After the storms in Portland
#5 of Zont
After the storms in Portland
Jeanette stood in speechless aw at the destruction the storms had left in their wake. She had been close to disasters and in them before, but you never get used to it. The capricious nature of the tornadoes would take everyone involved to highs and lows in minutes or less. Support would come in from all around them, but she knew it would be weeks before they would understand the full extent of the destruction, and days or more into the recovery, just to get an accurate count of the dead.
Fritz and Walter had run out into the hail to check on their neighbors as soon as the wind died down enough to allow them to run at all. Bill had seen this more than once and knew better than to risk becoming another casualty, but Jeanette knew better than to try to stop them.
"You come with me!" Jeanette grabbed Sahara's arm as she went after Walter. "We have a lot to do and we will not get a break just because it is too dark to see."
As an elf Sarah might be older than the city it's self but it was clear in the expression on her face she had never seen anything like this. "What can we do?"
"You will go to the nearest temple and ask them to send volunteers to Skunk house. I will organize the house staff to set up a dispensary. Tell them it looks like the east side of the park is in ruins." Jeanette released Sahara's arm but took her hand. "And send word to Fritz's parents that he is alright. I will send a message by oracle but I don't think anyone will be looking at oracles today.
Lafayette Park was a small community just at the edge of Portland proper. It was made up of perhaps 300 families deeply interconnected. Nearly everyone was connected in some way to most of the community. Over the next week they would learn of 30 dead and spend maddening days searching for roughly 200 missing.
Jeanette's house staff consisted of one cook, a maid and her three children the oldest just 10. They would all need something to do. Jeanette tried to organize what each of them could do as she went to the basement. Her nose told her again how frightened her daughters had been. During the height of the storm little Cassy announced her skunk heritage to all present. Jeanette had not thought she would be able to do that at four years old but she had, and Jeanette's ability to dispel Cassy's odor was not quite perfect. Looking down into the gloom and still frightened faces she saw her son Corbin holding Cassy and trying to reassure her. While Julie held the both of them on her ample lap, and told them. "Now don't you fret the mistress will know what to do."
"Come on up we have work to do. Julie fill the largest pot we have with stew. It needn't be fancy, make it filling and hot. Lulu my dear help her out. Everyone is out searching for injured, and they will be hungry. Annette help me bring the tables out on to the patio. Cassy Corbin you bring out as many chairs as you can find, and the lanterns."
"But I don't know where the lanterns are mama."
"Corbin they are in the basement on the shelves next to the ladder."
"Yes mom."
Sarah returned with three young men in priestly robes and Mrs. Winters to find Jeanette on the back patio helping Annette set up the large table from the study. Jeanette could hear Sara trying to comfort Mrs. Winters. "Gretchen calm down Fritz is looking for Henry and Jeanette will know what to do." Sara looked to Jeanette as much for reassurance as to get her attention. "Their order will send what they can. Do we know who is in charge yet?"
Jeanette took Gretchen's hands, "We will get through this. Would you help Julie in the kitchen? The searchers can't work hungry." She hugged Gretchen, and directed her attention to the men from the temple. They were much younger than Jeanette had expected not much more than boys. "Can you treat the injured?"
The oldest of them spoke up, "We are trained to care for those in need. Where are the injured?"
Jeanette noticed Sarah shaking her head, "There" Jeanette pointed across the park. Where there had been homes, now stood splintered wood in wild piles. "It may take them days to search it all. The injured can be brought here, or runners can guide you to them."
The young man who had spoken before looked in the indicated direction and calmly said, "Thank you good wife, but we know what we are doing."
"I hope so. Send the hungry and those without a home here to Skunk house. I will see that they are fed and have shelter."
Jeanette continued to set up to feed any that would need it while Sarah contacted the neighbors who still had homes for help. Quickly Jeanette found all of her time taken with suggesting where people could help. Neighbors were more than willing to help but didn't know what to do. By the time Growly and Howler arrived with a wagon load of blankets, six men from the Rockwell estate and Alison, Jeanette had Corbin and a neighbor's daughter on the front steps directing people to the back. Gretchen had taken charge of Casey and a hand full of neighborhood small children. Alison found Jeanette as one of the young clerics and Fritz returned with a man and small badly injured child. "Take her to the guest room." For the first time today Jeanette hesitated unsure what to do.
"I will fetch the head priest. He needs to be here." Alison said this to the cleric who held the child while Fritz tried to reassure her father.
The child's father looked disorientated and kept mumbling. "It's all gone. How can this be?"
Once the child, her father and the young cleric were settled Fritz found Jeanette "I can't stay long, I have to get back. Where there is devastation it is total homes were not damaged they were erased. Yet across the road there may be no damage at all. Everyone I speak to is searching for a close friend or family member. Too often we find them weeping beside the body of someone close. From Corbin's academy two are known dead and five are missing. The girls will be missing some of their friends and class mates before the end of this." Fritz paused, and took a deep breath before continuing. "No one will get through this untouched."
"Fritz, eat something before you go back, and take some for whoever needs it. Sarah has been sending help from all around the area. We must have enough food here to feed 500" Jeanette hugged him.
When Fritz stood from his meal he took his wife into his arms, and hugged her tight. "Jeanette, Robert is among the dead. I found him myself." Robert had married them, blessed all of their children and become a very dear friend to them both.
Jeanette didn't know what she wanted at that moment except some time to herself and her own feelings about the loss of her friend, but that was not to be. The word had gotten out about a hot simple meal for people who needed it.
"I heard I could get something to eat here. If that is so I would really appreciate it." Jeanette could not remember seeing the speaker before.
"Sure take a seat and I will find you something to eat." Then to Fritz as he returned to the search, "Be careful. Don't get yourself hurt."
She would morn her friend tomorrow or perhaps later but now she had a near capacity crowd of tiered people and furs to feed.
Zelda