Dead Reckoning by Tom Wright Read Free Book Online

suddenly as it abated, the storm roared to life again. The moon vanished in a wall of water and darkness. Torrents of rain poured over the roof above us and off into the distance. As the wind accelerated over and around the building, the ground water pulled away, leaving debris beached on the concrete. Even under shelter, a breeze tugged at us from behind as the air was sucked out of the structure.
    The light above us went out. We sensed the danger and felt our way back up the stairs toward the EOC, ears popping again.
    I rushed to my workstation and found the barometer rising quickly. When the pressure and wind finally stabilized a few minutes later, we had 988 millibars and south winds of 70 mph gusting to 85 mph—much lower than the front side of the storm.
    I let out a cautiously optimistic sigh of relief.
    The commander came over and looked at the instruments.
    “That’s it, right? That’s the worst of it?”
    “Yes, but…..”
    “But? What’s the matter?”
    “I don’t know. I have a feeling. Something isn’t right.”
    I sat back and stared at the stale data on my radar screen.
    Colonel Blaine walked to the center of the room and began directing his personnel.
    “I want security to begin checking on assets and survey the damage as soon as the wind drops below 50 mph. Get me the status of the shelters. And let’s find out how housing fared. Let’s see if we can get people back in their quarters when the winds subside, or if they will have to stay sheltered.”
    I anxiously tapped at my keyboard. I glanced at the wind again. The direction indicator wobbled between 190 and 200 degrees—slightly west of due south. The winds were coming around.
    Then it dawned on me.
    “Wait!” I exclaimed.
    Everyone turned.
    “The winds….they’re becoming more westerly.”
    “So?” Someone questioned.
    “A few more degrees and they’ll be blowing directly across the lagoon.”
    “Sir!”
    It was LTC Polian.
    “What is it Sam?”
    “I’m getting reports of water in town. The guard at the library says half a foot of water is coming in the door.”
    Everyone looked nervously in my direction again.
    “Storm surge,” I said nervously.
    “I thought you said we wouldn’t have much storm surge!” said Commander Blaine angrily.
    “It didn’t occur to me at the time, but if the wind is just right it comes through the southern passes and across the lagoon. Since the lagoon is much shallower and sloped, water could build up. I think that is what’s happening now.”
    There was nothing we could do at that point. It wasn’t safe for anyone to venture out into the storm. I reminded myself that all the shelters were on the second floor of concrete buildings, so as long as the buildings held and the surge remained below five or six feet (an almost unimaginable amount given the situation), everyone should be fine.
    Water made it most of the way across the island over the next hour. I listened carefully as reports came in from the shelters. Two feet of water entered the first floor of the library, but the building and all its inhabitants were fine. All the other shelters reported in safe as well.
    Winds quickly abated as the storm pulled away, and about three hours after Ele’s eye went across Kwajalein, security and safety personnel began to venture out. Indications were that the island fared well except for the flooding, but the decision was made to keep everyone in shelter until dawn.  That meant a long night in the EOC for me.

4
     
    5:13 AM, TUESDAY, MAY 29 TH – EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER (EOC)
     
    I awakened to the smell of burnt coffee and a commotion. I lifted my head off my arm and tried to gather my wits. The skin on my arm peeled away from the keyboard it had been resting on. My eyes focused just in time to see Jeff walking briskly in my direction.
    “Did you hear?” he said.
    “I’ve been asleep here for hours.”
    “The satellites have gone down. The commander’s having a briefing right