[EVENT] Cold Winds Blowin'...

[ironwood]

Characters: All
Date: January 10-31, 2018
Location: Keeliai, all sectors
Situation: Hurricane and ensuing cleanup
Warnings/Rating: add warnings to headers as necessary, please.


Come late night on the 10th, carrying over into the wee hours of the 11th, the winds that have been on and off all month pick up, howling between buildings and rattling anything not nailed down. The worst of it comes over the next day, when the winds don't actually stop, sweeping through the city at high speeds and bringing rain and all kinds of debris with them.

The canals in Water are nearly impassable, making travel even more inadvisable than it would have been. In some places the wind takes out the power, too, leaving several people temporarily without much in the way of heat -- not good when the average temperature is hovering around 5°C (about 40°F). The rain comes heavier over the course of the day, and flooding both minor and major abounds; during the worst of the storm the canals are near to overflowing and there's a sincere -- and realized -- risk of drowning. As the flooding rises fast, some unprepared citizens may be caught by these rushing torrents and need rescue.

The storm settles down toward the end of the twelfth, leaving only brisk winds and a sullen drizzle as it finally passes the city by. In its wake, however, is a vast array of damage, and significant repairs to be made.

The high winds have knocked many trees down, some of which landed on homes and businesses -- in some cases, punching right through the roofs, rendering the buildings temporarily unlivable, and sending their occupants out into the storm to seek their nearest secondary shelter. Flooding is wide-scale, doing immeasurable amounts of property damage and putting many lives at risk. Many are left injured, homeless, or their businesses and livelihoods in ruins. Even more have lost personal possessions that are irreplaceable.

All told, the Merchant's Guild estimates that nearly 10% of the city's residential districts have suffered severe damage, meaning that the homes in those areas are not structurally safe to live in until repairs are made. This translates to about 6000 kedan across all Sectors in need of temporary housing. A further 20% (roughly 10,000) of the city has experienced moderate damage, so their homes are livable, but they may be without power, heat, or necessities like running water or adequate food stores.

The rest of the city takes light damage, mostly in the way of flooding and damaged goods. Volunteers are needed all over the place to remove storm debris to a growing mountain of wreckage outside the city walls. Everything from broken windows and furniture, to entire trees and large sections of rooftops need to be hauled away, and in some cases, the Foreigners' abilities will be much appreciated, since whatever left is going to be done with kirin-hauled carts and sledges.

Through the rest of the month, repairs are in progress, most of it taking place beneath a sapping cold rain, which impedes both repairs and volunteers' health, and many come down with walking pneumonia and flu-like afflictions. Usayi is among those organizing work crews for the clearing of large debris and urgent patches; he'll be spearheading those efforts as the month wears on as well. The Woodsmen also call for help from as many volunteers as possible, citing the loss of a great deal of growing and stored seeds, as well as the damage to their agricultural land plots, which are now littered with more debris.

Comments

[unetrustworthy]

Midii might have been petite and without any supernatural powers, but she was also unafraid of hard work.

In some ways, her mind flashed back to the explosions that had wracked the streets a few years back. At least this time, the damage was caused by nature. (She hoped.) Still, the parallels remained in that there were people to help and manual labor to begin fixing what had been broken.

Hair tied up in a messy ponytail, she set to work moving quickly from business to business, focusing her attention most on buildings that had sustained the most damage and residents she knew contained older people. Looking for anyone who might have been trapped or needed her help escaping.

The rain seemed to do little to stop her, and it wasn't long before the girl was thoroughly soaked. Her thick coat seemed to shield her body from the worst of it, but her hair was plastered to her forehead and cheeks, and she occasionally had to pause long enough to wipe the water from her eyes. Or give a light sneeze.

[ironpeace]

The second sneeze from nearby draws Usayi's attention, moderately irritable as always. As much for the interruption as for what it means. There's a brief moment where he orients on the source, and then:

...have Foreigners not even the sense for hats? He comes up beside her, glancing over and down. "If you fall seriously ill, you will be simply another casualty to deal with," he says, brusque but not -- entirely -- unkind. "Pause. Go inside. Dry yourself off. Find a hat. Preferably oilcloth. Then come back."

[unetrustworthy]

She opened her mouth to protest--and very nearly did--when she caught a glimpse of who it was ordering her. And proceeded to shut her mouth before it inadvertently got her in more trouble.

"...where can I find an oilcloth hat?"

[ironpeace]

"Or something else waterproof, then."

No, the material wasn't the issue, was it. Usayi frowned at the girl. He didn't have time to return to his shop to fetch something just for her, but it was true that if she fell ill she would be more of a drain on resources. "Any tailor should have at least the cloth available," he said, and, grudging, "If you cannot find one, I have a shop in the Sky sector, and can provide you with one if you visit later."

He won't be at 'home' for a while, but it will be a solution.

[unetrustworthy]

She nodded, and glanced around. A lot of the damage in the area made shopping...that much more difficult, but she also knew the neighborhood well enough to have an idea of where to go.

"I'll do that later. Right now...I think I can find something that will work." (So she could keep working.) "And...thank you. For the suggestion."

She hated the fact that she needed to be reminded of such a thing, especially after all the talks she'd had with friends in the past about survival. But self-preservation had never been her strongest attribute, and even she was willing to admit when she needed a nudge.

"What's the name of your shop? So I can remember to stop by."

[ironpeace]

He wasn't sure entirely why this warranted thanks. Surely any sensible person would think of wearing a hat in the cold and the damp.

"Dry off, first," he advised, still brusque. "If you do find you need to -- stop by -- look for the sign bearing the name Daxiue."

It was the rare occasion, on which his twin's name bore no bitterness. Usayi gave her an aggrieved sigh, and glanced away.

[unetrustworthy]

"...fine, I'll dry off first."

She echoed without only the slightest hint of attitude before remembering herself.

"Daxiue," she repeated softly. It was not a familiar name to her, but she supposed she couldn't have remembered every business in the city. ...yet. "I'll remember."

His body language was already telling her she had overstayed her welcome in her current state, so after offering a slight nod--which she doubted he could see, having glanced away--the young girl started heading towards (temporary) shelter. And, hopefully, a decent hat to get her through the remainder of the day's chores.

[ironpeace]

"Directions aren't hard to come by," he said dismissively, and turned away. She'd find it, or she wouldn't, but he'd put in as much of his effort as he cared to looking after a Foreigner.

Usayi lifted a hand over his shoulder as he moved on, something that could have been mistaken for a wave of farewell. It certainly wasn't courteous. But it was something.