Survivor communities outside the known world

[Restrepo]

Neither do I actually.  Should have been more clear about that - I meant the veterans would VOLUNTEER to help in droves.  Working in the Hospice Camps, shipping supplies to the quarantined nuclear reactor workers... ect.  They have a higher volunteer rate then average.

Gotcha.

As a side note, America would really just deteriorate into a sad state of affairs worse than the Late Bronze Age Collapse. I mean—if the monsters seem to have a hard time surviving in Scandinavia, but are still strong enough to pose a significant threat to the survivors, I wouldn't want to see the Americas. In comparison to the Nordic countries, we have a bigger population and a fairly stupid population to compound that problem. I understand that not all Americans are dumb, but it would seem a lot of the anti-science stuff typically comes from the United States and they have a lot of followers. Even in the fairly liberal, forward-thinking area I'm in, I've seen some people who think that GMOs are all bad, vaccines cause autism, etc. EDIT: Therefore, the Rash could have an easier time spreading through the US due to these types of people.

But yeah, your analysis is pretty good. I'll use it as a vague outline of sorts for my story. I've pretty much only touched upon the very top of the apocalypse. The soldiers are yet to see any terrible symptoms of the Rash, though they have heard stories of National Guard/Marine units who have ran into infected personnel.

[Kin]

As a side note, America would really just deteriorate into a sad state of affairs worse than the Late Bronze Age Collapse.
<snip>
 I understand that not all Americans are dumb, but it would seem a lot of the anti-science stuff typically comes from the United States and they have a lot of followers. Even in the fairly liberal, forward-thinking area I'm in, I've seen some people who think that GMOs are all bad, vaccines cause autism, etc. Therefore, the Rash could have an easier time spreading through the US due to these types of people.

That is why I had a 5% immune rate but a mere 3% survival rate.  Stupidity is gonna kill a lot of Americans.  And the "anti-science" folks tend to actually be the moderately-smart ones.  Just smart enough to actually do research and look things up - but not credulous enough to sort out the stupid things.  And yeah - the whole "vaccines cause autism" thing is a tragic example.  Just enough smarts to look up stuff.  NOT enough smarts to realize that when scientists say "We don't know what causes autism but its not vaccines"... its not just a cop-out.

*sigh*  That is why I think the lack of epidemic fear is actually gonna help.  The same "anti-vaccine" idiots won't have a bunch of fearful stories to counter what the Epidemiologists will advise.  So they will mostly do the right thing - or ignore the advice in predictable ways.  (Not wearing face masks)

[Kin]

As a side note, America would really just deteriorate into a sad state of affairs worse than the Late Bronze Age Collapse. I mean—if the monsters seem to have a hard time surviving in Scandinavia, but are still strong enough to pose a significant threat to the survivors, I wouldn't want to see the Americas.

Er.... huh?  Scandinavia is NOT warmer then the continental USA.  (Ignoring Alaska/Hawaii for a bit)  Yes the bits past the Arctic Circle are crazy cold, but even the human settlements find it hard to live that far north.  Bottom half of Norway/Sweden/Finland is actually warmer on average then an Midwest American winter.  The ocean is a moderating influence on the temperatures there - and the Gulf Stream warms things up quite a bit as well.

Yes - the south bits of America are sub-tropical.  But America is very big - and away from coasts it gets a lot colder in winter.  In fact the middle 2/3rds gets an blast of Arctic Jet Stream cold that pretty much works the reverse of the Gulf Stream for Scandinavia.  On any given winter day... most of Midwest America would generally be colder then the bottom half of Norway/Sweden/Finland.  (Weather variations would occur tho)

The landscape itself is far more favorable to humans as well.  Wide open plains with NO shelter or ways for trolls to sneak up.  Sorta like what the Swedes are trying to achieve by burning the forests down.  Only the Midwest plains come "pre-burnt" as it were.  We have more manpower - more gunpower - and an abundance of easily defensible farmland.  Given that even Finland managed to stay electrical... why would America be blasted back to bronze age?

I will grant a loss of Space Age advantages tho.  Doubt any shuttles going up anymore.  Any inventions of the Space Age (like all the fire-retardant materials) will still be useful.  And any manufacturing that depended on rare earth metals is... probably impossible.  Unless you recycle electronic scrap from landfills.  (Very inefficient tho)

[Restrepo]

Er.... huh?  Scandinavia is NOT warmer then the continental USA.

I was trying to say that most of the Americas would be hotter than most places in the various Nordic countries. I worded that post a lil' weird, should have been more clear.

On the other hand, didn't know that some places in the US (Nebraska, South Dakota, etc) were colder than certain places in Scandinavia. I actually had to go look that up because I couldn't believe that. Guess you were right.

why would America be blasted back to bronze age?

Er, worded another thing weird again I guess. I mean it wouldn't necessarily go back to the bronze age, the destruction that would occur in the US would be worse than the Late Bronze Age Collapse. Like the total collapse of international society that happened in the Bronze Age Collapse would pale in comparison to the turmoil caused by the Rash. Complete collapse of the world's biggest superpowers (The UK/US/Russia/Canada/etc would die out a lot worse than the Hittites/Mycenaean Greece did), destruction of society, mass migrations of people trying to escape, etc. The Sea Peoples could essentially be the Rash in this context as well, though not quite as terrifying.

[Kin]

I was trying to say that most of the Americas would be hotter than most places in the various Nordic countries. I worded that post a lil' weird, should have been more clear.

On the other hand, didn't know that some places in the US (Nebraska, South Dakota, etc) were colder than certain places in Scandinavia. I actually had to go look that up because I couldn't believe that. Guess you were right.

Er, worded another thing weird again I guess. I mean it wouldn't necessarily go back to the bronze age, the destruction that would occur in the US would be worse than the Late Bronze Age Collapse. Like the total collapse of international society that happened in the Bronze Age Collapse would pale in comparison to the turmoil caused by the Rash. Complete collapse of the world's biggest superpowers (The UK/US/Russia/Canada/etc would die out a lot worse than the Hittites/Mycenaean Greece did), destruction of society, mass migrations of people trying to escape, etc. The Sea Peoples could essentially be the Rash in this context as well, though not quite as terrifying.

Big difference between The Rash and all previous historical "apocalyptic" disasters.  The Rash happens much, much faster.  There simply isn't TIME for all of the worst effects of the Bronze Age Collapse you mention.  Any "mass migrations" could only be from the tiny remnant of immune survivors.  The trolls don't negotiate or take surrenders - so there is no force pulling the society apart.  Nor have we seen any sign in comic that they are smart enough to lie and bribe like the Hittites could.  Having a cruel and relentless enemy is a uniting factor - not a divisive one.

Although societies that are too underpopulated will have serious food issues in a growing season or two.  America has a LOT of infrastructure and easy transit everywhere.  Its a long way for trolls to walk - but a short drive.  And even shorter if you let your fingers do the walking and simply call for help.  The map will look very dark - even in 90 years.  I'm not thinking Americans (and Canadians) could even come close to reclaiming the entire continent.  Especially the Eastern forests and the Southern bit.  California will burn very nicely tho.  And the Midwest will freeze, so will the Rockies.  Fortified towns and armored convoys only.  Still not something I'll call "complete collapse of society".  More like what happens when a people group are forced out of power and into a ghetto.  That forms an intensely concreted, creative and united little core that preserves the society.

Hawaii is small enough to completely cleanse.  And/or reclaim and cleanse - depends on how lucky the wild trolls got.  Still need to be watchful for the sea trolls.  Alaska is seriously underpopulated and the climate is difficult even for humans.  Bring your gun and travel carefully.  Better yet, bring a LOT of guns and convoy up.  Or fly.  (still bring your guns)

The point is North America is fricking HUGE!  Especially at a walk.  And especially with all the rivers we got breaking up the landscape.  Big rivers too, not those dinky little things Europe calls "rivers".  Trolls apparently don't like rivers.  Nor does it look like they migrate.  Humans have the speed advantage.  And the air advantage.  (Word of Minna says trolls don't fly)

Russia would be in pretty good shape too.  ("Good" being a very relative term in a post-Rash world)  They have most of the same advantages as North America and even more cold weather.  China is a bit more iffy.  Tons of Chinese total so even a "mere" 5% would be sufficient for rebuilding.  And that hybrid command/free economy they got is pretty good with emergency situations.  And the poor infrastructure would slow down The Rash spread by a ton.  (Pandas are doomed tho - unless they can capture dna for clones)  Japan could go either way.  They are very quick to pull out the face masks and quarantine.  And all the islands means lots of natural troll barriers.  Tokyo would be just as bad off as New York City tho.  Australia?  No clue.  Especially 'cus it was summer for them.

And my grasp of detailed geography and cultural risks breaks down at that point.  Just do not know enough about all the countries in Africa, South America, India and the rest of Asia.

[Kelpie]

(Hey popping in) So I agree that the east coast of the US is pretty much screwed, but have you considered the islands along the coast? There are quite a few that you either have to ferry to, or only have one road entrance that could be very easily defended. A lot of them are also nature reserves so there's the bonus of no existing structures for trolls to hide in, but the drawback of possible beasts overrunning the island. Assuming you have boats you could also eventually form some kind of island community. Maine seems like it would be especially good for this since you have some islands big enough that if you stay inland you should be safe from sea trolls, and it typically gets nice and frosty in the winter.

That's the only real thing I can think of though, your analysis is very nice. _{Also can you tell the islands are my go-to apocalypse plan?}

[Kin]

(Hey popping in) So I agree that the east coast of the US is pretty much screwed, but have you considered the islands along the coast? There are quite a few that you either have to ferry to, or only have one road entrance that could be very easily defended. A lot of them are also nature reserves so there's the bonus of no existing structures for trolls to hide in, but the drawback of possible beasts overrunning the island. Assuming you have boats you could also eventually form some kind of island community. Maine seems like it would be especially good for this since you have some islands big enough that if you stay inland you should be safe from sea trolls, and it typically gets nice and frosty in the winter.

That's the only real thing I can think of though, your analysis is very nice. _{Also can you tell the islands are my go-to apocalypse plan?}

Hm... sounds like a plan.  Year 1~15 those locations would run into under-population and food production problems.  But by say... year 60+ anything remotely "island shaped" would be a candidate for cleansing and resettling.  America is gifted with a TON of coast.  And tons of islands off shore of much of it.  In fact the Florida Keys may be the first part of Florida to be retaken.  (The swamps are gonna be a nasty slug-fest, save those for much, much later)

Retaking the island off the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico are possible if you ship from Chicago.  Take the Great Lakes or the Mississippi by armored boat and you'll have an easy(ish) way to bring a large army and resupply.  Pacific is a lot harder.  Panama canal is gonna be evil.  A transit across the Arctic Ocean in summer might be better.  Or armored convoy of the Rocky highways.  Either way any settlements on the West coast won't get easy rescue in winter.

LOTS of great locations for year 90 cities.  I'd still expect the map to be just speckled in red tho.  Possibly with some larger blotches where the early settlements started.  And mapped out times for convoys.  Given that our economy is currently structured around free movement of labor...  Wonder how that would change now that moving is more difficult?

Won't have the "fear of strangers" problem Iceland does tho.  We KNOW strangers won't bring the Rash.  (Already got plenty, thanks)  Might have the "fear of contacting strangers" issue tho.  Especially if a few over-enthusiastic explorers accidentally break quarantine on rediscovered civilizations.

Oh man - and giving birth to a non-immune baby?  That would be tragic.  Would we even have quarantine locations for them to grow up in?  The 5% immune rate was based on a single allele genetic code.  So it would be very possible for two immune parents to give birth to a non-immune.  Livestock, pets and wild animals are just about 100% immune by now tho.

EDIT - Ok, rechecked my sources and... I'd got it wrong.  Two immune parents always birth immune kids according to my starting numbers.  Cannon doesn't state it explicitly so Word of Minna could change that if plot required.

[Anna]

Kin, immunity seems to be a simple homozygous recessive trait, per the Dangrenning info poster. It explicitly says that two immune parents will always produce an immune child.

[Kin]

Kin, immunity seems to be a simple homozygous recessive trait, per the Dangrenning info poster. It explicitly says that two immune parents will always produce an immune child.

Er... not quite.  It says that two immune parents picked by the Dangrenning program will always produce an immune child.  Could still be a single allele trait.  Anyway the post I took my 5% initial immune rate from assumes a double allele trait.  Apparently the math works out nicely for it.  I'm posting the link again so you can check his numbers.

Ok, who's up for an obnoxiously long post?

So here’s a sort of scenario explaining how I think you can get these elevated but incomplete levels of immunity.
Initial immunity rates are low, probably in the region of 5% or whatever...
<snip>
I'm sorry to anyone who read all the way through that, please tell me if any of it doesn't make sense or is confusing. I think this should explain what I mean better but I think I slightly melted my brain in writing that so… <snip>

[Anna]

Er... not quite.  It says that two immune parents picked by the Dangrenning program will always produce an immune child.  Could still be a single allele trait.  Anyway the post I took my 5% initial immune rate from assumes a double allele trait.  Apparently the math works out nicely for it.  I'm posting the link again so you can check his numbers.

I stand corrected.

[Kin]

I stand corrected.

Naw - take your win.  I misread my own source.  This theory of mine DOES assume a double allele recessive.  Cannon is sufficiently vague that Minna could declare immunity a single allele dominate trait if plot required tho.  Not sure if it would change my theory tho.  Pretty much will just change tragic deaths on a personal story level without changing the total numbers.  (Which are wild guesses as it is)

Hm.. now that I think about it... the single allele method will result in non-immune wild animals being born for a lot of generations.  And therefore trolls continuing to be "hatched" for many years.  And a MUCH higher immune rate to start in both humans and animals - so a less dramatic population crash immediately.  >_>  Might need to consider this variant more.  Especially if we get further information.

[PTTG]

A note in response to a few things in the OP:

D+7: The aside about guns is mostly irrelevant. Good on you for pointing out that gun ownership is something of an American pastime, but I think it's only recently that Swiss families were no longer required to own, and know how to operate, heavy machine guns. Aside from that, unless you really want to get into an argument (which I don't think is your goal), avoid focusing on what you feel should be, and instead focus on what is.

D+30: Prepping people for casket burial is rather time-consuming and laborious. Any megadeath event is going to overwhelm the interment industry, and the result is going to be mass graves and/or incineration.

D+60: Yeah you're making a huge demographic assumption. Doctors and nurses don't go around wearing guns just because there's a disease, even in the united states; national guard soldiers aren't going to be wandering around fully armed while they're working as nurses either. And in real life, nobody is going to seriously go from "these patients need my help" to "welp, time to shoot zombies in the head with no repercussions." The first soldier who says he was gunning down a zombie will be court-martialed before it hits the ground, and he knows it. The first doctor who shoots his patient in the head will make the news as a psychopathic killer.

Y+10 and later: You aren't considering the climate of most of the USA.

The two most populous states are going to have serious temperature concerns, and an equal portion of states will be praying for severe winters rather than gentle ones. And once Mexico's central government fails, the turmoil is not going to just stop at the rio grande. Only some of the most barren and lifeless states in the union will have a forgiving Scandinavian winter climate, and that's only half the year.

Anyway, what use is an industrial center, even one hooked up to its own nuke plant, when your neodynium mines are in China and your petrochemical refineries are in LA? When 80% of your workers are sick or caring for the sick?

More generally, there's two big things I'd change in your forecasts for the USA:

One: You're dramatically understating population drop shock. Global population has been growing every year since the black death. The fundamental assumption that there will be more customers tomorrow than there are today is foundational to the global economy. If, instead of growing, global population declined by 0.01% in 2016, (not due to a disaster, mind, just as something that coincidentally happened,) then there would be a traumatic upheaval of some kind. It would be something of a black swan simply because it would be utterly unprecedented.

The Rash does not create a 0.01% decline. By Y1, I think it's what, 10% decline and rapidly falling? Whatever it is, it's more serious than the black death. The only thing we can say for sure is that business will not be as usual.

Two: I think it's pretty clear that there is some force in the silent world which is jamming radio actively. What we have seen so far from the radios is pretty clearly not normal human broadcasting.

[Kin]

D+7:  I ignored Switzerland for the same reason I ignored Australia.  (I have insufficient info and know it)  But yeah, between the Alps and the guns it looks probable to have a Swiss community.

D+30: Seriously lacking info on this one, but the hints in cannon look like the first month will be less of a "mega-death" event and more of a "mega-coma" event.  2 weeks extended incubation with weeks of sick/coma times means that a mere 4 weeks in there won't be all THAT many corpses yet.  Prepping for burial is a LOT quicker when embalming is simply not an option due to the state of the body.  So yeah, both lack of personal and lack of "good looking bodies" is gonna cut WAY back on traditional casket burials.  Backhoes make digging graves, even in winter, somewhat trivial.  Enough that mass cremations or mass graves are probably not a thing yet.  (Or not officially a thing yet, crematoriums have been known to double up on bodies when funds get tight (or lazy))

If local terrain is particularly rocky or REALLY frozen then bodies traditionally get stored instead of buried immediately.  Plans will be started on how to bury all the bodies come spring.  (And then the troll make that a moot point)

D+60:  Doctors and Nurses would be the first sick remember?  Only the immune or fully quarantined are still up and about.  And while they might not be armed - they are beyond overwhelmed and recruiting any able-bodied they can as helpers.  Those helpers are civilian immune/walking sick and National Guard/Army/Marines...Cops...  And yeah - the soldiers probably WOULD be armed because the guns are an official part of the uniform.  (Unless they are the lucky few in a quarantine suit of course - hard to use a gun in those)  The civilians would definitely be armed.  They wouldn't stop a gun carry habit just because of an epidemic.  (Ok, the unarmed civilians wouldn't collect guns just because of an epidemic either)  Er... local gun carry laws are really, really mixed tho.  Too many state law variations (plus climate) to cover in a broad guess like this one.  I'd research the local specifics for cities I set a story in.

You are also forgetting just how "impossible" those Rash comas are.  By now its month two.  Many of bodies have been without food or water for up to 6 weeks.  And they really, really don't look human anymore.  They look like fungus growing on a corpse.  Once the first trolls get up and start EATING people... I'd predict it would be really easy to get the remaining doctors to pronounce death on the remaining Rash comas.

I'm also assuming the delay in infections will correlate to a delay in troll hatching.  Internet and phones are still a thing by then.  And relatives are quite widely spread - so video reports WILL get sent.  The ones that believe the reports and start killing/burning the bodies ahead of troll hatchings will survive better.  If the troll hatching correlates to weather instead... we probably had trolls in Florida by week 4.  Although the sooner the troll reports are believed and acted on - the better the overall survival rate.  So I went with a two month delay.

Y1 - Trolls are wide spread enough that gun carry is VERY common now.  Although the comic is now hinting that the "ghosts" were more of a problem then the trolls.  Apparently guns don't work on ghost either.  Not sure how much mages are required because Sweden seems to do fine without them.

Y10 - Yeah I considered the climate.  Did I forget to specify that the South and Eastern Seaboard is abandoned?  (Individual islands, especially northern ones, may still be inhabited)  Those 9 million survivors are gathered in just a few dozen cities.  Ten years in and the small shelters are probably all evacuated or the nuclease of a larger town.  And I predicted the nuclear power plants would be in use for at LEAST as long as it took to do a safe shutdown.  Depending on the design that time frame in USA seems to measured in "months".  So by Y10 all the nuclear reactors they have still going have a stable resupply of fuel and spare parts.  Might have newer (and safer) reactors going.  WILL have a combination of hydro-electric, solar, wind and coal power up.  Also diesel generators.

POPULATION DROP SHOCK

Um.. google does not recognize that term.  All I got was discussions on global fertility rates.  Quite useful for looking at Iceland's population drop.  After all, they didn't get The Rash.  And the troll/ghost impact seems fairly minimal.  So it seems Iceland suffered from a massive fertility drop more then a high death rate.

The most useful source I found for human's response to catastrophic death rates was actually the website for the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement.  http://www.vhemt.org/death.htm  I didn't assume The Rash was a measly 0.01% death.  Not even the 10% die off you claim.  My theory had 97% of Americans dead in a YEAR.  That is catastrophic.  America is beyond broken.  The survivors will pick up the pieces and put them back together in a new configuration they will then CALL America - but it won't be the same thing.  I looked to how emigrant societies recover for ideas.

Will international trade be borked to heck and gone?  Yes.  Yes it will.  Will that lack of... all the trade things... impact industry in USA?  Um... YEP!  There will be many, many things we suddenly need to adjust how we make.  Or simply do without.  But North America is unique in that we have just about every raw resource on the planet already here.  Food, wood, oil, metal, sand.. Even the rare earth metals!  (We just don't dig them out much 'cus its cheaper to import)  The Google Archives are in Nebraska.  Lots of other archives in Universities and private archives, don't think information will get lost.  The majority of industrial manufacturing is in the Midwest Heartland.  (Aka the bit with really cold winters and right by the food)  We have an extensive river/road/rail transportation network.  And the one positive side to the quick die-off is that we will have spare parts out the wazzoo!  Critical spare parts will go first of course - but we might not run out of staples or paper-clips for a hundred years or more!

Catastrophic death rates result in baby booms.  Also in massive innovations and sociatial changes, so any story probably will completely miss the major changes history records.  Anyone predict the Civil rights movement after WWII?  Or women moving into previously male-dominated jobs?  But I don't think humans are mere remenents in America tho.

Radio:  Yeah my theory is pretty weak on the radio explanation.  Perhaps new technology in radio tuning means Scandinavia's outdated equipment tends to pick up multiple stations at once?  Perhaps a new Maunder Minimum means those international stations come in best in dusk and dawn?  Maybe its the "ghosts" and my theory completely fails to account for those?  (Seriously, I have no idea how the ghosts affect things)

[mapmad]

Community survival depends a lot on how you can protect the community from disease vectors. And since a disease vector can be as small as a field mouse, you really want a combination of water and people.

You need the water to protect against beasts, big and small, and you need people to protect against sick refugees and the odd sea-beast. This means that any community that is *not* on an island have to be quite lucky to survive. We so far know only of a few places in Norway that has succeeded, and they are generally protected by water on one side and mountains on another.

So it is possible that communities could have survived in the alps, but by no means guaranteed,  as you will also need arable land, and that means you need to farm in the valleys, and they are not as inaccessible as you might think. :-)

Islands that are too large, such as Japan, are also unlikely to isolate themselves. Not only is is highly likely that somebody infected already had arrived in Tokyo, the distance to the continent is much smaller, so they are likely to get a flood of refugees trying to get in. And in only takes one boat to land undetected...

There will be plenty of surviving communities in the Polynesian islands, and in isolated but arable islands all over America. New Zealand would be a good candidate for a community like Iceland, if they had shut down international travel fast. But they aren't shown as doing that. Denmark shut it down on Day 3, and that was not enough to save more than Bornholm, but then again the disease could have come over land via Germany in that case. But likely it's too large and would, just like Japan, have gotten infections in already before closing down borders. But if not, then it's certainly far away from anything else, meaning that they should be able to protect against refugees.

[Kin]

Community survival depends a lot on how you can protect the community from disease vectors. And since a disease vector can be as small as a field mouse, you really want a combination of water and people.

You need the water to protect against beasts, big and small, and you need people to protect against sick refugees and the odd sea-beast. This means that any community that is *not* on an island have to be quite lucky to survive. We so far know only of a few places in Norway that has succeeded, and they are generally protected by water on one side and mountains on another.

So it is possible that communities could have survived in the alps, but by no means guaranteed,  as you will also need arable land, and that means you need to farm in the valleys, and they are not as inaccessible as you might think. :-)

Islands that are too large, such as Japan, are also unlikely to isolate themselves. Not only is is highly likely that somebody infected already had arrived in Tokyo, the distance to the continent is much smaller, so they are likely to get a flood of refugees trying to get in. And in only takes one boat to land undetected...

There will be plenty of surviving communities in the Polynesian islands, and in isolated but arable islands all over America. New Zealand would be a good candidate for a community like Iceland, if they had shut down international travel fast. But they aren't shown as doing that. Denmark shut it down on Day 3, and that was not enough to save more than Bornholm, but then again the disease could have come over land via Germany in that case. But likely it's too large and would, just like Japan, have gotten infections in already before closing down borders. But if not, then it's certainly far away from anything else, meaning that they should be able to protect against refugees.

Did you read my original post?  My entire theory is based on a complete FAILURE of quarantine in North America.  The 5% immune and a scant handful of lucky quarantine survivors are all that is left.  Actually, accounting for troll attacks, preexisting health problems and random bad luck..  I put a Y1 total population at just over 3% of American population from the previous year.  The survivors use the excellent American transportation to re-group and re-start America.  99% or more are immune now.  So the next generations are almost perfectly immune, and have immune livestock too!  (Not that we can kill the meat animals until we breed them back up a bit)

Successful quarantine means you have time to defend and plan and have a troll (and ghost?) free base.  And because a perfect slice of society gets preserved you have a good ratio of teachers/cleaners/cops and so on already.  And a full set of younger and older generations.  But over the long haul other problems of gene pool, farm-able space and trade between quarantines crop up.   Plus there is always the catastrophe of quarantine collapse waiting around the corner.

Having quarantine completely fail from the get-go means the surviving communities don't have to worry about it later.  As long trolls (and ghosts?) don't kill ALL the humans, and the survivors group up to defensible potions... humans win.  Eventually.  We are very, very good at killing things.  Once we know they need killing anyway.  After that dying time - America will have far more guns then there will be people to fire them.  And food, and farms, and manufacturing stuffs... its the manpower and figuring out a new job distribution ratio that is the main issue.  (And that will get solved in a year or two or... not at all)