by Dawn Millen
The children start to stir and we prepare breakfast for them, feed the five dogs and get ready to start the day. Sandra will care for the children today while Rhys, Paul and Raymond join the pitifully small group of searchers who are going house to house looking for survivors while Krystal and I will go to the hospital to assist with those who have survived and are injured. Krystal’s older son Thomas asks permission to go with the men to help look for others and after some discussion Krystal and Raymond decide that he can go as long as he is with one of the men in our group. The children have been exposed to so much death that there is no longer any point in sheltering them from it. Sandy will stay and help Sandra with the younger children though, at 12 years old he will be a good assistant for Sandra and a playmate for the younger ones. With these plans made we all hug one another and move off to face our day.
Walking into the hospital Krystal and I are greeted by the exhausted staff who have worked through the night and after a handover of the patients who will be in our care for the next few hours we start work, dressing wounds, many of which have now become infected, checking drips and bathing those who are unable to wash themselves. Clean linen is now becoming scarce as are medications to treat the infections and relieve the pain and we can only give painkillers to those whose need is highest. We fear that there will be no resupply at all for some considerable time, if ever. The uncertainty means that we must preserve our stocks for the people who have the greatest need or for those who it will help the most. Need is now taking over want in this disaster, the lack of communication with the rest of the world is making decisions for us we would never make under normal circumstances.
I have at least three patients who will not make it through the day and all we can do is make them as comfortable as possible, wash them down with cool water and hope that their suffering is not too much. Infection is rampant throughout their bodies and there are few drugs left to fight major infections as much of the drug stocks have been depleted due to the high infection rates. Sadly I minister to these patients knowing that we cannot help them. It is up to their bodies to fight this last battle, but it is a battle they will probably lose and all I can do is to sooth them when they cry out and try to make sure that during their last moments they have the sound of a caring human voice and the touch of gentle hands. Some patients, however, will survive their injuries and those are the ones we must work hardest to make sure that they do. They are young, strong and have plenty of fight in them. The trauma of what has happened has not destroyed their will to live, nor have their injuries or the depravation of what now amounts to a third world hospital situation. They will heal and will go forward to make new lives in this world. This gives much pleasure to all of us who are caring for them, in this area of the hospital there is laughter, smiles and through the pain there is the joy of survival, the joy only known to the young. Those of us who have faced the situation outside know that there is much work to be done and many lives lost. We have to rebuild now and scatter from the townships because of the unburied dead who are now so numerous that the survivors are unable to give them the attention that they deserve. Disease is now a big worry and we are on constant watch for it amongst those that have survived, in particular the injured, the very young and the very old, all of whom are vulnerable to infections.
Lunchtime brings food and conversation as those who are able cook for those who cannot. We feed those who cannot feed themselves and then eat ourselves. So many things are running out in the township now that food is becoming an issue and some of the men have gone out and foraged for fresh vegetables and fruit in the gardens of the town and others have taken guns and hunted down wandering cattle and shot them for food. We have to be aware though of the supplies that we cannot replenish so easily and ration things like flour and sugar. The shops in the main shopping centre, though damaged, are supplying these things at the moment, and an armed guard has been placed at each shop to make sure that no one takes more than their share. We have to share what resources there are and make sure that everyone has a fair and equal share.
A meeting of all survivors has been called for tonight at the sports stadium to enable fair division of work and supplies, to call the role of survivors and their skills and to discuss the options that we have upon leaving Smithtown. We must plan where to go, how to get there and what to take with us. We need to be as self-sufficient as possible on this journey. Lists will be made, checked, remade and rechecked over and over in the next few hours and days. We cannot afford to make mistakes with what we need. Shops, homes and offices will be scoured to ensure that we have what we need and then we can pack up our band of survivors and make our way to our next destination.
The day draws slowly towards sundown and our shift change. During handover I have to report that sadly two of the expected deaths on my patient load have happened and that the last one is just hanging in there at the moment and with hope her suffering would soon be over. I can also report that two of the younger patients are doing well and are up and about. Discharge is going to be an issue though as there are no family members left to care for them. This is a problem with several of the children and will also have to be discussed during the meeting tonight. We will not abandon any child or adult who has survived.
The day has been punctuated by aftershocks, some small and some much larger ones. We are getting to the stage where we don’t feel the little ones so much now, but the larger ones bring fear and rain plaster down from the ceilings of the old building. I for one am not sure how much longer the old place will stand up to this and ask for this to be included in the list for discussion tonight. We may need to move everyone to a tent hospital outside for the safety of both the patients and the staff. As it turns out I am not the only one who is concerned about this and it has already been listed for discussion.
Now it is time to head back to our camp site and find out how the others fared through the day, relax a little before the meeting and eat. My body craves food and rest badly at the moment, but as I am one of the healthy ones I have to keep going until others are strong enough to join the communal effort. I smell the food before I get to the tents pitched close to the fire truck and I walk faster drawn towards that wonderful smell and the light of the fire.
Chapter 11
When I arrived back our group was all settled with their dinners on their laps and the children were already eating. The men and Thomas have had a big day and all look tired, they did however find two people in the rubble who have a good chance of survival. Thomas is so thrilled by this that he has the biggest smile I have ever seen on his face. One of the people they found is a friend of his from school named Kyle, who once recovered will become part of our group as there appear to be no other family members amongst those that have survived.
The sky wheels through its sunset ritual and soon it is dark and time to head for the sports ground and the meeting. We trail off in our groups and people arrive and greet each other with great enthusiasm. Survival during a disaster seems to bring camaraderie to the fore and helping hands are everywhere.
The meeting is to be chaired by the local Police Sargent, Gavin Brown, and with his towering height and loud voice he is soon calling us all to order and requesting quiet. Once the group quietens down he begins to address the crowd.
“G’day folks, it is time we got this show on the road.” He booms across the crowd of around 150 people.
“We have some big decisions to make tonight and we had better get on with it now and sort out what we are doing and where we are going. I know that it has been a rough few days for everyone, but the risk of disease from the bodies in the rubble is now becoming an issue and we have to leave the town as soon as possible to avoid everyone getting sick. There are just not enough of us left to clear the rubble away and bury the dead properly.” His voice breaks as he says the last few words.
Silence greets the blunt statement and people gaze at Gavin with disbelief and tears in their eyes. Leaving their town is the last thing
many of these survivors want to do. To leave behind their pasts, face an uncertain future and be unable to bury their dead. No wonder they are in shock. Murmurs of protest soon start in the crowd as they digest those first words from Gavin.
Those protests are building up and Gavin is going to have to squash them very quickly or this meeting will get out of control very quickly. He cannot afford to lose control of the group or there will be no chance and people will die from disease. Gavin pulls himself up to his full height and his bright blue/green eyes flash behind his glasses as he glares down towards the area where the loudest protests are coming from.
Following his eye line I spot the cause of the commotion and it is with no surprise that I see John Evans, a 40 year old electrician, known far and wide for his aggressive attitude and his tendency to hit first and ask questions later. This is going to be a full on confrontation and one that Gavin must not give way on. John Evans has to be silenced and quickly before disquiet spreads and upsets the whole crowd. John is winding up; intent on having a confrontation, Gavin has to act quickly.
“John Evans, when did you do your Public Health and Disease Prevention Training?’ Gavin asks, his voice dripping with ice and his eyes flashing fire. “Doc Eden is our Public Health specialist and she says that we have to leave the town, unless you would rather stay and risk typhoid and cholera.” Gavin’s voice continued above the murmurs. The crowd stills and becomes quiet; faces register shock, more tears form on some of the faces. The message is getting through to them. John Evans stands and glares at Gavin until one of his mates pulls him down to the grass to sit again. The crowd are ready to listen at last.
Eyes turn to the front once again. The mere mention of typhoid and cholera have jolted their focus to the here and now and the reasons for leaving. Helen Eden makes her way to the front of the crowd and stands beside Gavin on the grandstand steps and looks around the expectant faces, clears her throat and begins to explain why we must leave Smithtown.
“I know that none of us wish to leave our town”, Helen begins, “it is necessary though to prevent the spread of disease. Those of us who have survived are going to have to manage without a lot of the drugs until the government are organised again and able to supply the necessary medications. As we have had no contact with anyone outside of the immediate area we have no idea when this will be.” Helen’s gentle voice echo’s around the field in the silence of the night. “Tonight we have to plan where we will go and what we will take with us to enable us to build a future. I am going to hand the meeting back to Gavin now and let him organise a group of people to lead us. Thanks for listening everyone.” With this Helen walks down from the stadium seats and heads back towards the hospital and her patients.
Gavin again stands to his full height and looks out across the group of people huddled on the ground in front of him. “I am going to select a group of people to plan this as we do not have much time before we have to leave here. We all need their specialist skills to get us through the next weeks and the travel. I have put together a list of those who will form this committee and will read them out to you all now.” Gavin then clears his throat and starts to read from the list in his hand.
“Doctor Helen Eden for her medical background, Raymond Willis for mechanics, Andrew Johnson for communications.” Approval so far from the crowd encourages Gavin to go on. “John Evans for electricity and generators, Rhys Jones will be quartermaster and in charge of supplies. Krystal Willis will head up the nurses.” The list continues on. “Paul Smith will bring his engineering skills, Wendy Williams and Sandra Smith will be working with the children”. He continued down the list. “I have also selected Jenny Fredrick to be my second in command due to her Emergency Service background. Folks I would like you all to have a good think about what we will need to make a journey and start making lists. It will be essentials only, so ladies, no ball gowns. Your lists need to be given to the committee members by tomorrow night.” Gavin says with a smile.
Gavin concludes his statements with, “Okay, everyone, we have a lot of work and little time to do it. We need to be organised and out of here very quickly. Let’s get busy. Committee members please stay back as we need to have some discussions. That is all for tonight folks. Back here for another meeting tomorrow after dinner.” Gavin then steps down and walks among the survivors quietly chatting to those who are still milling about. Comforting some and encouraging others.
Those of us who are on the committee gather quietly in the grandstand and wait for Gavin to return. Now it is time for the hard work to begin. There are bound to be issues along the way, but with good leadership from Gavin we should be a strong group.
“Now the hard work begins for all of us. I hope no one minds being put onto this committee, but we just don’t have the time to elect leaders and work through politics. We just have to get things organised and the people out of town. I would like to see us out of here in a week at the very most.” This was Gavin’s opening statement as he looked around the group. His voice pitched low to keep the discussion private. “If anyone feels that they cannot commit to this project now would be a good time to speak up.” He added.
No one spoke during the few seconds after his statement. Faces thoughtful we all looked at one another and a decision was made without words. We would all continue for as long as it took to get us out of there and to somewhere safe.
Rhys was the first to speak out. “I am going to need a scavenger crew for the next few days to find and secure the things we will need for this, Gavin, it is going to take at least a crew of 10 to do the work.”
Gavin assented to this request immediately; from his quick reaction I knew he had expected that to be one of the first considerations. “Organise as much manpower as you need Rhys, we need to get this done as fast as possible.” Nodding his head as he spoke, things are now moving.
“This electrical stuff you want me to do, what does it require and where are we going to get generators?” asked John Evans
Gavin looked to me for some answers to that question. Turning to John I told him that there were generators at the Emergency Service Compound, they will be able to be bolted onto the vehicles we use and will provide power when required as long as we are able to get fuel for them.
“Can we also use banks of batteries to provide power and how would they be set up?” I asked John.
“Yes, it is possible to do that; the set up will require some engineering skills and some mechanical skills. This will mean that Raymond and Paul will be working with me to set up a portable battery bank. It will give us other options if fuel becomes hard to get.” John replied.
“Thanks for that John.” I said and turn to Raymond and Paul, “Can this be done guys?” I ask.
“I can work out a banking system if Raymond can build the framework for it.” Paul says with a smile.
“Can do.” Was Raymond’s reply.
Communications was the next subject to come up and Andrew Johnson stepped forward to explain to the group just how he was going to adapt the radio battery chargers to work through the cigarette lighter ports in the vehicles. “Can I have young Sandy Willis for an assistant?” Andrew asked. He went on to explain that Sandy was very quick to adapt his laptop computer to work from a car battery and he wanted to use those skills to change over as many chargers for the radio’s, computers and cell phones as possible to enable us to have alternate communications if the internet or phone systems ever came back up. Raymond and Krystal gave immediate permission for Sandy to help Andrew. They knew that Sandy would enjoy helping Andrew; it would also be a good learning experience for him. I also asked Andrew to look out for some wireless internet sticks to use on the laptops if we ever got internet that worked again. Andrew confirmed that he had three at home and could still access that part of the building safely. He also wanted to set up UHF radio communications between the vehicles and would install the sets in any vehicle that did not have them.
This then set off the discussion about which vehi
cles would be best to use during our journey. “Jenny and I will work that out between us shortly.” Gavin stated and we moved forward with the meeting.
“Helen is unable to be here with us tonight, but has asked that Krystal take charge of organising the medical supplies for her. This includes all medications and equipment.” Gavin said, looking towards Krystal. “Helen won’t have time to do this as there are only two Doctors left now and they are both needed to treat patients.” He continued.
Krystal confirmed that she would do that and would find a couple of other nurses to help. They would collect medications from both the hospital pharmacy and the two Chemist shops in town. Equipment would be collected from the hospital, as would first aid supplies.
It is now late and the meeting starts to break up after discussing how we will manage the children and their requirements. So many are orphaned and will need close attention for both physical and emotional injuries. It is going to be a difficult task for Wendy and Sandra. The need for clothing and footwear for all members of the group was also discussed briefly and Sandra said that she and Wendy would organise some of the older children to assist in the gathering of clothing for everyone.
The group begins to walk away from the grandstand area, gathering up their children as they progress back towards the light of their campfires. While Gavin and I stand and watch them go. I wonder how this group will get so much done in a week. Deciding that we are going to have to get it done, I shrug and turn to Gavin to begin our discussion.
