Also, I think the big driver of economic problems isn't necessarily unemployment in and of itself, but that transportation costs go up and this is an import-dependent country. That will slaughter consumer goods prices and affect everything else that depends on transportation, such as manufacturing materials, natural resources and so forth. 

Anyway, the transportation will drive the unemployment as businesses shed jobs to make it work.

I mentioned fallout shelters because that's happening in the real world as an example of the freaky sort of industries that get driven by people's fear.

That said, my idea is that I am going to probably play a linguistics student staying back in Haye because of reasons; either parental/family pressure or the school itself having dealt with some sort of massive problem. The idea will be that he can see writing everywhere but has to work to decipher this stuff. I'm still toying with how to implement that concept, but I felt that we need a reason everyone's coming together and it makes sense that a specific character that can identify other emergents would make a good driver for that.

This is all just idea stuff, let me know what you think!