Desolation zones

Desolation zones, also known as d-zones, are areas that have been left uninhabitable by the air strikes resulting in the Fall.

Generally they are a barren wasteland: While not radioactive, the land is too poisoned for anything to grow and the water supply has become too acidic for even purifiers to have any effect.

The poem, The Oklahoma Strip, is a reference to the fall as well as the desolation zone, as the majority of the state, save for the upper half, has been affected by the d-zones.