The Oregon-Northern California region had lost much of its population during the fracas of 1980; it had been heavily hit by Red Chinese guided missiles, and of course the clouds of fallout had blanketed it in the subsequent decade.
[ 'frA-k&s, 'fra-, Britis ] (noun.) 1727. From French fracas, from Italian fracasso, from fracassare, from Latin infra- + Vulgar Latin cassare, from Latin cassus.