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[GreatWyrmGold]

I'm wondering something for a FG&R thread I'm participating in: What kinds of disasters, realistic or fantastic*, would cause a whole city (or most of it) to flee as fast as they could overnight, taking minimal supplies and leaving their friends and less-liked family behind?

[Telgin]

Impending asteroid impact.  Aliens.  Super deadly epidemic discovered there.

Those are the three that jumped to my mind first.  Many other things wouldn't be quite as urgent.

[Jervill]

Hurricanes...maybe tsunamis, but usually there isn't enough advance warning for those.

Well, generally not everyone will leave, some won't have the ability to, and some are just too stupid/stubborn to realize when they need to leave.

[Descan]

Flooding. Volcano. War. Really virulent plague. Economic crash (Gold rush ghost towns, anyone? Not so much overnight)

Meteor strike. Pit to hell opening. Everyone ascending. Robot uprising.

Can't think of any more off the top of my head.

[kaijyuu]

I'm thinking aliens would be one of the fastest ways to make a city evacuate. Ship lands in the middle, tripods start coming out...

[GoombaGeek]

Nuclear explosion takes out downtown at night?

Zombie apocalypse?

[Flying Dice]

More accurate: What would cause 90% of a major city's population to get stuck in traffic on the streets and highways leading out of the area? 


In the event of a calamity, either walk or bike your way out. Or drive a monster truck. Zombies ain't gonna do shit if they can't even reach the top of your tires.

But yes, I'd guess a (predicted) major disaster, particularly a volcanic eruption consisting of mostly slow-moving lava. Something where people know what is coming and have time to evacuate, but not so much that they can be leisurely about it. Something that strikes without warning is either going to come and go before people can really manage to leave, or will kill everyone trapped in the initial traffic snarls.

[lordcooper]

Cthulhu and friends.  The Spice Girls threatening to perform.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Zombie apocalypse?

Would people get enough warning before being eaten?

More accurate: What would cause 90% of a major city's population to get stuck in traffic on the streets and highways leading out of the area? 
In the event of a calamity, either walk or bike your way out. Or drive a monster truck. Zombies ain't gonna do shit if they can't even reach the top of your tires.

Reality can be added later, right now I need calamity.

But yes, I'd guess a (predicted) major disaster, particularly a volcanic eruption consisting of mostly slow-moving lava. Something where people know what is coming and have time to evacuate, but not so much that they can be leisurely about it. Something that strikes without warning is either going to come and go before people can really manage to leave, or will kill everyone trapped in the initial traffic snarls.

Good and general. Nice.

[crazysheep]

Zombie apocalypse?

Would people get enough warning before being eaten?

Depends on which sort of zombies.

[LordBucket]

I'm thinking aliens would be one of the fastest ways to make a city evacuate.

I would expect this to attract people, not cause them to evacuate.

[Johnfalcon99977]

I'm thinking aliens would be one of the fastest ways to make a city evacuate.

I would expect this to attract people, not cause them to evacuate.

Well, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want to stick around if said aliens seemed to really like the idea of pointing their lasers at you menacingly...

But yes, I'd guess a (predicted) major disaster, particularly a volcanic eruption consisting of mostly slow-moving lava. Something where people know what is coming and have time to evacuate, but not so much that they can be leisurely about it. Something that strikes without warning is either going to come and go before people can really manage to leave, or will kill everyone trapped in the initial traffic snarls.

Yeah, this is pretty much there is to say on the matter. Would have to be something that wouldn't wipe everyone out instantly, but also wouldn't take its damn sweet time trying to kill everyone.

[mainiac]

Hurricanes...maybe tsunamis, but usually there isn't enough advance warning for those.

Just wait till we disband NASA because they're such a waste of money.  Then we can be back to the good old days of not predicting the weather like God intended.

[Techhead]

Hurricanes...maybe tsunamis, but usually there isn't enough advance warning for those.

Just wait till we disband NASA because they're such a waste of money.  Then we can be back to the good old days of not predicting the weather like God intended.

Satellite launch capability is one of the NASA programs that hasn't been gutted, due in part to the military's need for satellite surveillance.

[GreatWyrmGold]

I'm thinking aliens would be one of the fastest ways to make a city evacuate.

I would expect this to attract people, not cause them to evacuate.

Depends on the person.