Chapter 140: That Time We Got Hit by a Hurricane in South America.

TL: Skye

It was a peaceful afternoon.

Yu-jin was enjoying a leisurely afternoon, feeding Panther milk and chicken while rubbing his belly.

Panther was already growing larger than a medium-sized dog, but he still insisted on being a lap cat.

“You’re cute today too.”

“Grrrr... Rrrr...”

Panther playfully nibbled on his finger.

‘I want to show everyone in the world how adorable he is...!’

If Yu-jin had his way, he would have started a NewTube channel just to show Panther off to the entire world.

Of course, a president couldn’t exactly run a NewTube channel, so taking pictures and publishing them in the state-run newspaper was probably the best he could do.

“Panther, look over here.”

“Rrr?”

Just as Yu-jin was circling all the way around Panther and snapping pictures from every angle, the office door flew open and Isabella rushed in.

“Your Excellency, we have a serious problem!”

One look at her face was enough to tell that something was seriously wrong.

“What is it? What happened?”

“The U.S. National Weather Service says... a major hurricane has formed in the southern Caribbean and is currently moving north toward San Marcos.”

Yu-jin’s ears immediately pricked up at the word hurricane.

“A hurricane? How strong?”

“Category 4.”

“Category 4 means...”

“Maximum wind speeds exceed sixty meters per second. Roofs can be torn off, trees uprooted, and some buildings may suffer structural collapse. In other words...”

Isabella summed it up in one sentence.

“Buildings can get blown away.”

This wasn’t San Marcos’s first hurricane, but it was the first one of this magnitude.

“When is it expected to make landfall?”

“In thirty-six hours.”

Thirty-six hours.

It would hit the morning after next.

“Convene an emergency Cabinet Meeting immediately. And declare a state of emergency equivalent to wartime conditions across every ministry.”

“Yes.”

***

Thirty minutes later. The main conference room.

Every Senior Secretary was seated with a tense expression.

Yu-jin took the head seat with a longsword at his hip and began to speak.

“A Category 4 hurricane will make landfall in San Marcos thirty-six hours from now.”

The Senior Secretaries seemed to have already been briefed, and they listened with grave expressions.

“From this moment on, we’re going to prepare using every means at our disposal.”

Yu-jin unfolded a map.

“First, we evacuate every citizen living in the coastal villages expected to suffer the worst damage and move them inland. Field Marshal Pedro?”

“Yes.”

“Deploy the military to assist with the evacuation.”

“Yes, understood.”

“Next, impose a stay-at-home order on Choi City. Hotel guests are to remain in their rooms, and no new visitors are to be admitted starting immediately. Suspend all flights and train service at once. Shut down all commercial activity as well, including the casinos.”

That would be enough for Choi City.

Its location wasn’t ideal, but most of its buildings had been constructed using modern methods designed to withstand both earthquakes and high winds.

“Make preparations at the New Town construction site and Tortilla Farm as well.”

Aman immediately reported.

“Farms One through Five have already gone into emergency preparation. We’ve started securing the container housing to the ground with additional cables, and we’re clearing away anything in the surrounding area that could become airborne in the wind.”

“What about the crops?”

“Anything that can be harvested is being harvested immediately. As for the rest... frankly, we’ll have to give it up.”

Yu-jin nodded. Crops could be planted again. People could not be brought back to life.

“Good. Check the industrial complex and the solar power plant again as well. We can afford property damage, but there must be no loss of life.”

“Yes.”

Yu-jin let out a quiet groan before continuing.

As he had said earlier, the residents of the coastal villages could simply be evacuated.

Choi City was less worrying because its buildings were sturdy, and casualties at the New Town construction site and Tortilla Farm could be prevented with proper preparation.

But Libertad was different.

Ramshackle wooden buildings and aging structures stood everywhere.

When a hurricane had struck five years ago, some buildings had even been blown away entirely.

“We’re expecting heavy damage in Libertad. The Old Town is particularly vulnerable because of its large number of aging buildings. Many structures simply aren’t capable of withstanding hurricane-force winds.”

“......”

“Designate Old Town residents living in deteriorating buildings as the highest evacuation priority. Have the military and police visit them personally and evacuate them. If anyone refuses, take them by force if necessary.”

“Understood.”

Yu-jin looked around at the Senior Secretaries.

“We have only thirty-six hours. We need to do everything we possibly can in that time. I’m giving all of you as much discretion as possible, so do everything you can from your respective positions.”

“Yes, Your Excellency!”

“Then let’s get started immediately!”

The Senior Secretaries nodded as one and hurried out of the conference room.

And so, the thirty-six-hour countdown began.

***

The New Town construction site.

Pierson was organizing materials at the worksite.

Ever since being reassigned from Tortilla Farm, he had worked diligently, and it was just before the end of his shift when the sound of a siren reached his ears.

WEEEEEEEEEEE-

Then came the site manager’s voice.

“A massive hurricane is approaching from the south! Everyone secure the materials and prepare for evacuation! I repeat! The hurricane will make landfall the morning after tomorrow! Before then, clear the site and...”

At the word hurricane, the workers began murmuring among themselves.

“A hurricane?”

“A hurricane, out of nowhere...”

“Ah... I just want to go home...”

A little confusion spread through the site.

Watching them, the site manager switched the loudspeaker back on.

“What the hell are you doing?! If you don’t want to die, get moving!”

Only then did the workers spring into action.

They lowered the crane booms, dismantled scaffolding, and began moving any materials that could be blown away inside the buildings.

“Goddammit!”

“We don’t have enough time!”

“What do we do with the gravel and sand?! We’ll need equipment if we want to move all of it!”

“We don’t have a choice! Just cover it with tarps! Leave anything we can’t handle where it is!”

“Yes!”

While Pierson was helping clear the site, one of his coworkers spoke to him.

“Once you finish that, pack your stuff and head into the underground parking garage beneath the shopping mall!”

Pierson nodded.

It was a building he had helped construct himself. He remembered just how relentlessly strict the inspectors had been when they checked the rebar placement and concrete pours.

That building ought to be able to withstand a hurricane.

Ten hours later, the workers began entering the shelter one by one.

Drinking water and emergency rations had already been stocked inside.

Soldiers acting under Pedro’s orders had brought them in.

“......”

Seeing the preparations, Pierson realized this hurricane was no ordinary storm.

At the same time, he thought of his family in Libertad.

‘That flimsy wooden house is going to have a hard time surviving a hurricane...’

Pierson approached a soldier handing out drinking water.

“My family lives in the Old Town. Is there any way to check whether they’re safe?”

“Don’t worry. Evacuations are already underway. Just to be safe, write down their names and address, and we’ll check again.”

“Thank you.”

Only then was Pierson finally able to relax.

***

D-24 hours.

Libertad Old Town.

Soldiers arrived at the home of Pierson’s wife, Maria.

“You need to move to a shelter immediately.”

“What? Why all of a sudden...”

“A very powerful hurricane is approaching. It will be dangerous to remain in this house.”

“If I leave my house, where am I supposed to go?”

“We’ll take you somewhere safe.”

Maria nodded.

“Can I pack some things?”

“You have ten minutes. Please take only what you absolutely need.”

Maria went back inside. Clothes for the children, water, food. And one other thing she had tucked deep inside a drawer. And... an old, faded family photograph.

Maria and the children, with Pierson standing beside them.

She pressed the photograph to her chest and left the house.

The soldiers loaded Maria and her three children onto a truck.

The truck drove toward a military base in northern Libertad.

A gymnasium inside the base had been converted into an evacuation shelter.

Tents and sleeping bags were arranged in rows, while military cooks handed out warm soup. Medical personnel were standing by as well.

“You can remain here until the hurricane passes. We have plenty of food and water prepared, so there’s no need to worry.”

The soldier explained everything kindly.

Maria entered the tent and hugged her children.

“Mom, will our house be okay?”

“...It’ll be okay.”

The house would probably be blown away.

But she couldn’t let the children see how frightened she was.

Maria took out the photograph she had been holding against her chest and stared at it.

‘Please be safe.’

***

D-0.

8:00 a.m.

The hurricane made landfall on the southern coast of San Marcos.

“Your Excellency, perhaps you should move to the underground bunker.”

Yu-jin shook his head.

“I can’t head for shelter just to save myself while the citizens are in danger.”

“But Your Excellency’s safety...”

“If it looks like things are getting dangerous, I’ll go down then.”

Yu-jin spoke calmly.

Pedro fell silent. Isabella looked at Yu-jin. She wanted to stop him, but one look at his eyes made her give up. That was the look he wore when there was no changing his mind.

Yu-jin received reports in real time.

A short while later.

RUUUUUUMBLE—

The entire building began to shake.

The hurricane began howling like a living beast.

SHHHHHHHHH!

Nothing could be seen through the windows, hidden behind sheets of rain flying almost horizontally.

CRASH!

Something collapsed, and the lights in the Presidential Palace went out. Apparently, the power lines had gone down.

A moment later, the emergency generator kicked in and the emergency lights came on.

After waiting like that for thirty minutes, Yu-jin calmly picked up the radio and spoke.

“Report on the situation in Choi City.”

Antonio’s distorted voice crackled from the radio.

“Most of the beachfront facilities have been damaged. All of the overwater bungalows have been swept away, and half the buildings along Restaurant Street have lost their roofs. The exterior walls of two hotel buildings have cracked.”

“Any casualties?”

“So far, we have no reports of casualties.”

“Understood. Stay alert and keep monitoring the situation in real time.”

“Yes.”

“Next, report on Libertad.”

Lucio’s voice came through the radio.

“The Old Town has suffered heavy damage. Numerous older buildings have lost their roofs, and we estimate that a substantial portion of the Shantytown has been destroyed.”

Yu-jin’s expression hardened.

“The evacuation was completed beforehand, so no casualties have been reported.”

Thank goodness.

“What about the industrial complex and the farms?”

“So far, they’re intact.”

And so Yu-jin sat in his chair all night without sleeping.

Every time a report came in, he tensed. Every time he heard there were no casualties, he felt relief. Then he waited anxiously for the next report.

Isabella made him a cup of coffee.

It was Blue Mountain, Yu-jin’s favorite.

“Thank you.”

“...It’s nothing.”

Isabella tried to reassure the tense Yu-jin.

“It’ll be all right.”

“Yes, I think so too.”

They had done everything they could.

Now all that remained was to pray that no one died.

“Whew.”

The two of them sat side by side beneath the dim emergency lights and stayed awake through the night.

*

The next morning.

The hurricane had passed.

The winds died down, the rain weakened, and sunlight began shining through breaks in the clouds.

Yu-jin climbed to the roof of the Presidential Palace and surveyed Libertad.

Branches and debris covered the roads, and signs had been torn down. Utility poles leaned at odd angles, and puddles had formed everywhere.

The Old Town had suffered particularly severe damage.

The older buildings were partially destroyed, and houses with missing roofs or collapsed walls could be seen everywhere.

But.

“Your Excellency, seventeen injured and zero dead. None of the injuries are serious, either.”

Thankfully, no one had been killed or seriously injured.

“Have them assess the damage immediately and report back.”

“Yes.”

A short while later, Yu-jin went over the report with Isabella.

Seventy percent of Choi City’s beachfront facilities damaged. Three yachts severely damaged.

Exterior wall damage to two hotel buildings.

Ten percent of Libertad’s infrastructure and buildings partially destroyed.

Thirty percent of Tortilla Farm’s crops lost.

Seven container housing units overturned.

Seventeen minor injuries, zero deaths.

Yu-jin let out a sigh of relief.

For things to have ended at this level was truly fortunate.

Of course, the property damage was enormous.

Once every loss was put into numbers, the total would undoubtedly soar well into the hundreds of millions of dollars.

But.

“Your Excellency... are you all right?”

“I’m fine. Anything broken or destroyed can be repaired. As long as no one was killed or seriously hurt, that’s enough.”

Yu-jin wasn’t troubled by the property damage in the slightest.

“Let’s begin emergency recovery operations. Issue orders to every ministry. I’ll head out to the affected areas myself.”

“Yes!”

It would take more than this to bring San Marcos down.

*****

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