Are you sure?
This action might not be possible to undo. Are you sure you want to continue?
Braving the Storm
Ratings:
314 pages4 hours
Summary
When Superstorm Nicole hits the entire U.S. eastern seaboard at once, the Eastern Grid cannot handle all the damages and fails. Half the country is plunged into a blackout with no estimate of when the power will be restored. The story follows four families who join together to survive as well as explores social and economic implications of such a storm on a fragile Recession-era United States.
Publisher: BookBabyReleased: Jul 25, 2016ISBN: 9781483575513Format: book
Book Preview
Braving the Storm - Jennifer Brooks
all.
Chapter 1
September 16th, 2:15pm - Meghan and Steve
Meghan Benedict’s workday was interrupted when her power suddenly grinded to a halt with a dull whine.
At first she just thought it was a normal power outage related to the sporadic rain they’d been experiencing. She walked out into the hallway of her apartment to see if the outage was the whole building, and it was. She sighed, retreating to her apartment and back into her office.
She located her cell phone and proceeded to call her boss to inform her she’d be back to work once her power came back on.
CALL NOT ALLOWED, her phone displayed as she tried to press send.
After moving out to her patio, figuring the signal was being blocked in the back of her cinder block-lined apartment, she tried a few more times to dial to no avail. I wish I had a regular phone on my land line, she lamented. Her company had paid for a land line— something rare in this age of mobile technology—but the phone wouldn’t work without electricity. She notated the time on her cell phone of the outage so that she could record it as downtime later; no sense in having this pesky power outage hinder her production for the day. She needed all the extra money via bonuses and overtime that she could get. It was getting harder and harder to make ends meet these days.
Being a warm autumn afternoon, she decided to make use of this rare free time to open her patio door and bask in the breeze wafting into her living room. She had a stack of books on her side table that she’d been meaning to read for a while now, so it was exciting to make some progress. Between the overtime she worked at her current job and all the other odd jobs she performed to pay the bills and buy food, she rarely got to have any time to herself anymore. Taking a deep breath of the earthy aroma, she smiled as she got wrapped up in her book.
* * *
She had been reading for a while when she heard a car door slam outside. She glanced out, the parking lot visible from her couch, and saw her neighbor greet her husband as she met him halfway between the building and his car. The power’s been out for an hour and a half now,
she informed him.
The power’s out at work, too,
he said angrily. They sent us home early after waiting an hour for it to come back on. Without pay, of course.
His wife hugged him gently. Sorry to hear that, sweetheart, but I’m glad you’re home early! And now it looks like we’ll be having a cook out tonight if the power doesn’t come back on!
He chuckled, and they talked about what they wanted to grill as they went inside.
Meghan’s stomach turned a bit. The power’s out 30 minutes away, too?
She tried calling her boyfriend on the phone. He also worked a half hour away, so she wondered how likely it was that his restaurant was also without power.
Her phone beeped loudly. CALL NOT ALLOWED.
She tapped on her Facebook app. SERVICE NOT AVAILABLE.
My 4G is out, too? What in the heck is going on? She went back to her couch, her foot tapping nervously. I hope Steve gets home soon.
Desperate for one more attempt at contact, she knocked on her neighbor’s patio door. Hey there, Patty,
she greeted as she opened the door. Do you have a land line phone I could borrow? My cell isn’t working, so I can’t get a hold of my boss or my boyfriend.
She shook her head sadly. No, we only have cell phones here,
she replied. Which carrier do you have? Mine isn’t working either.
They each had different carriers, and neither of them were working. Do you think all the cell towers got affected by this?
Probably,
Meghan responded. I wonder how far the outage goes.
Ed works a half hour east of Pittsburgh, so at least that far,
Patty said, a bit of tension in her voice. But I’m sure it’ll be over soon.
Another neighbor poked her head out of her patio door. Do you guys have power?
No,
they responded in unison.
She sighed. Me neither,
she said. I guess the whole building’s out.
It looks like it might be a bit more widespread than that,
Patty stated. At least a half hour driving distance east.
Do you have a land line, Lynne?
Meghan asked. With a phone that isn’t electric?
She shook her head, frowning. I do have one, but it’s not working, either,
she replied.
Meghan inhaled deeply. Any time the power went out as a kid, her land line always at least worked with a traditional phone. Her gut started churning.
Lynne sensed her tension. I’m sure it’s nothing, dear,
she said. I’m sure they’ll have the power back on before we know it.
I’m sure they will,
Patty agreed. In the meantime, we’re making burgers and hot dogs tonight, so you guys are welcome to have dinner with us!
Meghan nodded, trying to push her worry to the back of her mind. I’m sure you’re right. I’ll bring over some potatoes and veggies to cook on the grill as well.
Might as well use some of this frozen food just in case.
As Meghan gathered the potatoes and some foil, she heard the patio door slide open. Hey, honey!
her boyfriend called from the doorway. Is the power out here, too?
Yep. It’s been out since 2:15 this afternoon.
She kissed him on the cheek, potatoes in hand. Patty and Tim are having a blackout cookout, so I’m taking these over. I figured I’d wrap up some of the frozen zucchini to grill as well.
Sounds like a plan,
Steve agreed. I’m going to get all the flashlights ready to go for when it starts getting dark.
Was the power out at your work, too?
she asked.
He nodded. Power went out about the same time. So did the cell phones. Seemed a bit odd to me, and even more so now that I see the power’s out here, too.
It’s out at Ed’s work, too, and he works a half hour east,
she said worriedly. They didn’t send you home early, though?
No; my restaurant has a generator, so we switched to that power.
I see.
She paused for a moment. Is this something you think we have to be worried about?
What, the power being out?
He considered it for a moment. It really depends. It could be a minor, widespread outage because of all this rain. Maybe a few transformers got damaged.
Glancing out to his truck, he snapped his fingers. Let me try something.
As he walked out to his vehicle, Meghan dropped off the potatoes to the neighbors’ apartment so they could begin cooking. They all agreed that they were glad that this happened on a pleasant autumn day rather a sweltering day in the summer or a frigid winter day— and that they still had the means to work together and have a decent meal. There was even talk of dragging out their cast iron fire pit and having a small marshmallow roast a safe distance away from the building. As they started getting excited about having a large cookout, Meghan nearly forgot her worries altogether until she glanced over to Steve and noticed the concern on his face. She excused herself from the revelry to see what was wrong.
I got on my CB radio,
he explained. I checked to see if anyone out there in range knows what’s going on with the power being out.
And?
she asked nervously.
And, from what I heard, this isn’t just a local event. Truckers hours away have reported the power being out, cell phones not working anywhere—no texts, no internet, no calls. The few pay phones that still exist aren’t even working. Nothing is going through. There is word that a few people have been dusting off their old ham radios and getting their generators hooked up to broadcasting equipment to spread the word even further.
She stared at him blankly, unable to fully process what she was hearing. So what does this mean?
He looked to their neighbors nervously, then looked at Meghan intently. It might be time to bug out,
he responded in a whisper.
Chapter 2
September 16th, 2:15pm - Chloe and Tori
The unseasonably warm weather was a great excuse to get in some last-minute camping. They both loved the hour-and-a-half drive to Ohio to get away from their suburban home for a while, enjoy the wilderness, and escape the onslaught of constant exposure to the general public via the internet and social media. Having some time alone one last time before winter’s wrath swept through the region was a blessing they hadn’t expected. The drizzle they were receiving didn’t faze them much; they had heard of the storms in the east and figured they may get the tail end of it, so they brought extra tarps to shield their pop-up camper from any downpours. Their foldout gazebo provided protection for their picnic table/kitchenette, and clip-on umbrellas shielded their chairs next to the fire that still blazed despite the droplets from the sky.
I chopped more firewood and got more kindling,
Chloe announced, setting the logs and sticks under the picnic table. I was able to find some dry wood thanks to a pretty thick canopy of trees deeper in the forest than we usually go.
Tori smiled, stoking the fire. Thank you, dear,
she said. Would you bring over the burgers? The coals are hot enough to start cooking.
Sure!
Chloe replied as her stomach growled with the thought of lunch. Opening the cooler next to their picnic table, she noted that they were doing a good job of rationing out their food stores to last the next two days as planned. Chloe had recently learned how to hunt for small game using snares and her pellet gun, but she would much rather prefer to eat steaks, burgers, and hot dogs instead of squirrels. Rabbits were pretty tasty, though. Do you want me to grab some asparagus, too?
Yes, please,
she answered as she pulled the metal grate over their fire pit. The fire had taken a bit longer to build with the dampened conditions, especially since Tori had accidentally let last night’s coals go out. She usually tried to keep a coal stored so that the fire was easy to restart. At this point she was ravenous, and she made a mental note to never make the mistake again of letting her fire go completely cold.
After their hearty meal, the women sat next to each in their chairs, drowsy with content stomachs. Their fingers were loosely laced together as they both stared at the campfire, mesmerized by the flames. They were alone with the sounds of nature; not even a radio interrupted the sound of breeze rustling the grass and leaves, raindrops falling onto the trees, birds singing, and frogs croaking in some faraway pond.
Tori sighed. I had better wash these dishes,
she said groggily, groaning as she got out of her chair. Retrieving a reusable shopping bag from the picnic table, she loaded the dirty mess kits into the bag along with a soap-filled scrubbing sponge. She slipped on her shoes and walked over to the campground’s restrooms which provided working toilets and showers as well as a laundry room and sinks to wash dishes. Can’t be too far away from civilization, Tori always mused as she broke the illusion of roughing it in the wilderness for the luxury of running water.
Chloe frowned, reluctant to break the serenity she felt. She loved their camping excursions. They both currently had two jobs as they struggled to make ends meet, so they rarely had a lot of quality time together. Adding in their phones constantly pinging with current news, social media updates, and text messages, she felt like they were never truly alone. These trips were an escape from it all, a way to reconnect with each other and nature.
She used a spatula to pull the grate off the fire pit for it to cool, waiting for the red glow to leave the metal before scrubbing it with a long-handled wire brush. Satisfied with her cleanup, she went to their kitchen area to tidy up. Their wind-up, solar-powered radio sat silent on the table, and Chloe decided that some music would help her be more productive with her chores. She heard the familiar buzz of static as she first turned it on, accustomed to the noise as they almost always had to slowly adjust the tuner to find a station in range while in this valley. Usually it took only a moment to find something, but she was having an exceptionally difficult time this time around. She sat down at the table, radio to her ear as she slowly moved the knob between the stations, listening for any sort of music or voice.
Tori had just about finished cleaning all of their dishes when two other people walked into the cleaning area of the building. …and not even our cellphones are working,
one of the women were saying.
That’s so strange!
the other said.
From what everyone’s said, it went out around two everywhere in the campground. The payphone up at the lodge isn’t working, either, and all the trailers don’t have power. The owners are running their generators to keep the coolers running in the convenience store and bathrooms working throughout the park.
Tori unconsciously patted her pocket, checking for her cellphone. A small twinge of panic rang through her body when it was missing, but she quickly remembered she had left it in the car. She rarely took her phone out during their camping trips; being away from technology was the point, after all.
I’m sure a blackout down in this valley isn’t entirely unheard of,
the one began, since we are in the middle of nowhere.
Well, no, of course not,
the other agreed. "It’s just strange that cellphones and landlines aren’t working."
Tori’s stomach churned slightly. It was probably nothing to worry about; like the one woman had said, they were in the middle of nowhere. The whole point of this excursion was to shy away from technology, so Tori may have not even noticed the blackout until days later when it was time to leave their temporary home. Still, something in her gut made her feel uneasy.
When she returned to their campsite, Chloe was sitting at the picnic table, and her brow was furrowed with worry as she held their radio up to her ear. What’s going on, babe?
Tori asked as she set down the bag and began putting away their mess kits.
Chloe shook her head. You’re going to want to hear this,
Chloe stated gravely. This is only one of two radio stations I’m able to find, and all it’s doing is repeating this message. There’s a message from the Emergency Broadcast System on another station as well, but this provides more information about what’s going on.
Tori sat next to Chloe, listening intently.
"—several areas across the Eastern seaboard, from Florida to Maine. Most areas, in addition to being without power, are also without landline telephones or cellphone communications, as extremely high winds have knocked down power lines, telephone lines, and cellphone towers in several areas. As Superstorm Nicole heads inland, we are advising everyone who can hear this to seek shelter and make sure you are prepared for power outages which may last several hours or several days. Please ensure you are stocked with batteries, potable water, and nonperishable food items such as pasta, canned goods, and dried foods. If you are able to safely navigate to family members in a short distance, please ensure they are taken care of as well. We will keep this broadcast going for as long as possible and will update this message as we learn more information. This message will repeat." The brief pause sounded an eternity to Tori, who wrapped her arms around her wife as she felt a chill go through her body despite the unseasonably warm weather. To all who can hear this, my name is Amy, and I am working with a number of members of The American Radio Relay League to get this message as far as we can to all those affected. Many of you may be experiencing blackouts in your area. It seems that this is not a local phenomenon. The superstorm predicted by The National Weather Service has hit mainland, and it appears to have hit so many places at once that power outages are widespread across the entire East Coast. We are not sure of the full extent of the impact this storm has had on the grid, but we have received reports via CB radio that there are outages in several areas across the Eastern seaboard, from Florida to Maine…
The knot in Tori’s gut tightened. I think that the blackout may be here as well,
Tori stated. I heard two women talking in the washroom, and they said that the power and phones are out. They can’t even get a cell phone signal.
I’m never able to get a cell signal down here. That’s kind of why I like this place.
Chloe looked around the valley, considering their options. What do we do now? We’re an hour and a half away from home.
Tori thought for a moment. We have our SUV. That will provide decent shelter for us, but I worry about strong winds knocking us around if we’re driving in the crosswinds. Luckily we’re in a hilly area which should cut down the wind velocity considerably. We have enough food to last us a few days, and we can hunt and forage our own food if we have to.
So you want to stay here?
Chloe asked, her eyes wide.
We live in the middle of suburbia, Chlo,
Tori began, which is going to be overrun with panicked soccer moms who are going to be rushing the stores for whatever they can grab while it’s still there. We’re away from the fray; I’m not sure if I want to drive back there just to grab a few things.
Chloe sighed. I definitely agree we shouldn’t go home, but I don’t know about staying here. Everyone’s going to be headed to the bug out location once they hear this message, if they haven’t already started making their way there. Maybe we should head there instead?
Tori thought about it for a moment. She nodded. I agree. I don’t want to get stuck in this valley if a tree falls across the road during the storm and blocks our way out. There’s plenty of supplies here to make due, especially since we know how to hunt, but I’d rather get to the bug out location with our friends who are just as prepared as we are for this. Let’s gather as many supplies as we can, store as much potable water as we can hold, cook off the last of our food, and head out.
She sighed, looking around their campsite. Guess we’re going to have a bit of an extended vacation, babe.
Chapter 3
September 16th, 2:15pm - Bryan
Bryan scrubbed up to his elbows with the strong, professional-grade antibacterial soap. His nails and hands had already gotten the treatment, and he counted away the seconds until his ritual could end. His eyes stared back at him through the mirror’s reflection—two dark eyes peeking out between his cap and facemask. The sea foam green of his scrubs always brought out the intense brown.
Holding his arms up and in front of him, his nurse applied his gloves, rolled down his sleeves, and made sure he was fully prepped for the surgery about to begin. He nodded a thanks to her, walking backwards into the O.R. to avoid touching the doors or anything else with his sterile hands.
As he peered down at his patient, he finished the last part of his ritual before every surgery. He’d done hundreds of these procedures in the 25 years at this hospital, but he never forgot who was really in charge. Lord Jesus, he mouthed quietly to himself, as always, I thank You for every day. I thank You for my ability to help so many through my gift of medicine, for my extensive knowledge of the human body, for my steady hand and for my sharp eye, all of which ease the suffering of my patients as I repair the conditions with which they have been burdened. Lord, I ask You to guide my hand today so that I may perform this procedure successfully and give my patient a more fulfilling life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Taking a deep breath, he commenced the procedure, the glint from his scalpel catching his eye as he lowered it to the patient’s exposed skin.
Suddenly the room went dark. Bryan was thankful for his quick reflexes as he was able to move his hand away from the patient’s torso before causing any accidental damage. It certainly wasn’t his first blackout, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. A few seconds passed before the generators kicked in, the machines whirring and beeping back to life as the dim lighting showed the surprised eyes of the surgical team. They all laughed nervously after a moment as they recalibrated all of the equipment. Soon the doctor went about his work. No power outage was going to stop him from helping his patient.
* * *
Two hours later, another successful procedure was completed, and Bryan was out of his scrubs and back into his office attire. He was thankful someone had music saved on their phone; his normal streaming internet radio app hadn’t worked, most likely due to WiFi being screwed up in the outage. Doing the rounds to ensure patients’ equipment—especially respirators, ventilators, and other equipment on which some depended—was fully functional, resetting the router was probably fairly low on the list. As he walked to his office, he noticed that he was still having trouble with his cellphone, but he didn’t think much of it.
As he glanced outside to the urban streets below, he could see that the customary traffic that was expected in the city had doubled—all going out of the city. He imagined that most of the local businesses without any sort of backup power probably waited an hour or so before sending everyone home. No sense paying people to sit around in a dark office.
* * *
He wasn’t sure how long he sat there working on his charts, but his stiff muscles screamed out when he finally moved. With some extra free time now that his surgeries were done for the day, he was savoring the solitude of his office, the precious moments in his day that no one was asking him questions or demanding anything of him. The hospital was exceptionally quiet due to minimum electrical usage, so he felt totally alone with his thoughts and was finishing his charts in record time.
A sudden knock on the door startled Bryan, and he sighed. Come in,
he called, somewhat irritated.
Have you heard the radio?
his nurse said, walking in the room with an older, portable radio, its 9 volt battery duct taped to the back of it. His face was creased with worry, his pallor accentuated.
Bryan’s eyebrow rose as he studied his nurse’s countenance. I haven’t, why, what’s wrong?
he asked. He took in the message about the widespread power outages, listening to it repeat a few times as the words sank in. His heart was pounding as he looked outside again, a slight gasp escaping his lips involuntarily. Now that more businesses had closed for the day, the traffic was much worse, the throngs of people congesting every street heading out of the city. Some cars had even started using the inbound lanes to try and bypass the major congestion, a few accidents resulting from the chaos. He took off his reading glasses, lightly pinching the bridge of his nose. Greg, all my appointments are done for today, correct?
Yes, Doctor,
he replied, frowning as he stared at the radio.
Bryan locked his paperwork in his desk, and then retrieved an olive-colored backpack from a side drawer. Good.
He slung his get-home-bag over his shoulders and clicked its chest strap and hip strap into place. I’ll be leaving for the day.
I gotta get out of this city before it gets worse, he thought. I waited too long. It’s already a madhouse out there. I gotta bug out before I’m stuck here. Patting Greg lightly on the shoulder as he passed, he took the steps to the
You've reached the end of this preview. Sign up to read more!
Page 1 of 1