The Emergency
#1 - Being a fly on the wall when crisis hits
3:06 p.m.
"Marlen, I hope this is important!"
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but it's about Fox Creek Valley. With all the rain, it seems to be getting pretty bad."
"Can't it wait until tomorrow? I'm meeting someone important right now."
"Um, it's just that I keep getting calls from there. First, the mayor, and then someone from the local disaster control. They really want to talk to you."
"I can't right now. Tell them I'm busy with something important. Anything else?"
"The flood reporting service has declared the second-highest warning level."
"Okay, tell them to keep monitoring the situation. I'm hanging up now."
5:40 p.m.
"What now, Marlen?"
"They've called again. They say the river is now at 1.4 meters. Normally, it's under 1 meter. The state environmental agency has also called. They're warning about increased water levels and local flooding."
"What does the weather service say?"
"They say the rain should stop soon."
"Well then, they shouldn't panic so much. What about Aadesh, is he...?"
"He's on his way there to meet with the local crisis team. Should be there soon."
"Good. Have him give you an update as soon as he's got an overview. I have to get back to the others now."
7:23 p.m.
"Yes, Marlen, what's up?"
"Aadesh has met with the crisis team. The river is now at 3.5 meters, and quite a number of houses are flooded."
"Okay, and what else does he say?"
"He says the crisis team is working calmly and staying focused. They're in contact with the local authorities and emergency services."
"Good, then they can handle it?"
"They say you should come. I think they want you to make sure communication at higher levels runs smoothly and to organize the exchange of personnel if it becomes necessary."
"These people... they want to be left alone all year, but when they need something, they want it done immediately. Marlen, listen, I'm busy all evening. They’ll have to handle it themselves. Aadesh will help them."
9:47 p.m.
"What now?"
"Have you seen the video I sent you? The one from the helicopter?"
"Yes, I have. There's a flood, all right, but the situation doesn't look that dramatic. And from what I've seen, it’s not raining anymore."
"The water level is still rising. According to the state environmental agency, it will soon reach over 4 meters. We need to issue a large-scale warning!"
"Have the crisis team on site initiate official hazard announcements. I can't do more right now; I'm not in the office. We’ll talk tomorrow morning."
11:15 p.m.
"This is Nicole Witner's cellphone. I'm busy right now. Leave a message after the beep."
"This is Marlen. There's chaos there now. Houses are simply washed away. Emergency services are trying to rescue people from the flood wherever possible. The army and federal police are involved. They estimate the water level is over 5 meters. Please call me back ASAP."
8:34 a.m.
"Hey, Samantha, this is Nicole. Yeah, thanks, everything's fine. Listen, this is important. I need you because I have to issue a press release quickly. Yes, exactly. Can you get here right away? ... OK, perfect, see you at my office at 9. Bye-bye!"