Charlie sat on the beach in Reedsport, Oregon, looking at the waves as they pushed up against the beach. Suddenly, a message appeared on the portable television Sherman, Charlie’s nephew brought along. It was the Tsunami warning message.
The wife of Charlie’s nephew Gabriella, quipped, “Sherman, look at this.”
She grumbled, “Probably another one of their drills again.”
Sunset near Reedsport Oregon
Her husband, Sherman grumbled, “I work at a boy’s home. It probably is just another dumb drill, but I must set the example. It is time to go inland.”
Charlie and his wife Blende der Schönheit commented, “Sherman, you are right. Better to follow the drill and be wrong, then not follow the drill and be wrong.”
The four strode to Sherman’s VW bug and drove to higher ground.
As they marched, Sherman noted, “It looks like everyone is following the same sage advice.”
Gabriella added, “Yes, nobody is taking it too seriously, such a beautiful day and the waves to calm, so the evacuation is going smoothly.”
Heed the warning and live
With the heavy traffic, it took Sherman an hour to drive the eighteen miles to Scottsburg, Oregon. The four sat down at the Wells Creek Inn for a cup of coffee and a doughnut.
Gabriella commented, “I am not hearing any reports of big waves in Reedsport.”
Someone else in the room quipped, “Another false alarm. We have to play the game.”
The four sat at the table, drank their coffee, and ate their doughnuts.
After an hour of doodling, the four got up, paid for their snack, and started heading toward the door. As they reached the door, the ground started shaking.
First, it pushed everyone and everything in the room several inches upward, and the ground started to undulate like the waves of the sea. It lasted over five minutes.
The four crawled back to their table and pushed themselves underneath. Dishes flew from the counters and the tables, and windows shattered. The television went off as the power failed. Sherman was able to access the satellite reports covering events as they occurred in Reedsport.
A camera in Reedsport aimed at the ocean told the tale. It showed that the shaking was far worse in Reedsport than in Scottsburg. Almost immediately, it showed a large wave much higher than the camera pointed, coming straight at the camera.
The camera went out. The station covering the report showed aerial views of Reedsport. The area was underwater, at least five miles in from the sea, and another wave was on the way.
Gabrielle commented, “Looks like we all made a good choice. What happened?”
Everyone shook their heads in disbelief.
Sherman called his dad, now in Myrtle Point. Being a smart man, he also took the safe precautions.
One the phone, he reported, “I am alright. What happened?”
Sherman answered, “Don’t know. It looks like two major quakes in one day.”
In the White House, Frederick Majorski, the Head of FEMA, reported to the President, “Our west coast just received a second major earthquake. Initial estimates indicate it was a hundred miles off the coast of Reedsport Oregon, and it was a Richter 9.4 or higher. It is also traveling up the coast, all the way to Alaska.”
The President commented, “This is not good. Go out to the west coast and check up on things. Let me know what you find. Remember, we will probably have to declare disaster areas. Still, we do not have any money in the budget to help fix things.”
Frederick Majorski responded, “Yes Mr. President,” and proceeded out of the room.
The Mighty Mississippi can run backwards in St. Louis
It was eleven A.M., when Ben Braska arrived at the Lambert-St Louis International Airport. Two hours later Ben was in the small town of Cape Girardeau Missouri. He came to visit his ailing Aunt Beth, and walked with his aunt’s dog, Scruffy along East Cape Rock Drive. It was cold outside and raining heavily. As the rain hit the ground, it turned to ice. It was that kind of rain that did not know if it wanted to be rain, or snow.
Ben Braska rubbed his eyes. Both the land he sauntered upon and the Mississippi River in front of him started undulating like the waves near Annapolis Maryland. Water and sand shot out from the ground near the shoreline and houses near the shore sank into the muck that appeared around him.
As Ben Braska wondered about this, he noted that the water started flowing northward, instead of south toward the Gulf of Mexico. He looked toward Cape Girardeau and noted, “All the buildings in the city either seem to be swaying like a flag in a storm, or are falling down from the waves.”
Ben Braska asked, “Scruffy, What in the heck is this?” The dog sat up, clearly agitated.
In the White House, Frederick Majorski, reported to the President, “This is our day for natural disasters. There is a major storm rocking the central part of the country. Everything south and east of St. Louis and Evansville Missouri is rain or sleet. Everything to the north and west is blizzard conditions.”
Meanwhile, back at the White House...
Frederick Majorski also reported, “California, Oregon, and Washington are reeling from earthquakes. Now, I just received a report that St. Louis, Memphis, and other cities in that region are also reporting a major earthquake in that area.”
As he spoke, the ground under their feet started to sway from the Missouri quake.
The President asked, “What was that?”
Frederick Majorski commented, “I hope it was the Missouri quake. We do not need another one.”
The President quipped, “Amen!”
The President asked, “Are there any damage assessments?”
Frederick Majorski noted, “There are reports of major damage to almost all buildings. There are also reports that the oil and natural gas pipelines transporting natural gas, gasoline and heating oil to the north and northeast suffered major damage. The governors of Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio are all upset. They are reporting, their states are not receiving fuel from Texas and they are rapidly running out.”
President Perry slammed his fist on the desk and cried, “This is one bad day. Mobilize what you can, see what you can, and remember, we will probably have to declare disaster areas, but we do not have any money in the budget to help fix things.”
Frederick Majorski responded, “Yes Mr. President,” and proceeded out of the room.
