right now.”
Danny stood and embraced Jonas in a bear hug. Jonas clapped him on the back, chuckling. Danny didn’t let go. Slowly, the old people rose and gathered around Danny and Miranda, some more painfully than others. Miranda was comforted, offered tissues, and caressed. They stroked her red hair and dried her tears. Hunter and Jesse were given butterscotch candies from generous pockets. Enveloped in Jonas’ huge arms, Danny let the tears flow down his face. Outside, the wind still howled, like the angry breath of God.
Part III
Robert
1.
Robert rubbed the top of his head absentmindedly, feeling his short hairs tickle his palm. The motion always relaxed him, like he was warming his brain. He usually fell into the habit when he was worried about something or faced a difficult decision. This morning, it was both. Both coasts - Emerald and Ruby - were being battered by huge storms, possible tsunamis were brewing in the ocean, and tornados, fires, and dust storms were ripping up everything in between. Robert was accustomed to dealing with climate disasters on a daily, but he had never seen something like this before. It was like the planet was throwing a temper tantrum.
Robert Morgan was 16-years old when he knew he wanted to go into politics. By 35, he was a Senior Region Representative and six years later, he was selected to head the newly-formed ECAG, or Emergency Climate Aid Group. It had become clear that the effects of abrupt climate change were the nation’s top concerns, even above homeland security. Economic disorder, disease, food shortage, and more were all linked to climate, so it was only logical to attack the problem at its source instead of trying to manage the symptoms. The group was a joint effort between the government and private organizations that funded and executed research on climate change. Robert made sure that none of the participating organizations benefited from certain research slants, like the group before ECAG that had been secretly funded by Wyatt Industries, a company that made equipment for oil drilling and fracking. ECAG was meant to be devoted to unbiased science. Half of their funding went to outfitting the group with the best climate tracking technology, which they dispersed to local offices at key points, including the Emerald Coast, the Ruby Coast, and the tornado regions. Appointed officials at these offices were responsible for issuing warnings, and all the data they received was sent back to the main office at the Capitol. The other half of the budget went to paying for staff. There were scientists, doctors, pilots, administrators, and politicians who have proven themselves to be committed to data, not popularity. Robert was the poster child for that type of politician.
Robert had always focused on climate issues during his political career. Much of his interest arose from his personal experiences with disasters. His parents had suffered health consequences of poor air quality, nutrient shortages from a lack of certain types of food, and had seen two homes destroyed by fires. When they both died when Robert was in college, he added environmental studies to his political science major. Robert met Elisa at a prepper convention where they both spoke; Elisa about her personal experience and Robert about his political message. Elisa was a hurricane survivor and from a family of committed preppers. Their preparedness had saved their lives; when they felt those first strong gusts of wind off the ocean, they bugged out to a hurricane-proof shelter Elisa’s father had outfitted with three days’ worth of supplies. Robert was fascinated by her story and asked her out for coffee. A year later, they were married. Three months after that, Robert was elected to his first political post as a committee member for carbon emission policies in the Capitol.
Prepping was still relatively uncommon during those early years. It
Danny stood and embraced Jonas in a bear hug. Jonas clapped him on the back, chuckling. Danny didn’t let go. Slowly, the old people rose and gathered around Danny and Miranda, some more painfully than others. Miranda was comforted, offered tissues, and caressed. They stroked her red hair and dried her tears. Hunter and Jesse were given butterscotch candies from generous pockets. Enveloped in Jonas’ huge arms, Danny let the tears flow down his face. Outside, the wind still howled, like the angry breath of God.
Part III
Robert
1.
Robert rubbed the top of his head absentmindedly, feeling his short hairs tickle his palm. The motion always relaxed him, like he was warming his brain. He usually fell into the habit when he was worried about something or faced a difficult decision. This morning, it was both. Both coasts - Emerald and Ruby - were being battered by huge storms, possible tsunamis were brewing in the ocean, and tornados, fires, and dust storms were ripping up everything in between. Robert was accustomed to dealing with climate disasters on a daily, but he had never seen something like this before. It was like the planet was throwing a temper tantrum.
Robert Morgan was 16-years old when he knew he wanted to go into politics. By 35, he was a Senior Region Representative and six years later, he was selected to head the newly-formed ECAG, or Emergency Climate Aid Group. It had become clear that the effects of abrupt climate change were the nation’s top concerns, even above homeland security. Economic disorder, disease, food shortage, and more were all linked to climate, so it was only logical to attack the problem at its source instead of trying to manage the symptoms. The group was a joint effort between the government and private organizations that funded and executed research on climate change. Robert made sure that none of the participating organizations benefited from certain research slants, like the group before ECAG that had been secretly funded by Wyatt Industries, a company that made equipment for oil drilling and fracking. ECAG was meant to be devoted to unbiased science. Half of their funding went to outfitting the group with the best climate tracking technology, which they dispersed to local offices at key points, including the Emerald Coast, the Ruby Coast, and the tornado regions. Appointed officials at these offices were responsible for issuing warnings, and all the data they received was sent back to the main office at the Capitol. The other half of the budget went to paying for staff. There were scientists, doctors, pilots, administrators, and politicians who have proven themselves to be committed to data, not popularity. Robert was the poster child for that type of politician.
Robert had always focused on climate issues during his political career. Much of his interest arose from his personal experiences with disasters. His parents had suffered health consequences of poor air quality, nutrient shortages from a lack of certain types of food, and had seen two homes destroyed by fires. When they both died when Robert was in college, he added environmental studies to his political science major. Robert met Elisa at a prepper convention where they both spoke; Elisa about her personal experience and Robert about his political message. Elisa was a hurricane survivor and from a family of committed preppers. Their preparedness had saved their lives; when they felt those first strong gusts of wind off the ocean, they bugged out to a hurricane-proof shelter Elisa’s father had outfitted with three days’ worth of supplies. Robert was fascinated by her story and asked her out for coffee. A year later, they were married. Three months after that, Robert was elected to his first political post as a committee member for carbon emission policies in the Capitol.
Prepping was still relatively uncommon during those early years. It
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