Seattle Quake 9.2 (24 page)
Behind him, Max shouted something and started down the porch steps. Then Candy caught her breath and started to cry, throwing her arms around Sam.
Yet, Collin was at a loss. The dark letters steadily moved across the panel again. Behind him, Max was shouting louder, waving his arms and trying to run down the beach with his right foot in a walking cast. Collin didn't hear him. The chopper turned just a little to its right, and soon the letters repeated –
BETH ALIVE
ST. LUKE HOSPITAL
PORTLAND OREGON.
Finally, Collin understood. At first, his jaw dropped, and then his eyes brightened. He threw his arms up, clenched his fists and shouted, "Yes!" He spun around and started toward Max, running between broken boat hulls, jumping over debris and sprinting past mounds of rubbish. He landed in Max's arms, knocking him to the sand, and then rolled onto his back in shrieks of laughter.
*
Air crane pilot Carl Kingsley watched through the tinted front windows, Michael grinned through the clear aft bubble and Jackie watched in the full color monitor fed by camera one. Gradually, the air crane lifted higher and higher, moving westward and picking up speed -- and the mobile home moved with it.
Michael pushed his glasses up, interlocked his hands behind his head and leaned back, "Where to now?"
"Hilo."
"Hawaii? Great!"
Jackie's eyes danced with mischief and her mouth curled into a sly grin, "Think you need a vacation, do you?"
"Well yes, don't you? I mean a month or two with wine, women and song can perk a man right up."
Jackie typed a command, transferred an image to the small screen in the aft bubble, and then enjoyed the fading grin on Michael's face. "Her name is Melissa Green. She was born in South Africa and disappeared on the twelfth day of April 1966. She was ten years old, loved horses, hated fish and..."
*
In the days immediately following the earthquake, Seattle took up the task of providing food, water and medical attention to its homeless residents. The grim chore of burying the dead, condemning buildings and comforting families seemed endless. Next came a time of public mourning, with weary survivors huddling near Red Cross centers or attending services at mass graves. Some would never know which impromptu cemetery their loved ones were buried in. Twenty-six thousand, two hundred and eighty-nine people lost their lives and the still missing numbered in the thousands as well. Thousands more became homeless and double that number lost their jobs.
Insurance adjusters, architects, lawyers and government advisors flooded in and began to build a future out of the senseless carnage.
Then the day came when Amateur Radio Operators could ease back into obscurity, happy to concentrate on their own lives and do what they do best - pass information and prepare for the next major disaster.
With the help of Loraine Whitcomb, AKA Eilene Black, Susan was arrested getting off a plane in Mexico. Their mother, the elderly woman who visited Evan's fake grave, died in the earthquake. It is unknown who is actually buried there. Loraine was convicted of concealing evidence, and then given a suspended sentence after Christina testified on her behalf.
To the delight of all their children, Evan and Christina were remarried in the largest church service New York has ever seen. Evan retired and together they travel the world.
Max rebuilt KMPR, Collin stayed on and Beth gave him a son.
Sarah married John Carson in December of that year and keeps the home fires burning in a new house next door to the radio station.
And in the earth…two massive sheets of solid rock strain to move in opposite directions.
-
The end -
(see the earthquake survival kit below)
Coming Soon – Book 3 in the Viking Series.
MORE MARTI TALBOTT BOOKS
Marti Talbott’s Highlander Series:
books 1 – 5 are short stories that follow the MacGreagor clan through two generations. They are followed by:
Betrothed, Book 6
The Golden Sword, Book 7
Abducted, Book 8
A Time of Madness, Book 9
Triplets, Book 10
Secrets, Book 11
Choices, Book 12
Ill-Fated Love Book 13
The Other Side of the River, Book 14
The Viking Series:
The Viking, Book 1 explains how the clan came into being.
The Viking’s Daughter, Book 2
Book 3 is coming soon.
Marblestone Mansion
(Scandalous Duchess Series) follows the MacGreagor clan into Colorado’s early 20th century. There are currently 10 books in this series.
The Jackie Harlan Mysteries
Seattle Quake 9.2, Book 1
Missing Heiress Book 2
Greed and a Mistress, Book 3
The Carson Series
The Promise, Book 1
Broken Pledge, Book 2
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Acknowledgements
A special thanks to Ed Mitchell of Ham Radio Online in Spokane, Washington and Mark Tharp of Yakima, Washington who were instrumental in helping me learn about Hams. Also, my thanks to Kevin Talbott for information concerning Aircraft Carriers and the US Navy.
Author’s note: All references to call signs and locations in this work of fiction are coincidental and solely from the Author’s imagination.
A Survivor's Earthquake Kit
While most earthquakes are so small they are rarely felt, modern technology records between 12,000 to 14,000 earthquakes each year, the larger ones claiming thousands of lives in a matter of seconds. Amazingly, earthquakes are also occurring in such unlikely places as the Texas Panhandle, Idaho, Colorado, New York and the Mississippi Valley. We can't prevent them, but with a little forward thinking, we can do everything possible to survive them.
The first sign
: Earthquakes often begin with a short, quick pre-shock that rattles windows and feels like someone just bumped into your chair. Normal reaction is to stop, look around and see what's happening. But what you do or don't do in those few seconds could save your life.
Do
-- train yourself to be sensitive to movement under your feet. If the floor moves, it's a pre-shock. Plan the safest place to be during the quake, (preferably an area with close walls like the bathroom or a stairwell) and your escape route out of the building. Always keep hallways and doorways clear of boxes, suitcases, toys, etc. As soon as you are outside, immediately turn the gas off to prevent fires.
Don't
-- get in an elevator! Earthquakes cut power as well as change the door alignment and you may not be able to get out.
Don't
-- go back inside damaged buildings after the quake. It's not over! Aftershocks begin in as little as thirty seconds and can be as strong or stronger than the initial quake.
The size of the quake
–
A
5.0
earthquake will frighten you, knock a few things off shelves and perhaps topple a bell in the church tower, but for the most part injuries will be slight.
A
6.0
(100 times stronger than a 5.0) will cause some buildings to fall, interrupt power, water, phones and gas, crack foundations, break windows, and topple weaker chimneys and some freeway on and off ramps. A few people will die and several will be injured.
A
7.0
and above are the real killers. Many buildings will fall trapping hundreds. If you live near the water, you need to think about tsunamis. A tsunami depends on the amount and location of land sliding into the water. Don't wait to see what will happen, head for higher ground immediately.
Supplies
-- Prepare for AT LEAST a three-day disruption in basic services and store your supplies just inside a front or back door, or in the trunk of your car (unless you park in a garage). Keep extra bedding in your car.
Water
-- Enough for drinking, cooking, washing wounds, dishes and hands.
Food
-- Anything you can eat cold, crackers, cereal, canned beans, etc. Don't forget a can opener.
Clothing
-- A change of clothing for each member of the family, blankets, diapers, washcloths. Don't forget toilet paper.
Medical
– Sun tan lotion in summer, burn medicine, butterfly bandages (to temporarily close cuts), miscellaneous bandages, scissors, tweezers (for removing glass), cotton balls, antiseptic (peroxide is cheap and excellent for cleaning wounds and purifying water -- 2 drops per liter).
Misc
. -- Candles, matches, flashlights with extra batteries, charcoal for cooking/keeping warm, lighter fluid, a transistor radio with plenty of spare batteries (a 9 volt lasts about 20 hours) and extra prescription drugs.