Braving the Storm

40

Dedication

This book would not be possible without all of the supportive people in my life who have encouraged me every step of the way.

To Nichole, who not only liked the idea of the story but was super excited to have a superstorm named after her. Thank you for being willing to destroy our way of life!

To Casey, JP, Linda, Jo, and Nichelle, who not only have put up with me rambling on about my ideas for hours on end but also provided some ideas of their own.

To Nicole, the very first guinea pig to read the story, whose enthusiasm for more chapters provided me with the encouragement to push through the writer’s block and finish the book.

To Alek and Aunt Dawn, for proofreading for me.

To my parents, Cindy and John, who have always supported and encouraged my love of writing, starting with the short stories I wrote as a little girl.

Last but certainly not least, to my husband, Chris, without whom this book would have never come to fruition. The tireless hours you spent discussing ideas with me and letting me bounce ideas off of you were and will always be greatly appreciated. I love you to the ends of the earth.

Peggy gets a point.

Introduction

The U.S. power grid consists of three loosely connected parts, referred to as interconnections: eastern, western and Texas. Within each, high-voltage power lines transmit electricity from generating sources such as coal or hydroelectric plants to local utilities that distribute power to homes and businesses, where lights, refrigerators, computers and myriad other loads" tap that energy.

"Because electricity in power lines cannot be stored, generation and load have to match up at all times or the grid enters blackout territory. That can result from a lack of generating capacity—the cause of the 2000 California blackouts—or because of one or more faults, as in the 2003 blackout. The interconnectedness of the grid makes it easier to compensate for local variations in load and generation but it also gives blackouts a wider channel over which to spread.

"On August 14, 2003, shortly after 2 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, a high-voltage power line in northern Ohio brushed against some overgrown trees and shut down—a fault, as it’s known in the power industry. The line had softened under the heat of the high current coursing through it. Normally, the problem would have tripped an alarm in the control room of FirstEnergy Corporation, an Ohio-based utility company, but the alarm system failed.

"Over the next hour and a half, as system operators tried to understand what was happening, three other lines sagged into trees and switched off, forcing other power lines to shoulder an extra burden. Overtaxed, they cut out by 4:05 PM, tripping a cascade of failures throughout southeastern Canada and 8 northeastern states.

"All told, 50 million people lost power for up to two days in the biggest blackout in North American history. The event contributed to at least 11 deaths and cost an estimated $6 billion.

One of the realizations since 2003 is that you can’t just look at your system. You’ve got to look at how your system affects your neighbors and vice versa, says Arshad Mansoor, Vice President of power delivery and utilization with the Electric Power Research Institute of Palo Alto, Calif.

Source: The 2003 Northeast Blackout—Five Years Later

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/2003-blackout-five-years-later/

* * *

Nearly 44 percent of American households don’t have enough savings to cover their basic expenses for three months in the event of a financial emergency like losing a job or paying for unexpected medical care. These are households and individuals that are living paycheck-to-paycheck. And without savings, you’re one misstep away from financial disaster.

Many of the Americans living on the financial edge are employed and living a middle-class lifestyle, the report found. Three-quarters are employed full-time and more than 15 percent earn more than $55,000 per year, according to the Assets and Opportunity Scorecard.

Source: Nearly Half of American Households Are 1 Emergency Away From Financial Disaster, Report Finds

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/30/financial-emergency-report_n_2576326.html

* * *

Nearly half of Americans, 49.5%, lived in a household where at least one person was receiving some type of government Benefit in the fourth quarter of 2012. That number ticked up slightly from 49.2% at the end of 2011.

Source: Economic Characteristics of Households in the United States

http://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/sipp/publications/tables/hsehld-char.html#

Prologue

September 15th, 11:50pm

Superstorm Nicole had been closely monitored for the past five days. Its lower half formed as a tropical storm in the southern Caribbean Sea and the northern half started as a massive cold front in the Great Lakes region. Once the weather fronts converged, a storm of colossal magnitude—one larger than any meteorologist could have fathomed—threatened to wreak havoc on the eastern seaboard. Nobody in power wanted another damage-laden incident such as Hurricane Sandy in their midst, so all of the necessary precautions had been taken to evacuate communities within the Storm’s path as well as prepare those living in the outer proximity for blackouts and adverse weather conditions. Everyone living within 100 miles of the east coast were advised to stay indoors and stock up on supplies before the storm hit mainland. FEMA, the Red Cross, and volunteer first responders from across the nation were poised and ready to provide assistance at a moment’s notice.

While meteorologists, FEMA, and politicians alike all took deep, baited breaths as they waited for reports of the Superstorm’s aftermath, the staff in small, coastal weather monitoring stations were paralyzed with blind terror as they stared at the beach. The ocean seemed to have disappeared; the tide had been pulled so far back by the approaching storm that there was nothing but sand and dead fish where waves once crashed. Gale-force winds whipped against palm trees and piers as the warm and cold air began to mix, cyclones sprouting from the sky soon afterward.

The ocean rushed back into shore, almost as if it had forgotten something important at home and needed to get back in a hurry. Condos and cottages along the coast were torn to shreds by the tsunami, the simple wooden frames unable to withstand the force of the two-story-high waves beating against them. Vehicles, dumpsters, and the debris of felled buildings were engulfed and dragged far out into the ocean, never to be seen again. As the Superstorm reached its full potential, winds reaching in excess of 120 miles an hour were downing power lines all along the East Coast.

Unexpectedly, the Superstorm began to turn west, its full power striking some towns as far inland as 50 miles. Telephone poles were breaking like kindling in the strong winds—some tumbling like dominoes in flat areas were the Superstorm had nothing to obstruct its path. So many power and telephone lines were faulting simultaneously that computers didn’t have the capacity to report all of the faults to the proper authorities.

Any of the remaining intact power lines began to overheat as they struggled to compensate for the absent electricity in other lines. Though cell phone towers were thought to be indestructible, the Storm proved their architects wrong as they began to sway, bend, and even break in the gusts. Even the towers that remained intact were at the mercy of a power station with only a few hours of backup generator time and the relay system on which cellular service was based.

Right around the time that damage reports began to roll in from the East Coast and those in charge began to realize the sheer magnitude of the initial damage, those working in power stations hundreds of miles away from the Storm were rushing to see why their screens were sounding alarms—minutes before their screens went black and silence rang in their ears.

Chapter 1

September 16th, 2:15pm – Meghan and Steve – Ingram, PA

Meghan Benedict’s workday was interrupted when her power suddenly ground to a halt with a dull whine.

She walked out into her apartment building’s hall to see if the outage was widespread, the pitch blackness quickly giving its answer. She sighed, annoyed that her workday was interrupted—probably because of the residual rain that they were getting from the hurricane out east—and she retreated back to the home office of her apartment.

She grabbed her cell phone to inform her boss that she’d be back online once her power came back on.

Her phone beeped angrily. CALL NOT ALLOWED, the screen flashed as she pressed send.

Brow furrowed, she walked out onto her patio and tried the call again. She assumed that her cellular signal had been blocked by the thick, cinder block walls of her apartment; it certainly wouldn’t be the first time that her walls prevented service. Even on the patio, though, her calls would not go through.

If only I had an analog phone, she lamented. She had a phone at her desk, but it was VOIP; without access to the internet, it was nothing more than a paperweight. She notated the time on her cell phone so that she could record her downtime once she was able to log back in; there was no sense in having a pesky power outage ruin her production for the day.

After pouring another cup of coffee—she might as well drink the rest of the carafe while it was still hot—she strolled back into her living room and opened her patio door. Though it was raining outside, the breeze wafting into her living room was warm, and she inhaled the earthy aroma as she sipped her beverage.

Meghan glanced to her coffee table, noticing a stack of books that she’d been meaning to read for months. She smiled as she picked up the top book and read the back cover; while she’d been initially aggravated by the interruption of her workday, she now saw an advantage to having some downtime. Between all of the overtime she worked at her current job and all of the other odd jobs she took to pay the bills and keep food on the table, she rarely had any time to herself anymore. She settled down on the couch, propping herself up with pillows as she read by the light from the patio door.

* * *

She’d been reading for a while when she heard a car door slam outside. She glanced out of her window, the apartment complex’s parking lot visible from her couch. Her neighbor, Patty, had come outside to greet her husband as he got out of his vehicle. The power’s been out for an hour and a half now, she informed him.

The power went out at work, too, Ed grumbled. They sent us home early after waiting an hour for it to come back on. Without pay, of course.

Patty frowned, hugging him gently. That sucks, hun, but I’m glad you’re home early!

It’s nice to be home when the sun’s still up, but it would’ve been nicer to have a full paycheck on payday, he muttered.

Meghan’s brow furrowed again as she eavesdropped on their conversation. She knew that Ed worked about a half hour east from their apartment, so it seemed that the outage was widespread—thought she admitted that it was more likely just a coincidence that both places were without power. Without thinking, she picked up her cell and called her boyfriend, Steve; he worked at a restaurant a half hour south, so she wondered how likely it was that the power was out there, too.

Her phone beeped loudly. CALL NOT ALLOWED.

She cursed under her breath and tapped the icon of her social media app, figuring that she could use the messaging service to instant message him instead.

SERVICE NOT AVAILABLE.

My 4G is out, too? she said to herself. What the heck is going on? She sat back on her couch, her foot tapping nervously. I hope Steve gets home soon. Her imagination had a tendency to get the best of her at times, creating scenarios much worse than reality, so she took a few deep breaths to talk herself down. Everything’s fine, she told herself. Don’t be ridiculous; it’s just a blackout. The power will be on in no time.

Meghan decided to go outside to clear her head, slipping on a hoodie over her t-shirt and wrapping her sleek, brown hair into a sloppy bun on top of her head. She waved at Patty as she closed the patio door behind her.

Power out over there, too? Patty asked.

Seems to be the whole building, Meghan said.

Patty nodded. Ed’s work is out, too. Weird, huh?

Meghan nodded. Is your cell working?

She shook her head, retrieving it from her pocket. It went out at pretty much the same time the power did.

So did mine, Meghan said. They quickly compared carriers, just to rule that out, and discovered that they used different companies.

Do you think the cell towers got affected by this blackout? Patty asked.

Meghan shrugged. It’s possible, I guess.

Another neighbor, Lynne, 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 landline, Lynne? Meghan inquired. With a phone that isn’t electric?

She shook her head. I have one, but it’s not working, either, she replied.

Meghan inhaled sharply. When she was a child, her landline had always worked during blackouts. Her gut started churning with worry despite her best attempts to stay calm.

Lynne sensed her tension. I’m sure that it’s nothing, dear, she said. A few transformers probably went out or something. 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.

I have a few cans of baked beans that I can chip in, Lynne added. I’ll be right down.

I’ll start getting my food ready, Meghan said as she headed back indoors.

Meghan sliced up several red potatoes and scooped them into a makeshift aluminum foil bowl. After adding vegetables, spices, and butter, she gently bent the bowl in half and creased its edges shut. She’d already begun salivating as she heard the patio door slide open.

Hey, honey! Steve greeted 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, the foil pouch in hand. Patty and Ed are having a cookout in honor of the blackout, so I’m taking these over to contribute to the meal.

Sounds delicious, Steve said. I’ll grab that six pack from the fridge and bring that over.

So the power went out at your work, too?

Steve nodded. Sounds like it went out around the same time as here. The cell phones did, too, which felt odd to me. Your phone isn’t working, either?

Meghan shook her head in response. They didn’t send you home early?

No; my restaurant has a generator, so we switched to that.

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. I doubt it. It’s probably a minor, widespread outage because of all the rain we’ve been getting. Maybe a few transformers got damaged. He glanced out to his truck. Let me try something. Head over to Patty’s and deliver those potatoes. I’ll be right over.

As he walked out to his vehicle, Meghan returned to Patty’s apartment. Ed was working on getting the grill going, the smell of charcoal and lighter fluid filling the air as fire shot from the grate. Meghan used her phone’s music player app to play the extensive collection of music stored on her SD card, selecting a playlist of old classics. Meghan, Patty, and Lynne sat around Patty’s patio table as Ed tended to the grill, cracking open a few beers and singing along to the music.

Right as Patty and Ed were suggesting that they drag out their portable fire pit to the center of the parking lot and continue the festivities after dinner, Steve waved for Meghan to come to his truck.

She couldn’t help but notice the worried look on his face as she got closer. Is something wrong? she asked.

I got on my CB radio, Steve explained. I wanted to see if anyone in range knows what’s going on with the power.

And?

And, from what I heard, this isn’t just a local event. Truckers hours from here have reported that the power is out and cell phones aren’t working—no texts, no internet, and no calls. The few pay phones that still exist aren’t working, either. Nothing’s going through. There’s word that a few people have been dusting off their old ham radios and getting their generators hooked up to broadcasting equipment to help spread the word.

She stared at him blankly, unable to fully process what she was hearing. So what does this mean?

He sighed, glancing to their neighbors. It might be time to bug out, he responded in a whisper.

Chapter 2

September 16th, 2:15pm – Chloe and Tori – Wintersville, OH

The unseasonably warm weather was a great excuse to get in some last-minute camping despite the light drizzle. Tori and Chloe had heard that the region might experience some rain due to the onslaught of storms on the coast, so they’d taken extra tarps in order to shield their pop-up camper from any major downpours. Their folding canopy protected the makeshift kitchenette area that they’d set up near the campsite’s picnic table, and clip-on umbrellas shielded their camping chairs.

I chopped some more firewood and collected more kindling, Chloe announced, setting the logs and sticks under the picnic table to keep them dry. There was a pretty thick canopy of trees deeper in the forest than we usually go; I had some good luck there.

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’s 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 their food to last the remaining two days of their trip. Chloe had recently learned how to hunt for small game using snares and her pellet gun, but she would always prefer steaks, burgers, and hot dogs to squirrels. Rabbit was pretty tasty, though. Shall I grab some asparagus, too?

Yes, please. Tori pulled the metal grate over their fire pit, the glowing red coals ready to cook their lunch.

After their hearty meal, they lounged next to the fire with their fingers laced loosely together. They reveled in the dancing firelight and the sounds of the wilderness around them; not even a radio interrupted the breeze rustling the trees, the pattering of rain droplets falling onto the forest canopy, and frogs croaking in a faraway pond.

Tori glanced over at Chloe, smiling as she watched the firelight dance across her freckled, round face. Her wavy brown hair had been parted into two braids and wrapped with a handkerchief to keep her frizz in line. The baggy jeans and oversized hoodie only hinted at the curves hidden underneath. Her style and appearance often contrasted Tori’s—Tori was thin, with long blonde hair and form-fitting clothing—but she liked it that way as she felt they complimented each other nicely.

Tori sighed. I’d better wash these dishes, she said groggily, groaning as she got out of her chair. Retrieving a reusable shopping bag from the table, she filled it with their dirty mess kits along with a soap-filled scrubbing sponge. She slipped on her shoes and trekked 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 struggled to remove her gaze from the fire as flames licked the bark off of the fresh logs. They both enjoyed escaping to the campground an hour and a half away from their home in the suburbs. They both had two jobs as they struggled to make ends meet, so they rarely had quality time together. Though they had lived together for nearly 20 years and married for over a decade, she felt like they were never completely alone between their phones constantly pinging with current news, social media updates, and text messages. These trips were an escape from the rest of the world, a way to reconnect with each other and nature. They had visited the campground enough times that the owners knew them by name and had given them access to their private campsite, a cleared out portion of the forest that was tucked away down a dirt path. In this space, they felt like they were the last people on earth.

Her sense of responsibility getting the best of her, she finally turned from the campfire and started her post-dinner chores. She used a spatula to pull the grate off of the fire pit, waiting for the red glow to fade before scrubbing the grate with a wire brush, then she went to their kitchen area to tidy up. She noticed their wind-up, solar-powered radio on the table, and she decided that music would help her be more productive.

She heard the familiar buzz of static as she turned it on, accustomed to its greeting; they almost always had to slowly adjust the tuner to find a radio station while in the valley. It usually took only a moment or so to find something, but she was having an exceptionally difficult time as she turned the knob left and right. She sat at the table, speaker to her ear as she slowly moved the dial between the stations and listened for any sort of music or voice.

Tori had just about finished cleaning their dishes in the laundry room’s tub when two other people walked into the room, baskets of dirty clothes resting on their hips.

…And not even our cell phones are working, one of the women was saying as she loaded her clothing into the washer.

That’s so strange! the other said.

From what I’ve heard from the owners, the power went out around two. The payphone at the lodge isn’t working, and none of the trailers have electricity, either. The owners are running generators to keep the coolers running in the convenience store and the bathrooms working throughout the park, but that’s only going to last so long.

Tori unconsciously patted her pocket, checking for her cell phone. A small twinge of panic rang through her body when it was missing, but she quickly remembered that she had left it in the camper. She rarely looked at her phone during their camping trips; being away from all of 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 cell phones and landlines aren’t working."

Tori’s stomach churned slightly, but she shook it off. It was probably nothing to worry about; like the one woman had stated, they were in the middle of nowhere. She probably wouldn’t have even noticed the blackout until it was time to leave their temporary home in a few days. Still, something in her gut made her feel uneasy.

When Tori returned to their campsite, Chloe was sitting at the picnic table, a worried frown on her face as she held their radio up to her ear. What’s wrong, Chlo? Tori asked as she set down the bag and began putting away their mess kits.

You’ve got 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 different message on another station that’s from the Emergency Broadcast System, 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 cell phone communications, as extremely high winds have knocked down power lines, telephone lines, and cell phone towers in several areas. As Superstorm Nicole heads inland, we are advising anyone who can hear this to seek shelter and make sure you are prepared for extended power outages. Please ensure that you are stocked with batteries, potable water, and non-perishable food items such as pasta, canned goods, and dried foods. If you are able to safely navigate to nearby family members, 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 pause in the broadcast seemed like an eternity to Tori. She wrapped her arms around her wife as she felt a shudder travel through her entire body.

"To all who can hear this, my name is Amy, and I am working with a number of members from The American Radio Relay League to get this message into the areas that are experiencing blackouts. It seems that the outage is not a local phenomenon. The superstorm predicted by The National Weather Service has hit mainland, and it appears to have affected so many places at once that power outages appear to be widespread across the entire east coast. We are not sure of