Prime Minister Ryzhkov examined the maps carefully. Some locations seemed safe for now, others were clearly not, and in some villages, the fallout was patchy and varied from street to street. Clearly something had to be done, but it was hard to know exactly what. Everyone in the room was awaiting his decision. “We will evacuate the population from the thirty-kilometer zone,” Ryzhkov said at last. “From all of it?” someone asked. “From all of it,” the prime minister replied and circled the area on the map for emphasis. “And start immediately.”
