Chapter Four
The same day……………..………………….…….New York City
“This is Josh Deerly speaking….Oh, yes, Dr. Cochrane, was waiting for your phone call. …..I was expecting……..Yea, we need to talk……Oh, really…What ‘s her name?..... Glenda….I’ll ask Pe if he knows her….He’s knows all those people…..He is one.”
“OK!!.....OK ……Miami? I just left there. We were following the storm into Panama. I thought it was a goner but it’s not?...According to you and Glenda?....Is she coming? Pe and I will be there, somehow. I guess I’d better arrange to head west after this……My plans are forming in my head. See you tomorrow in Miami then we head to California….Bye for now…Wow!! Have to call Pe and…..”
Josh’s phone rang as he hung it up, “Hello, this Josh Deerly….Oh, it’s you!! We need to talk…I’m heading for Miami on the next flight. He, …...yea, Cochrane and a chick from The City have a theory that they will show us tomorrow….so quit talking to me so I can head out of here…..Then….pack your bags..it’s off to Cali…SFO then LA……Se you in a few hours.”
The young reporter was excited as he pushed ‘end’ on his phone for the second time in two minutes….”I got to get ready…Out of here.”
“Oh no you don’t,” Sarah grabbed Josh by the shoulder and flung him around. “Where are you going? Thought we were done with that hurricane stuff!!”
“What do you mean by ‘we'?" Josh retorted.
“Again I will say…I thought we were….”
“Yes, we are….but this is my….Mine and Pe’s story.”
Sarah pulled Josh close to her with a hand on each lapel of his jacket. Then she began, “I’m about ready to….”
Josh interrupted her, “Kiss me??”
Quickly the female reporter loosened her grip on Josh’s suit. She softly said, “Not now, Mr. Deerly, we have work to do. You need me for that Cali chick, I’m certain. You have a bad way with California girls. Ha, Ha.”
She turned and grabbed her purse off the floor and announced, “Let’s go, Deer…….ly!"
Josh retrieved his briefcase and started out the door with Sarah following closely behind. He asked Sarah, “How’d you know about …..Glend…..Glenda….?”
“I’ve got reporter ears….You know that.”
The same day…………………….Paris, France
“OK, I’ll do the flight to Houston…I have some friends there where I can sleep a few hours. I’m prepared to fly from there to LA and back to New York after that….A couple of days or so…..See you in LA…Bye.”
Captain Kirk grabbed his gear and boarded the airplane for New York. He was preparing to do a special flight from New York to Houston and then on to LA. It had been a few months since he took this route. He usually flew from the Paris to New York every few days, but several United pilots were on vacation and since he was single and needed the money, he loved to cover.
Jim’s ‘friends’ in Houston was actually and old girl friend he hadn’t seen in a few years. They split up a few years back because of his hectic airline pilot schedule. The pilot figured Maggie would let him spend a few hours sleeping there on his way to LA. United Airlines required that he sleep a few hours in-between this flight since he had to fly in from Paris, today.
The next day…………………….Miami, FL
“Pe, can you believe that guy? And Glenda? What do you think? You’re the meteorologist.”
Pe sat next to his computer and began typing a mile a minute. His screen when super active and then stopped at forty or fifty figures in a column. He stopped and stared then he pointed toward the monitor. He had a questioning look on his face. “This is amazing, “ Pe exclaimed.
“What, Pe….what is it?” Josh questioned.
“I can’t explain it all but …I predict …just as Glenda and Jerry predicted…but I think I can say for a fact….Yep, for a fact.”
“What? What do you predict for a fact?”
“Tell you in a few. My computer is figuring all the variables at this moment. We will know most definitely before our flight leaves. Is your…I mean fellow reporter coming with us? She’d better hurry. We have to get out of here within the hour.”
“If you mean Sarah, yes, she’s coming…She got the assignment from the powers to be. I had no choice.”
“Josh…..look at me….You had a choice, but it’s OK. She’s a good reporter…Can help carry the load.”
Josh grinned and continued, “Yeah, she’d better.”
Two hours later……………Miami Airport, FL
Pe walked quietly toward gate 73 while Josh and Sarah held a private conversation behind him. Every few seconds he would look back as if to make sure they were still there. He stopped abruptly and the two reporters almost ran him over.
“What are you two talking about? Not me, I hope.”
Josh inserted, “Pe, we wouldn’t talk behind a friend’s back…Well, again maybe we would if it was about a gir…”
“Stop right now!! I have too many more important things to think about, right now. I believe we all should be contemplating what we will be doing in California. At this point….I’m not sure.”
The threesome continued walking toward the gate they needed to catch their plane. They arrived just as they were loading first class and special passengers. Pe quietly walked up to the counter and said a few words to the people in charge of the gate. He started into the passage way to the plane and waved for his friends to follow.
Josh looked at Sarah with a puzzled look, but they followed Pe anyway and found their seats in the front of the airplane.
Josh sat in the aisle seat and Pe chose the window. Sarah looked at the two gentlemen with a stern look and sat in the center seat.
Sarah leaned over and spoke in Josh’s ear, “Gentlemen?”
“Sarah, I have to have this seat. I always sit on the aisle….You know, holy tradition or something.”
Josh leaned out and asked Pe, “How’d you get us in here so soon and these seats? I’ve never…”
Sarah interrupted, “He knows a girl.”
Pe put his hand in the air and inserted, “Glenda arranged these seats for us. You told me to get the tickets and I did. Pretty good, huh?”
“Sarah and Josh spoke at the same time, “Yeah!, Yeah!”
The plane was loaded and prepared for departure, then Pe said, “Well guys, I’ve been thinking about all this. I am going to pull my computer out when we are in the air. I have a plan. I’ll go over it with you after we land.
As soon as the plane was in the air, Pe began feverishly typing on his laptop. Every once in a while, at times when his friends were watching, he would stop and scratch his head or stare out the window of the airplane. He didn't say a word. Pe either inputted into his computer or stared into space until the aircraft safely landed at San Francisco International.
When the plane arrived at the terminal, Pe quickly closed up his computer and was the first one out of his seat. He hurried his friends out of the plane, and got them a taxi.
Their destination was the local Fox TV affiliate where Glenda worked. Dr. Jerry Cochrane was to meet them there, as well. Pe seemed anxious to talk to these two experts about this hurricane.
When the taxi dropped them off at Channel Two on Battery Street, the fog was settling in over the city by the bay. The receptionist called Glenda and she met the team in the front office. After greeting formalities, she hustled them to a private weather studio that Glenda shared with three other meteorologist. Dr. Cochrane was there working on a computer.
Glenda introduced the threesome to Dr. Cochrane., and then Pe asked, “Anything else since we talked last, Doctor? Glenda...I mean Miss Clinton has studied your work....especially on this particular hurricane.”
Dr. Cochran replied, “She speaks highly of you Mr. Hemeze. I've got a theory...Well, it's not really a theory...The storm crossed the Isthmus and is heading straight up the coast of Mexico. It's just far enough from land that it is intensifying as it comes north. We have tropical warnings up as far as Baja at the moment.”
Pe looked puzzled and continued, “You can call me Pe.....So, you believe...Is everyone listening?....You believe the hurricane...Hurricane Blast is heading this way...Like LA? Like ten million people in it's wake?”
Glenda inserted, “We haven't enough information....Let's say...We may soon....but we don't have adequate data to tell them for certain down there...it is coming.”
The doctor commented while looking at his computer screen, “I really believe it will go out to the warm sea for a bit. This will compel news media and most observers to ignore it.....and then it will direct itself right into the southern California area. It's complicated...for laymen but Glenda, Pe and I....the upper air patterns and winds.”
Josh was listening to all this talk and jotting down notes as the conversation developed, and then he asked, “When can we?....I'm a reporter...I'd love to tell someone what's going on. Can we....who can we talk to?”
Glenda inserted quickly, “I'm a reporter too, but can't even get my fellow meteorologists to back me up. To them it's a reach to say it will hit or even come close to then metropolitan area. I think their afraid to stick out their necks and forecast it.”
Dr. Cochrane thought for a second and then added, “When we go down to LA...I believe we can get some to listen to us., but we need more proof....like a trip out to the storm like Pe did early on.”
Pe inserted, “Not me this time....I thought I was going to die...I guess it could have been that pilot.....or sort of a pilot.”
Josh responded, “I'll go with you Doctor...If we can get a pilot. Pe, you know of anyone down here who will do this for us?”
Pe thought for a minute or two and shook his head, and then Glenda said, “I have a friend...an old boy friend in San Diego.....He's a pilot...He may be able to get us a plane with instruments and the works. He works for a huge company...the United States Air force. He'll do it for me...he owes me.”
Dr. Cochrane's eyes perked up and he smiled. Then he spoke, “Glenda, then do your best to make it happen ASAP.”
“I'll get on the phone, right now.” The young meteorologist quickly left the room to make her contact.
Cochrane continued, “As soon as we can, we need to head south. I know you three from back east have your flights. I need to get one. I'm sure Glenda can arrange that. Is everyone ready for some adventure? Also we have a lot of work to do. Sarah....I'll have a special task for you when we get to LA. I want you to contact all the news agencies and I'll tell you what to tell them. We need to at least to prepare the ground work in case a major disaster is coming.”
Sarah responded, “I'll do what you need me to do.”
Shortly after Dr. Cochrane had finished speaking, Glenda came back into the room. The rest of the team were waiting for further instructions from her. She game the easterners their tickets and arranged a taxi. She and the doctor would meet then at the hotel near LAX that evening. Josh led the way out to the taxi.
Josh commented as they climbed into the Yellow Cab, “So...guys.....Are you excited or.....?”
Pe allowed Sarah to sit next to Josh and then he got into the taxi last, next to the door and then he answered, “I don't really know...Scientist don't really get excited or worried....Well, maybe a little of both, right now.”
Sarah inserted, “Thanks again guys for the middle...At least Pe was a gentleman....I'm....excited....Dr. Cochrane knows my name.....and....I have a job down there.”
The threesome laughed together for a minute and then finished the trip to the airport in silence. Within an hour they were in the air on their way to LAX. All three reporters quickly fell asleep on the plane. They were exhausted.
A short hour later the reporters where on the way to their hotel just outside of LAX. Josh called Glenda and let her know they had arrived. She told him, they were to meet her and the doctor for breakfast at eight AM in the restaurant downstairs.
That day........................Dallas, Texas
Originally the Castrol family came to Dallas to leave the two children, Sid, 8, and Mary, 12, with Vick’s parents for a week, while Joan and Nick vacationed in Los Angeles. They had been in Dallas an extra day and now they had to delay their flight to LAX, because Nick’s mom was in the hospital with a possible heart attack.
Mary was a perfectionist and had every minute of their vacation planned and this delay was driving her crazy. She spent the morning changing their reservations at the hotel and other for other venues. It was looking as though, the kids would be traveling with them to LA, so maybe even the plane reservations needed to be adjusted.
By noon, the doctors told Nick that his mom would be allowed to go home from the hospital the next morning. This would mean the Castrols could leave that day to begin their vacation. Mary promptly rearranged their flights which included the children to LA. Sid and Mary were very pleased, but Joan wasn’t.
The next morning........................LAX
Josh and his team met Glenda and Dr. Jerry Cochrane precisely at eight. Pe was in a contemplation mood and hadn't said a word all morning. They were all quiet as they ate.
When they finished their breakfast the doctor pulled some paper work from his briefcase and set up his laptop. Glenda was the first to speak, “Well, did everyone sleep well?”
Sarah quickly responded, “I slept very well in my 'suite' all by myself. It was really nice. Thank you, Glenda.”
“Thank, Channel 2. They paid for it. At least they believe in what we are doing.”
Dr. Cochrane began, “Speaking of what we are doing...I spent all last night working on this. I also contacted some colleagues back in Japan. They told me...that there is some new equipment we can bring with us into the storm, that will do more precise measurements. I'm excited about getting in the air.”
Glenda inserted, “Speaking of getting in the air... Three of us will meet my....meet Jim at a little air field south of San Diego tomorrow morning early...like at four AM. By that time, the storm will be approaching Baja California. We need some proof, soon to inform the local media....or there will really be a disaster.”
“Like I said yesterday, Sarah, you will go all over the city and I have prepared a press release for you to give to the media. We could E-mail it to them and perhaps we will in addition.....to your visit. Your job is to be convincing. You saw the storm in Panama, and you live in Florida. You know about hurricanes and what they can do.”
“Will do sir.”
Jerry continued, “Josh,...you, Glenda and I will fly south in the morning. My new instrument should arrive this afternoon. You will write everything you see and Glenda and I will measure anything we can. Do you have a camera for photos in the air?”
Josh answered, “I'll get one. I know of a great camera shop downtown. Pe and I will do that ASAP.”
Pe still sat very quietly as everyone else talked causally for a few minutes, and then he raise his hand and spoke, “Dr. Cochrane, can I ask you something in private...I have a...I guess you could say...I've got a theory...”
The doctor immediately stood up and Pe followed suit. They walked out of the restaurant and into the lobby of the hotel. They talked for several minutes while the other members of the team sat quietly.
When the conversation was over Pe and Jerry returned to the breakfast table. The first to ask a question was Glenda. “Now, guys, what was that all about?”
Pe immediately responded, “Just Dr. talk. We will let you know more as we do. Is that right Doc?”
Dr. Cochrane shook is head in the affirmative, took a swallow of cold coffee and spoke, “Pe has something...very technical...It would confuse the rest of you...Don't worry we weren't planning on eating dinner without you guys.”
Josh responded, “In the mean time...what will we do? I mean we have a few hours to....do something.”
“Good point,” Dr. Cochrane quipped. “We could....We could all get our computers going and search out the most vulnerable areas in the LA basin...All of us have studied hurricanes...We know what they can and will do...Like Katrina down in New Orleans....If we see the results of a past event, then we can anticipate what the officials need to do before it happens in the future. I know that's not really our job...but if we can assist in hundreds or thousands of lives being saved...good for us...good for LA.”
Pe responded, “We can at least anticipate an official, tropical storm warning within twenty-four hours for this area. That means heavy winds and lots of rain. Houses on cliffs and mountainous areas could have flash flooding.... Trees blown over. This storm could affect the weather as far east as Fresno and as far north as Santa Cruz. We predict ...the doc and I, ..that the storm ..weather a hurricane or tropical storm, ….will directly hit between Santa Barbra and San Diego. You guys will see tomorrow.. but the storm is huge....nearly seven-hundred miles wide and, right now, the storm surge is hitting San Diego. Tides are higher and the waves are rougher on the coast. Good surfing day at Malibu.”
Dr. Cochrane continued, “I think we will have a category 5 hurricane when it hits...but I could be way off. No matter, whatever it is...we have a disaster on our hands....If it hits at rush hour on any day we could ….It could really be nasty. At least we have some warning time if they believe us.”
The doctor handed Sarah copies of the press release she was to deliver to the media. She said her goodbyes and found one of the cars Glenda had rented for team while they were in LA. Pe and Josh pulled out their lap tops and began searching vulnerable areas in the LA basin. Dr. Cochrane and Glenda finalized their flight for in the morning.
Later in the day, the doctor's package arrived. He and Pe played with the tool and it was already giving them some needed information even before entering the storm.
It was a short night for those who had to be in San Diego by 0400. The small group took a short flight from LA to San Diego and met Master Sergeant Jim Mays, Glenda's ex-boyfriend, at the airport. They all piled in an Air Force hummer and headed south to a miniature airport near the Mexican border.
During the flight, Josh feverishly wrote down everything they did and everything that he overheard Glenda and Jerry discussing. Some of the information was very technical and the young reporter had to ask how to spell some of it.
As they approached the storm, the Lockheed WC-130J storm chasing aircraft that were mostly operated by the NOAA, began feeling the winds created by the storm. Jim Mays was attached to the US Air force Reserves 56rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron stationed at Keesler AFB in Mississippi. His unit flew these specialized aircraft. Jim piloted into many large storms but not this close to California.
During the bumpy flight, Glenda and the Doctor used their new instrument to gather special wind speeds and to measure upper air turbulence. This type of aircraft gathered information from an altitude of 41,000 feet, but still the plane bounced severely.
Josh's mouth flew wide open as they flew over the hurricane. This storm was a lot larger than anything he had ever seen. Glenda and Dr. Cochrane expressed the same opinion. Sergeant Mays didn't say much, but what he needed to, on his radio.
The pilot instructed his passengers that he was about to fly into the eye of the storm, so everyone needed to be strapped tightly in their seat belts. The threesome did as they were told.
Josh kept on writing the best he could and then he commented, “I hope you guys are getting the info you need and get it quickly...I am not too comfortable up here.”
The pilot, though mostly quiet, responded, “What is cool about this aircraft is that it is collecting more information than we really need, automatically. Their little instrument is new or this aircraft would have it, too. We can download all of it to a compute on the ground, but unfortunately to get all the important info...we need to go into the eye and out a few times more.”
“You don't suppose I could sleep while you guys do all this? ....I'm kind of tired...”
Dr. Cochrane inserted, “This is your story, Josh. You are going to win a Pulitzer Prize with this one.”
“Sorry, you guys....I was just kidding...but I'm not much for bouncy planes and....”Josh was interrupted by a large turbulence that threw the plane sideways one hundred yards and then back again.
Glenda quipped, “That was a big one....I clocked at....Is that right, doc? Doctor!!”
The Doctor's head was slumped forward with his chin on his chest. He looked to be unconscious. Glenda shook him slightly to no avail.
“What do we do, Jim? He's out cold....Did he hit his head?”
Josh did not look much better. He was getting sick. He sluggishly grabbed a barf back from the back of the pilot's seat and threw up in it.
The next morning........................Anchorage, AK
Mason was anxious to leave for LA. The manufacturer had called and said that one of his company’s plane was sitting and waiting for him when he and his pilot arrived. Mason’s plane tickets were purchased but there were several family situations to deal with before he could travel.
The McNabb family all lived in the Anchorage and southeast Alaska area. The oldest daughter, who was pregnant, was going to have her baby at any time. Mason was hoping to be there when the baby arrives. Julie, his wife, told him to hold off on the trip, just in case.
Just after noon, Mason’s daughter, Audrey, went into labor and was taken to an Anchorage hospital. Mr. McNabb was relived. Since the baby had arrived, he thought that maybe he could talk his wife into going with him to pick up the plane in LA.
It was all set. Mason and Julie McNabb and one of their pilots, George Gear, would leave for LA the next morning by eleven AM, and they would pick up the airplane the following day by noon.
Mason felt as if the weight of the world was taken off his shoulders. His wife was also excited about being away a few days outside of Alaska.
