View source for Non-Assisted Area

The Non-Assisted Area refers to any part of the United States that is outside the bounds of the [[Metro Areas]]. They are called Non-Assisted because people who live in these areas, while technically still U.S. citizens; do not receive any government services or protection.


In 1985, President Ronald Reagan enacted [[Executive Order 13578]] which simultaneously created the Metro Areas and made evacuation to those Areas mandatory. It is estimated that 90% of the population followed the order and migrated to the Metro Areas. The remaining 10% chose to violate the law and stay in their homes.

 
[[The Plagues]] made life very difficult both inside and outside the [[Metro Areas]]. Still, living in the Metro Areas improved ones chances of survival. In the 5 years following the creation of the Metro Areas, the mortality rate was 75% in the Non-Assisted Areas compared to 35% in the Metro Areas.


Many people in the Non-Assisted Area formed communities in order to survive. These communities usually were centered in now-abandoned cities. The newly formed villages were a fraction of the size of the Pre-[[Plague]] cites. Communities worked together to scavenge, grow, and catch food.


In 1988, the government started codename [[Reclamation]], the military operation tasked with protecting the construction of a high-speed rail system connecting the Metro Areas. As a result of the operation, several communities in the Non-Assisted Area were forcibly relocated to the [[Metro Areas]]. This included populations in Pittsburgh, Kansas City, and Denver.


Since the [[Reclamation]], there have been no further large-scale forced relocations. The government has adopted an attitude of benign neglect towards the population of the Non-Assisted Area. As a result, the population of the Non-Assisted Area is now estimated at around 10 million. This includes large communities in the Pre-[[Plague]] cities of Norfolk, New Orleans and Salt Lake City.