tan Don at the helm, I'd expect the rescue services and the economy to be very quickly overwhelmed, and Washington D.C to essentially abandon the West coast to their fate, with little or no help, the same as they did to Puerto Rico. <<
There is one critical difference: the West Coast provides a vast amount of America's food supply, and all or nearly all of many categories of produce. Few people in power know that, but it would come to their attention very quickly. But there's nothing to be done about it. You can't raise crops in a disaster area, especially with the waterlines all cut. If people expended maximum effort, they might save some of the perennials like grapevines and almond trees, but everything else is a total loss. Either it dies on the vine because people are busy surviving, or it gets eaten by locals because there's little food coming in and no way out. That means the rest of the country takes an instant hit to the food supply that won't recover for at least a year, and serious impacts would last much longer.
>> I'd imagine that wouldn't go down well, might be the final straw that breaks the camels back, or rather, the Union.<<
Thoughts
America is in no way equipped to handle a disaster of that magnitude, even if people were acting in concert. All the infrastructure connections -- roads, bridges, pipes, docks, etc. -- will be severed. We don't have enough cargo aircraft to supply the number of survivors. We don't have enough shelters to put them in. We don't have a system for swiftly transporting refugees out of a disaster area and settling them in houses and jobs elsewhere. America has performed very badly in previous examples such as the Dustbowl and Hurricane Katrina; this will be many times worse. In fact, the West Coast still uses Okie as a slur. It makes me wonder if Oklahoma will show them how it's supposed to be done ... or turn them away, laughing "Now it's our turn."
>> The way things stand now, with the Spray-tan Don at the helm, I'd expect the rescue services and the economy to be very quickly overwhelmed, and Washington D.C to essentially abandon the West coast to their fate, with little or no help, the same as they did to Puerto Rico. <<
There is one critical difference: the West Coast provides a vast amount of America's food supply, and all or nearly all of many categories of produce. Few people in power know that, but it would come to their attention very quickly. But there's nothing to be done about it. You can't raise crops in a disaster area, especially with the waterlines all cut. If people expended maximum effort, they might save some of the perennials like grapevines and almond trees, but everything else is a total loss. Either it dies on the vine because people are busy surviving, or it gets eaten by locals because there's little food coming in and no way out. That means the rest of the country takes an instant hit to the food supply that won't recover for at least a year, and serious impacts would last much longer.
>> I'd imagine that wouldn't go down well, might be the final straw that breaks the camels back, or rather, the Union.<<
I wouldn't be surprised.