The Storm

The Beggining of the Storm

'The end is only the beginning', at least that is how I heard it go. My name is James Riuran, and I went through the worst of the worst. i went through the end of the world, and it sure didn't feel like the beginning, it felt like, well, the end.
I will tell you whet happened, it started in, I think it was 1999.
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I walked out the door of my two bedroom apartment in New York and grabbed my bike, looking at the sky. It was black with clouds very close to the ground. In the distance I saw fog, coming in from the ocean. I sat up on the seat and biked to my job was in downtown New York. I walked into the building and was greeted by a few hi's and hello's.
"Hi James, how are you today," said my coworker Mason.
"Oh, I am fine, but man, did you see those clouds this morning," I said.
"Yeah, they were huge, and close to the ground. let's hope that it's nothing bad,"said Mason.
"Oh yeah, because then we don't really had to work."
We turned around and logged into our computers  after a hour something bad happened.
"Red alert, red alert, we have an emergence, red alert!"
We stood up and ran into the weather command center.
"What do we have hear Jim," I demanded.
"It is a class ten rainstorm and wind storm," Jim said.
"Class ten, the highest we have recorded is a class six. Sound the alarms, and get me the President of the United States."
Jim picked up the phone and called the President, "Hear you go sir!"
"Thanks, now sound the alarm and get me the damage estimate, immediately!"
Jim handed the phone to me and he ran into the adjacent room.
"Hello, Mr. President, we have an emergency," I said.
"What is it," replied the president.
"We have a class ten rainstorm and wind storm coming in and it is headed right toward Washington D.C. "
"How long do you expect it to be before it reaches us?"
"The storm its self is moving at about fifty miles an hour and we estimate wind speeds of up to seventy miles an hour!"
"At that rate it will reach us in an hour," said the President, "I will sound the alarms and make sure that everyone is in there homes."
"Yes sir, we are doing the same here."
"Good," said the President, "Goodbye!"
"Bye Mr. President," I said. I then turned o Jim who had the damage estimate.
"Well, what's the damage?"
"Not good sir, it will cost around three million dollars! The water will rise over three feet," said Jim.
I stared at the other wall and said, "Three feet! That will destroy over three thousand  square feet of our country."
"Yes sir, it will, what shall we due?"
"Start by evacuating the city, then we will worry about the rest of the country, the farther west you go, the better. Everything west of Wisconsin would work! You worry about the city, I'll worry about the country. Get me television cameras for channels ten, six, and other big name channels, even the cartoon channels, immediately!"
"Right away sir., I'll call right now."
"Alice!"
"Yes sir?"
"Call all the channels he doesn't call!"
"Okay!"
They immediately got to it and I turned to Marcus, I will need your help to call a conference between, the president, and all of the governors of states east of Wisconsin."
"Alright, what are you going to do," he asked me.
"I am going to find out as much as I can about this storm, I can hear the rain drops starting to fall."
He looked at me confused.
"That means that we don't have much time. Two days at the most, so get working!"
I turned and went into the next room with the radar computers. "Can you get me the read outs of what the storm will look like in twenty-four hours, then forty-eight hours from now. I want them quick." I then stepped out onto a balcony in the room with people working quietly, then I yelled, "Everyone listen to me, there is a huge storm on its way, and the beginnings of it are already here. Our information says that we will have hight winds and the sea level will rise three or more feet in around forty-eight hours. We need all of your help to evacuate the city! Call airlines, train stations, anything to get people west."
"How far west," someone asked.
"As far or farther than Wisconsin," I replied.
Everyone looked at each other and I said, "I know that it sounds impossible, which it isn't,  and yes some people will die, but if we work on this instead of lollygaging, we can get most people to safety."
They looked at each other again, then began to work harder then before. I was satisfied that we could get this done in time, then I added, "We are the last ones to leave! Okay people, let's do this, let's save our country!" I turned away and walked into the radar room.
"Do you have the read outs for me," I asked.
"Umm, yes, but..." the man said.
"But what, speak out!" I demanded.
"It is not good," he said handing me the papers.
I looked at them and my eyes opened wider than ever before.