Strasser made his way topside and looked out. All he could see was devastation. When the second set of shocks came, he made up his mind. Turning to the Chief standing next to him he ordered, “Light off the forward group. Take whoever you need, but we need to get the ship up and running. I have a feeling these people are going to need all the help they can get.” The Chief quickly made his way to the 1MC on the bridge and called a meeting of all the detachment and museum personnel on the messdecks. Enlisting the help of the museum staff, within a few minutes, several men were seen in safety gear taking the canvas cover off the forward stack.
Strasser saw Patricia Hammond as she made her way toward the ship. He met her on the brow. “I figure you need us,” he said.
“Bill, anything you can do will be appreciated. I don’t know how many are hurt or homeless, but we can expect a lot of people over the next few days,” she said.
He smiled at her. “That’s what we’re here for. I’m getting the engineering plant online. It will take about four hours, but once the generators are going, we’ll be able to handle it.”
Patricia Hammond smiled at the man. “Thanks Bill. I need all the help I can get.”
The two made their way into the dimly lighted interior of the ship. Until the ship’s main generators could come online, they wouldn’t have complete power, but that part was already underway.
Jim Butler rushed into the oval office. “Steve, there’s been a major quake in southern California. According to the folks at USGS, it measured a 9 on the Richter scale. The epicenter was almost directly under San Pedro.”
The President got up from his chair. “Let’s get Homeland Security on it. I’m sure they are going to need tents and cots. Military units in the area are authorized to help out. Get me the governor on the line and we’ll see what he needs,” he barked.
Butler nodded and ran back to the outer office to get things going. Within minutes the President’s phone rang with the call to the governor. “Governor, I wanted to see what help you needed,” he said.
“Help for what?” came the surprising answer from the other end.
The President stared at his handset for a second. “I was just informed of a major earthquake near Los Angeles, and thought you might need some assistance,” he said incredulously.
“First I’ve heard of it. We have these things all the time. We’ll probably be able to handle it.”
The President couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “I was told it was a 9 on the Richter Scale. In that area, there may be a lot of casualties,” he said.
“Right now I’m at an event. Let me check on things and get right back to you,” the governor said almost nonchalantly.
“You do that,” he said as he hung up the phone. “Jim!” he almost screamed through the still open door.
Butler appeared at the doorway. “Yes, sir.”
“The Governor of California is an idiot. You know he just told me not to worry about it! He’s going to check on some things and get back to me. How the hell did he get elected?”
Butler had never seen his boss so mad. He gave a slight sigh. “Boss, he ran on a reform platform that the people of California ate up. From what I hear, he’s been screwing up things ever since. Let me get hold of the Marine Base at Camp Pendleton. The CO down there will know what to do.”
O’Bannon was still upset, but nodded his head. “That’ll work. I need to know what those poor people are up against. Then maybe somebody who cares will step in,” he said.
The phone on the side of his bed rang and a groggy man pulled the receiver to his ear. “Hammond,” he croaked out.
“Roger, this is Rod. There’s been a big quake in San Pedro.”
Hammond’s eyes blinked open immediately. “What have you heard?”
“It’s a bad one, a 9 on the Richter Scale. I called down to Pendleton and talked to the duty officer. He says it almost flattened San Pedro and a good chunk of Los Angeles. I just saw a news clip and I saw Patricia directing the efforts from the ship. Your son was sitting in a chair in the background. There aren’t any phones much and I left a message on her cell. I’ll keep trying until I get her,” Jeffers said. Hammond could tell by the urgent sound of his voice that he was very concerned.
“Rod, you said you saw her, right?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then don’t worry. As long as I know she’s out there doing her job, everything will be okay. Try to get a message to the ship and let her know that I know and will be home as soon as I can. Also tell them to get hold of Boats Patnaude. He might be able to get them all the help they need in the short run. And Rod, Patricia is a strong woman. As long as she is walking around, she will be fine. So don’t worry. I appreciate you letting me know. If you hear more, give me a shout. Okay?”
On the other end of the line he heard a short sigh. “Yes, sir. I just thought you needed to know,” Jeffers said.
Hammond chuckled. “I did, and I appreciate it. I just have a lot of faith in my wife. Your seeing them both makes it a lot easier for me. Now relax. I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” he reassured Jeffers.
“Good night, Boss,” said Jeffers.
“Good night.” The line went dead and Hammond lay back against his pillow. They had both talked about when the “big one” might happen and what would need to be done. It looked like she was following the plan. She and his son were aboard the Iowa and she was probably moving heaven and earth for the people of her town. A smile crossed his face. Heaven help anyone who might get in her way, he thought.
True to his word, by 8 pm, the lights aboard USS Iowa came on again. Down below, the ship’s turbo-generators were cranking out the electricity. Temporary electric lines had already been run to light up the huge parking lot next to the ship and down to the cruise terminals. Suddenly the lights all came on and people in the ground began to cheer. The Red Cross had set up some tents and cots, but the main thing was to get services back up. The parking lot was already full of people who were now homeless or injured. Word had come that the hospital was full of injured. A crew of doctors had been detailed to the Iowa and had set up in the ship’s sickbay.
Within two hours of the quake, the call went out via messenger for any of the local chefs and their restaurant staff in town to come help. Local restaurants emptied their now thawing freezers and brought the food to the ship. They descended on the ship’s galley and began to get things ready. Once power came on, they began to cook. By ten that evening, people were invited to come aboard and eat. The food was better than what many had ever experienced, and within two hours, everyone had been fed.
The crew’s berthing spaces were filled with families and the elderly, while single men and women were assigned cots in the parking lot. There were water and toilet facilities. By midnight, everything had calmed down and the area became quiet. As more people filed in, they were processed and given a place to rest. Once the cots were filled, the air mattresses were handed out, then people had to sit in chairs. Most simply grabbed a blanket and lay down.
Beginning around 2 am, a few cars began to appear and park along the street. The ship didn’t need to call anyone to come in. Some of the old crew saw the news and were already making their way. By morning, there were enough to give the detachment a break, taking over duties in the engine and firerooms. By four am, the smell of fresh bread was making its way through the ship, just as it had while she was active. Several local bakers had marveled at the equipment, especially a dough mixer that had the stamp, “1943” on its side. They would have enough bread for at least 10,000 people by morning.