Deluge (The Best Thrillers Book 2) by James Best (top romance novels txt) 📗

California for two decades prior to the Great Flood of 1862—just as we have suffered a drought for the last couple of decades. Then, in December of 1861, over forty days of rain came pouring down to end the dry spell. At the time, they called the storm the “monster of destruction.” And it was not a freak event. Geologic evidence suggests that these massive floods occur in California every century or so. In other words, we’re due.”

She looked around to make sure she had everyone’s attention. She certainly had Ashley’s. His head bobbed up and down with her every sentence.

She continued. “Officially, the drought ended early in 1861 with mild rains for most of the year. Then, water came with a vengeance.”

“That is right,” Ashley said. “Between November 1861 and January 1862, seventy-two inches of rain fell in San Francisco.”

Wilson jumped back in. “Besides rainfall, the torrential downpour melted the Sierra snows and the American and Sacramento rivers overran their banks. In December, the Sacramento River rose ten feet in just one day. By January, the water level in those rivers had risen eighteen feet above the highest mark ever recorded, a mark that has not been matched since. Water came down from the mountains and washed away people, livestock, structures, trees, and anything else in its path. And …” she looked around. “There were no big dams to break apart. All of that damage was done by water following the natural landscape.”

Ashley showed off his knowledge. “Just east of here, it rained more than eleven inches in two days. When the Sierra’s runoff hit Sacramento, it put the entire city under water. People were evacuated by boat. The capital moved to San Francisco for three months.” He made a show of looking out the rain-splattered window. “It is fortunate that we are on the fourth floor.”

Wilson added, “Mr. Brady belittled mere rain, but in 2017, Tropical Storm Harvey dumped more than nineteen trillion gallons of water on Houston, flooding the fourth largest city in the nation. Search online for videos to see the damage it did. Horrifying. Mr. Brady listed the carnage from failed dams, and all of it was true, but rainfall alone can cause death and destruction.” She took a deep breath. “Here’s what scares me: My organization sees the formation of an atmospheric river off our coast, and one of these monsters is the mother of all rainstorms.”

Baldwin thought Wilson and Ashley did well as a tag team.

“Are you suggesting we don’t worry about the dams?” someone asked from further down the table.

“On the contrary,” Wilson said. “A storm equivalent to the 1862 flood will cause all our reservoirs to overflow.”

Ashley’s turn again. “In 1862, runoff alone buried one-third of the state under water, all roads were cut off, every telegraph line was taken down, no mail. It will be worse if dam disasters are added to the mix. And here is something that will get politicians’ attention … in 1862, one-quarter of the taxable real estate in the state of California was destroyed.”

Wilson nodded, adding, “Remember, at the time, the population was only about a half million. Thousands died. Now, we have over forty million people in this state, and the death toll could equate that of a nuclear attack.” She paused to let that sink in. “If it happens again, death and destruction will be biblical.”

The man sitting next to her said, “You have my attention. What can we do?”

“Review the OES Emergency Plan,” someone offered. “This commission is attached to the Office of Emergency Services, so it’s in our bailiwick.”

“Review the communications section first,” someone else said. “Will cable survive? Cell towers? Internet infrastructure? Radio towers? Nothing else matters if we can’t communicate with first responders or issue evacuation notices.”

With that, the whole group started offering suggestions and lines of inquiry. Baldwin anticipated a long day ahead.

Chapter 9

Evarts ended the call with his wife. She displayed more emotion than normal and spoke as if she believed the state might never recover from these storms. Evarts shrugged. Not likely. A state or regional emergency caused serious problems, but there had been countless disasters over the course of history. The world had not only survived, but recovered much faster than expected. In Evarts’s experience, people rose to the occasion. Sure, crises exposed some as shallow or cowardly, but they were the exception. No matter what kind of disaster or tragedy happened, most people jumped in to help the afflicted and mitigate damage. Need overcame sloth. Common people found unknown reserves of courage and will. Whatever came their way, humans found a way to handle it and move forward. In truth, he found it easier to deal with the public during crises than in normal situations.

Cunningham came in and told him the sheriff had shown up unannounced. Evarts said to send him in and bring coffee. He wondered what he wanted. Both had their offices in Santa Barbara, and despite the sheriff being fifteen years older, they were friendly and respected one another. People elected county sheriffs, while city councils appointed police chiefs. The uninitiated might perceive the sheriff as political because he ran for office. They might also view a police chief as a politically neutral public servant. Evarts thought the situation reversed. Sheriffs, having won their posts in the public arena, had earned a degree of independence from county supervisors, while city council members believed the chief should feel beholden to them for the job. Evarts had a reasonable council and an even better mayor, so he didn’t feel subjugated, but at conferences and state meetings, he met many chiefs who complained about the heavy thumbs of their political bosses. He, of course, held an ace that the other chiefs didn’t possess. His wealth meant he could walk away at any time. In fact, his fund-raising events and contributions made town politicians indebted to him, an odd reversal of the normal situation.

Evarts rose and came around his desk, extending his hand.