[DHE] The Storm of the Turn - Storm Finale Page 4!

[Dragonflight Pern]

The Conclusion: The Storm Hits and The Aftermath


Within an hour of the start of the steady rain, the real storm hit. Those who had before lost their footing in winds strong enough to knock a man over were now dragged through the mud and forced to shield themselves from flying objects. At the sea Hold, Talakor, Ulir, Zenai, and Felix stayed out until the last moments trying to help with whatever tasks they could, but finally ended up ushering everyone-- and themselves-- indoors. At the riverside Hold, Xanha and Kala stayed out longer than that after sending their partners upriver to the sea, putting themselves at risk to help get valuable fishing and Crafting supplies indoors.

Thankfully for the Dolphin Hall, these dolphineers who went above and beyond the call of duty were wise enough to not attempt a trip back to the Weyr in the face of such dangerous weather. All human parties concerned took shelter in the Holds they had aided before the storm, while their dolphin partners found their way to the sea to take shelter in deeper waters with their wild brethern.

However, no matter where one took shelter, the storm-- the hurricane-- was not pretty.

The Holds had received a fair amount of assistance from the dolphineers, but, in spite of the timely warning, they simply didn't have the hands to get everything done in time. The majority of the boats were beached and secured, a goodly deal of supplies were stored safely, but not everything could be prepared. Holders and dolphineers alike stayed out until the last possible moments in the beating winds and rain trying to save belongings and secure buildings. Many of those who did so ended up with injuries, some minor, some major. Lives were lost at the seaside Hold when a half-secured boat blew over onto several workers in the last minutes before they all took shelter, killing two. Another man was blown off a dock and into the sea as he attempted to retrieve a net; the waters swallowed him before any rescue attempt could be made. Thankfully, Nomah and Ajax-- one who had not yet retreated to the wild pod and the other on his way out to the sea-- were able to rescue the man and get him into the slightly less dangerous waters of the river so that he could clamber onto shore and make for the Hold. It was a narrow rescue.

Even inland, where the sea was not a concern, there were injuries and loss of life. One woman was crushed when a tree fell through her house, knocked down by the gale-force winds. Others were injured by unsecured objects blown about outdoors, falling trees and tree limbs, falls sustained in the early hours of the storm when they were still attempting to secure the Hold. In total, there were six immediately known deaths in the first day. By the end of the storm, buildings were hideously damaged (some beyond repair), many Holders were injured, supplies and tools were lost to the storm, and a fair number of the beached fishing vessels were damaged (though, thankfully, none were lost).

Even the Weyr took its share of injuries and damage. The Weyr received the warning in time to start preparations and the buffer afforded by their distance from the sea was a boon, but even there the repairs that had been taking place after Trine's decimation at the hands of the Revolution found itself set back several sevendays from the amount of damage incurred from flooding and gale-force winds. Most notably for the riders, their recent Clutch found itself nearly swamped over by the waters that quickly filled the hollowed-out Hatching Sands.

Despite the sudden work dropped into everyone's laps, there was no doubt in anyone's minds that without the dolphineers and the river system that had been able to pass the warning along, things would have been a great deal worse. Suddenly, Weyrfolk and Holders alike looked at the dolphineers with new respect, and they enjoyed a small boost in those interested in being dolphineering apprentices-- once the damage from the storm was repaired at home, of course.