A beautiful Memorial Day weekend is shattered by the New Madrid Fault erupting. The massive eruption which exceeded the country's previous record of a 9.0 changed the landscape of the Midwest. The earthquake sent shock waves through the ground, these shock waves set off other faults resulting in the largest disaster to ever strike the country. The New Madrid Fault caused a new grand canyon where the Mississippi River flowed, the quake ruptured other faults which cared a large capital letter "C" from where the Mississippi River was, north to the ruins of Chicago and east to New York City. The West was dealing with their own quakes as the faults along the west coast erupted, the eruptions in America's faults was quickly followed by the "Ring of Fire" that runs from Australia north through SE Asia and across the Pacific to Alaska before moving south along America's West Coast.
The newly elected American President died when a giant wave rushed up the Potomac River, the new VP had been in the UK, he flew home where he decided to focus the rebuilding on the western half of the country, the more progressive side. He decided to leave the SE to die or become so needy they would quickly give up their guns and Bibles for his assistance. He guessed wrong, the SE rose to challenge the West.