“What? Gone! What do you mean gone?”
“The entire downtown section … has been destroyed. It’s gone. All the skyscrapers, the hotels, the banks, the insurance company buildings—everything just crumbled. From what they are saying on the news, it was unlike any earthquake L.A. has ever experienced before. The plates beneath the surface didn’t just slide apart; they seemed to serge together, forcing each other into the air, and then buckled. It was as though all the pressure of the ages just blew the ground apart.
Stan could not believe it! He stood, mouth gaping, while the man continued.
“Thousands of people are dead; who can guess how many are injured? The quake hit right at rush hour, twisting the freeways that run through downtown into massive concrete and metal ribbons. Water lines are ruptured, electric lines are down, and gas mains are broken—all with no way to even get help into the city. Fires are burning out of control …”
“Shhhh!” A woman in front of Stan turned around, holding her index finger to her lips, quieting the man in the sweatshirt. “It’s a news bulletin!”
An irritating but attention-capturing sound emitted from the boom box behind the counter. The sound repeated several more times before a voice could be heard. “Your attention, please. This is the Federal Emergency Management System. This is not a test. Repeat: this is not a test. The earthquake that struck Los Angeles this afternoon is of massive proportions. We still have an extremely dangerous and unstable situation. Aftershocks are continuing to occur, and it is unsafe to go near the city. Repeat: do not, under any circumstances, attempt to enter the city. Those of you living between the Mammoth Lake area and Los Angeles should evacuate in an eastern or northern direction immediately. Do not go south; do not go west toward the sea. Do not attempt to pack your belongings. Take only enough food and water for your family and proceed immediately to the safe areas to which you will be directed. National Guard troops will assist you in the evacuation.
The moment the emergency management officer stopped speaking, the gas station crowd erupted into loud, frightened wails. Several people—men and women—slumped to the floor.
“I’ve got to get into the city,” one man yelled. “My wife works in the Prudential Building.”
“Are you crazy? Didn’t you hear what the guy just said?”
“I don’t care. I’m going to try.”
Just then, the man behind the counter began waiving his arms up and down violently. “Quiet!” he screamed. “Quiet, everybody. Something’s happening!
The crowd calmed somewhat, and amid crackling static, Stan heard the frantic voice of a local radio broadcaster. “It’s horrendous! This cannot be happening, yet even as I speak, the situation worsens. Tonight, approximately fifteen minutes ago, a gigantic fissure opened in the earth near Lake Crowley, otherwise known as the Long Valley Reservoir, in the Mammoth Lakes region of the eastern Sierra Nevada area. According to eyewitness reports from individuals who observed the lake from nearby higher ground, the lake seemed to heave into the air, virtually catapulting it’s contents out of the lake basin. Apparently coinciding with the earthquake—or perhaps causing it—is a volcanic eruption in the area, spewing lava, steam, and volcanic ash into the sky. According to the state’s Department of Water and Power, increased activity has been detected for the past several years, and although seismic activity has recently increased in frequency and intensity, nobody could have predicted this sort of disaster.
“State emergency officials are warning people in Southern California not to drink your tap water. Repeat: do not drink your tap water. It has been contaminated. Lake Crowley formerly rested in a twenty-by-ten-mile crater that is thought to have been formed by a volcanic eruption seven hundred years ago. The lake is one of Southern California’s main water supply sources, collecting mountain runoff, which flows hundreds of miles south by way of aqueducts to Los Angeles. But the catastrophic explosion caused massive amounts of toxic ash to fall into the water, thus contaminating the water supply. Adding to the problem, the volcano has caused rapid melting of snow in the mountains, and flash floods are ripping through the area even as I speak. The floodwater is teeming with potentially hazardous volcanic debris known as lahar. If at all possible, residents should avoid any unnecessary contact with the floodwater until it’s toxicity can be determined.”
The announcer took a breath and then broke from his professional protocol. “It’s awful,” he gasped. “This is the worst disaster I’ve ever seen. There is no electricity throughout most of the state. Water is rushing through the valley like the Johnstown flood, and our drinking water supply is contaminated. The earth is shaking beneath our feet, it’s pitch black outside, getting colder by the hour, and we still have nine hours before sunrise. God help us all.”
