Chapter 16: Hurricane aftermath

[Late summer/early fall 2261 AD]

In the second half of September a hurricane had passed on the sea and over the coast, and our city Appacolia had been fully hit. Marc and I had been very busy helping where needed, and when the wind and rain finally diminished, we were very tired and exhausted.

Finally the hurricane had passed, the worst was most likely behind us, and over the next few days, we patrolled the streets, looked out for people we could help with something, and did all kind of urgent repairs. I barely had the time to call Primrose a couple of times and let her know that I was safe, but busy, and before I noticed, I had worked mostly through the weekend, assisting citizens who needed help with themselves, their houses, or their equipment, and we double checked that the streets in the city and the roads in the vicinity were passable and in proper order, as much as possible at least under the current conditions.

Fortunately, the damaged bridge crossing the river halfway between us and Kirchheim was still in working condition, but just barely; we'd have to accelerate our effort to build the new and final bridge as soon as we could. Besides that, there a few other road sections, not only bridges, which badly needed repair and improvements, and we started to write down what kind of work would have to be done. On the bright side, we did not have that many roads outside of the city. The most important one was the one connecting Kirchheim to Appacolia, and the second one lead to Hillbonia from here. There was no road connection to the old town, for several reasons. With a maglev connection, there was no real need for a road, and also constructing a road either through the mountains in a tunnel or above would have been expensive and taking a lot of effort, even with the advanced machines our allies had provided. Long distance maglev connections between districts were much higher on our list of priorities at this time. Based on the recent experiences, improving the road down to the coast might be a good idea, though.

Finally, once most of the urgent work was done, Mayor Undersee invited to a meeting, which he called a 'lessons learned' session, using a term he had learned from our European friends. In that meeting, we were supposed to make a list of things we needed to improve in Appacolia.

All of us working for him got a few hours to prepare and make specific suggestions, and then we started the discussion. After about half an hour it was obvious that we'd need more of those sessions, but we could at least show some preliminary results.

For a start, we all agreed that the robust building style we had adopted for the city had proven itself. Houses built like Seam houses in the old district would have been utterly destroyed, and some sheds and barns, which mostly just did not exist anymore, proved that. Houses built with sturdy brick walls, properly constructed roofs and windows protected by strong blinds had escaped destruction, and there was only minor damage there. The sewer system had been overloaded, but that had been expected, and having houses with their entrances a few steps higher than street level had also proven to be an excellent concept; we had to thank our European advisors who had shared their experience for building in areas threatened by strong winds and flooding.

Streets in the city were mostly all right, but some roads outside were not, including most bridges. We agreed that we'd have to revisit the road and bridge planing, and we needed to make sure that all of the major roads at least were high enough to not get flooded even when there was a lot of precipitation; if necessary, some road sections might have to be elevated, on some kind of pillars. That would of course also make the bridges higher, wider, and more expensive, specifically those which also had tram lines.

Other areas we'd need to work on included emergency services and vehicles, more reliable power supply, and similar; we'd cover those details in later meetings in detail. Another topic to cover soon was going to be about education, like kindergarten and school. Close to the end of today's session the mayor smiled and said:

"Before we leave this room, I have been asked by Michael Odair, who still resides in the fishing villages where you picked up the injured castaways from, to officially name the port and the village. Naturally, the people living out there already have their own names, and they'd like to make them official."

"So, which names do they want?"

"While a few people have moved in from coastal areas in other districts, mainly Districts Four, a lot of people who have settled in the fishing village are families derived from people who had lived in the coastal areas of Greece in Southern Europe. Naturally, those areas, including the former capital city of this country, got flooded during the apocalypse, but they want to keep their former homeland alive by using names reminding of former settlements there. They suggest to call the port 'Pireas', like the former port city next to Athens, the capital city of Greece, and the fishing village 'Korinthos', like a small coastal city some of them had lived in. They claim that also the non Greek inhabitants agreed, and Michael had asked the others as he says. At least for the fishing village, they've been using the name for some time, and it only needs to be made official."

"Strange names, aren't they?"

"Well, I guess that's the type of names they used to have in that region of Europe. We have learned that the old Europe, before the Apocalypse and the Great War, had had many different languages, and Greek was one of them."

"Right" Marc added, "and I have been told that this particular language even had a different alphabet than ours. With the German language, we at least share the characters, but Greek is totally different."

"Well, let's make sure that the town names are at least written down in our alphabet rather old Greek, so that we can actually read them."

Some of us laughed briefly, and then I asked:

"Besides, I am curious about something. How did the people living there, very close to the coast, survive and keep their houses intact during the storm?"

"That's also thanks to Michael Odair and his knowledge and expertise." the mayor knew. "His family lives in a region of District Four where they also have strong storms coming every other year or so, and he made sure that construction out there was done in a way to be prepared for that. This includes that the houses also keep enough distance to the waterline, so that even extreme tides do not reach them. As a matter of fact, I have been told that Michael Odair has been elected as first mayor of Korinthos recently, and I think that he deserves that, even as he came from another district. I asked him about it during my last visit there, and he claims that he likes the people here, and he also claims that the weather is less extreme and hot, compared to the region of District Four he came from."

We had a brief discussion on the suggested names, but reached agreement very quickly; thus, port and fishing village now had official names. With that decision today's meeting ended, and our city was about to return to normal times after the exciting hurricane week, or so we hoped at least.

On the next day the parents of Ben, the small boy Madge and I had rescued from the floods, found the mayor's daughter and me in the town hall, and they wanted to deliver their thanks and show their gratitude. Ben was at home again and recovered, and the two people wanted to know what they could do for us. It took some time to convince them that we had just done our duty, and that no special reward or so was required or expected. As official employees we were not supposed to accept gifts anyway, as I knew. However, it was good to learn that Ben was all right, and we told them that he could visit us at some time in the future if he wanted to. We would be happy to show him the truck we had driven, and who knew, maybe he'd want to learn how to drive it when he became bigger? Ben's mother was pretty good in cooking and baking, as we learned, and with Ben growing, she'd be looking for a half-time job soon again. I told her that the Mellark bakeries were still hiring, and that she asked there for that job whenever she was ready. While most of the food we sold was prepared in our central big baking house, all stores had a small baking oven at least, and in addition to just warming up pre-made food, bakers could also, on a small scale, do their own baking with something they liked and which could be sold. We believed that it was important to allow and encourage this degree of freedom, and maybe she would fit in nicely.

On the next weekend I could finally visit Prim again, as the maglev connection was restored. We had not seen each other for almost two weeks, as the hurricane had changed our plans, and I was allowed to take the late morning train so that I could pick her up from school, which ended at noon on Fridays. When she saw me waiting for her just outside of the school building, her face lit up like a Christmas tree, and she started to run, dropped her bag, jumped into my open arms and kissed me so wildly, that a lot of hooting and cheering erupted around us. Most students still knew me, as I had gone to school here as well and from the time afterwards when I had done many repairs in the building and outside; also, the playground outside was something I had built together with Gale and Marc. As soon as Prim was done with her enthusiastic greeting, quite a few of the older students approached, shook my hand, and asked how life was 'down there' in Appacolia. I answered a few questions briefly, but then excused myself and said:

"Ladies and gentlemen, I would not mind to tell you more at another time, but my lovely girlfriend and I have not seen each other for almost two weeks, and we would much prefer to have some time for ourselves, if you get my meaning."

Some of the older boys grinned and some of the girls blushed a little, I thought, but this was something they could understand. Prim had been clinging to me all of the time, and as the sun was shining brightly today, I led her towards 'our' meadow, and like in earlier times, I had managed to find the time to organize a blanket and a picnic basket. After all, we did have the old bakery here, and Philip, the local branch manager – he liked that new title, by the way – had been happy to prepare a basket together with me.

We had also met Lizzy in front of the school, and Prim had just told her to let her parents know that she, Primrose, was going to be home very late today. Lizzy had smiled and replied:

"Oh, Prim, sometimes I feel some envy. I wish that I also had a boyfriend who cared for me like Rye does for you."

When Prim and I got to the meadow, we first got down on the blanket, and my lovely fiancée decided that she needed a very long hugging and make-out session to get started; there were no complaints from my side, of course. Only once that need was at least partially covered did she look into the basket, and she squealed when she saw the selection of the bakery's finest. So, for a few minutes, we indulged, and when our appetite was sated, she leaned her body back into mine and started to ask, mostly about what I had been doing and how the weather conditions had affected Appacolia. Back in the old town, Primrose told me, there had been a minor storm and some rain, but only minor damage and not overly exciting; however, they had been told over the phone lines how things looked closer to the coast. Now she was eager to hear from me and asked:

"Rye, how was it down there in the storm? Were you almost blown away? Are the houses still intact? How is the family, and have you seen Katniss yet? Is everything all right? Did somebody drown in the storm?"

"Wow, Prim, hold on, that's too many questions at once. Starting with the last one, yes, some people did actually drown."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, there was a ship out on the ocean, and it got damaged, so that the crew had to get into the lifeboats. Not all of them made it."

I told her about the rescue operation with the big truck, and I also mentioned how courageous some fishers had been to go out during the storm, taking advantage of the relatively quiet period when the eye of the storm had passed. Getting to her next question, I replied:

"And about Katniss, do you really think that she'd go to Appacolia without seeing you first? Besides, whenever she comes with the maglev from another district, she'd have to change lines here anyway, and you know as well as I do that she'd at least say hi to you, as you are her favorite sister!"

"Silly, I am her only sister!"

"Sure, but you know that she loves you as much as I do, and you will probably always be her little duck. By the way, I have heard somebody mentioning that she intends to be back soon, indeed."

"I guess you are right about that. Now, did the bakery buildings get damaged, and how is the family and my mother?"

"Everybody is just fine, Prim, and nobody was harmed. Dad and Peeta have been working overtime in the bakery, and it turned out to be a good idea to have a coal powered oven installed as backup, as the power was out for some time. Mabel is quite happy in Appacolia, and she shares her time between working with the nurses and doctors at the hospital and visiting sick people in their homes; besides, she is looking for a place to open an apothecary, a small one at least. I am sure that she would love to have you and Lizzy around when you finish school, but of course she understands that going to attend the Capitol University is going to be the chance of your life."

"Maybe we can help by organizing a few young people to help out?"

"Indeed, that might be an option. Didn't you mention that students learning to become a medical doctor also need to spend some time doing practical work somewhere else, preferable in one of the districts? Once we are there, we can make that known, or even before, Mayor Undersee can report the open positions we have, and this should get us a few students for a few months at least. Now, as we are going in that direction, how do you feel about your and our future plans?"

"Oh Rye, can you imagine that this will be my last school year here in District Twelve? I am so excited about what is to come after that, and being able to actually go to the Capitol and learn how to become a medical doctor still seems almost like a dream to me. Being able to share that with you will make it just perfect!"

"So, are there any news on others from our District going to the Capitol?"

"A few months ago, when the previous school years ended, three students in the last year got accepted and moved; I have not heard from them, though. For end of next school year, there will be a few in the last year plus Lizzy and me and a boy from my grade; the boy is going for administration, I think. Lizzy is still unsure on how she can make it possible, though. You know that her parents are not rich, and even while working for us, they will not easily be able to support her daughter; unfortunately living in the Capitol seems to be expensive, even if you are modest and don't need much. As I told you, she will get free learning, but still needs to find a place to live. When they told us how much even a very small apartment costs in rent, she looked very sad, and I am sure that this is way beyond what she will be able to pay."

"But for us it will work, right?"

"Of course it will. First of all, I am getting a full stipend, which will cover most of the housing and living cost, and when we combine that with what the mayor is going to pay you, we should be able to cope easily without additional support."

"How do you know how much the mayor is going to pay me while I am there?"

"Oh, I have talked to Madge, and we have done the numbers together. If it's still not enough, we can always get some money on top from Katniss and Peeta, I guess."

"I am not so sure about the latter, dear. Katniss and Peeta have invested most of their savings into the bakery, which makes a lot of sense; with some of what's left Katniss has started, as far as I know, to also support some groups like the rangers. But I am not worried about that; we will be able to cope, and if we have to live in a very small apartment, it will still be all right and cozy enough for the two of us, right?"

"Of course, Rye, of course it will. You and I together can manage almost everything!"

Well, she was ahead of me in planing, that was for sure, but that was all right for me, actually more than all right. I was pretty good in doing practical work, but my planing and administration skills were, despite my years working with the mayor, somewhat limited, and that was something I was going to learn in a more organized way in the Capitol, I expected. Prim had a natural talent for many things, and I already knew that she was much smarter than I was. Not that I had a problem with that, oh no. On the contrary, I was so very much proud of her, like she was my creation or so. On some days I found it hard to believe that she was mine and I was hers, and my heart felt very warm in the knowledge that we were indeed together and so much loved each other.

Thinking back to the past briefly, I realized that I had first met Primrose almost ten years ago, and we had been together for most of the time since. Now, living in a peaceful and democratic Panem, we could expect a good future, not only for ourselves, but also for our loved ones. Nobody had to fear being reaped for the Games any longer, and we could contribute to our District in a way using our various gifts and capabilities. As the hurricane had showed, there were still problems to overcome and dangers to fight, but we could do this together rather than against each other at least.

The following weeks and months were dominated by more cleaning up, planing, and infrastructural improvements.

In a later town council meeting we talked about setting up a fire department, a kindergarten and an elementary school, with an option to extend into a school for all grades at a later time. The government finances in Panem had been established by now, and each district got some funds for those tasks. Until now the government has not changed the tax system, which implied that a lot of taxes went to the Capitol. Whereas most of the money has been spent on military and luxuries before, it was now distributed fairly and helped a lot to build required infrastructure in the districts and for other critical tasks.

Katniss had been in and around the Capitol for a longer time, and when she returned and learned what had happened around here with Prim getting a snake bite and the hurricane, she decided to stay around for a longer time again. She also joined the rangers, and due to her knowledge and experience she got promoted to assistant instructor right away. Once or twice a week she was going hunting, too, and most of the time she had a few junior rangers with her to teach. As she had vaguely mentioned before, she also donated most of the money she had left from her generous victor's earnings to the rangers, helping to build up the group.

Our city did have a number of farms already, but most of them had fields to grow crops and vegetables, and few had just started with livestock. Breeding fowl, like hens and turkey, was already partially established, but the farmers just started to lean how to breed larger animals like pigs, cows, or sheep on a larger scale. Hunting wild animals like boar and deer contributed a lot towards getting our food balanced, and we needed to increase the number of people who could hunt properly. Hunting, as Katniss pointed out more than once, included much more than just shooting at animals with a bow or rifle. It also included finding out where certain animals were plentiful, and making sure that the populations were not reduced too much. Gale and Katniss established rules on times of the year when specific animals were not allowed to be hunted because they had to to raise their young ones, and they called those times 'closed season'.

Johanna, on the other hand, started to spend some of her time on lumberjack training. Where she had come from, in District Seven, this has been a common occupation, as lumber was that district's main function, or at least it had been before the rebellion. Lumber was used for building houses, heating houses, making furniture and more, and there still was a great need for that resource. However, it did not really make sense any longer to cut lumber only in District Seven; we had enough trees around here in our district as well, and while we might not be able to build fancy pieces of furniture and decorations from that yet, lacking the artisans – although Wheat and Leevy had started off nicely in that direction – the lumber could at least be used for house construction and heating.

Above and beyond that, using wood from the forests for heating was even pretty good on the environmental scale, as it was growing back over time. If burning wood from forests was done on a moderate scale, comparable to natural forest fires, the environmental impact was quite small, and at least here in our district, with a total population of maybe ten thousand or so, this was not an issue, even if it continued to grow quickly by immigration from Europe and other districts. I was convinced that, with our population level, whatever we did had only negligible impact on a global scale, but previous generations, two to three hundred years ago, had thought so, too, for a very long time, and when they had finally realized that something was wrong, reaction time by democratic governments world wide had been way too slow. For many decades natural resources like coal and oil had been torn out of the ground and used for heating and power generation, and in addition those generations had used nuclear fission plants and not even bothered to store the radioactive waste properly. With the nuclear bombs being dropped in the Great War, of course, that problem at least had been getting insignificant in comparison, but the radical climatic change and the apocalypse had happened within a few decades in the second half of the 21st century.

So, Johanna had her first group of lumberjack trainees, and as they would have to spend a lot of time in a forest, they also needed basic ranger training to be familiar with the forest environment.

[Author's Notes: Taking care of the environment is obviously so much easier with a low population than it is with a high one.

BTW, I would appreciate to get a few more reviews to learn how you like the latest events in this story. According to the statistics, there haven't been a lot of views and visitors in the last few months, and I'd like to learn if I should spend more time on the story or rather find a good ending soon; naturally, no feedback implies no interest.]