There's no point in wasting your efforts on a lost cause; there are living people out there who still need your help (although you're not too confident they're much more than a lost cause, either). You gather the guards and tell them, "Gather the survivors and relocate them, then burn everything to the ground." The guards exchanged concerned looks, but they can see the state of the city as well as anybody can. "I'll be going on to the next town in the meantime," you tell them. There are towns to the North and the South. The way North is known for bandits, but they'd be a fool to attack you. There's no clear road to the South, on the other hand, making that route perhaps more dangerous. Which way will you go?