Scratchgravel Road (Josie Gray Mysteries #2)(77)
“Chief Gray.”
“This is Diego. We have a problem. Can you come back? Now?”
“We’re on our way.” Josie twirled her finger in the air to signal Otto to turn around. He gestured to either side of the road to show her it was too washed out.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“Sandy Davis, the lead engineer studying the flood problem, is here in my office. She and another engineer took a helicopter up to check the mountains. They spotted a breach this morning. The chance of a mudslide just increased tenfold.”
“How much time do we have?”
“She said it was hard to speculate. They spent all morning checking measurements. There’s so many variables. Including the current rain.”
“What kind of problems are you talking about?”
He sighed. “It’s best if we talk in person.”
“Okay. Worst-case scenario. How long?” Josie listened to Diego’s muffled voice as he conferred with his engineer. He finally came back on the line. “If the mountain runoff breaks loose, a mudslide is imminent. She thinks worst case is three hours.”
Josie felt the panic well up in her throat. “Have you started making calls for resources—people and agencies who can help with an evacuation?”
“Sylvia is on the phone. Another engineer is helping her place the calls. She’s already called your county maintenance.”
“We’ll be there in five.”
*
On the drive back to the plant Josie reached Lou and filled her in on the situation. She requested that Lou call Marta in for assistance but was told that the mayor had just sent her over to Presidio to aid in an evacuation. Two families were stranded in their homes due to flooding and the water was rising.
“I was picking up the phone to call you and Otto out when you called. I’ve lived in Artemis twenty years and never seen flooding like this,” Lou said.
“Keep me updated. I’ll check in after my meeting at the Feed Plant.”
Ten minutes later Josie and Otto were sitting in a large meeting room at a conference table. Sylvia Moore had ushered them in and placed coffee on the table for them, then sat down at the far end where she turned on a laptop. Diego entered shortly after and one woman and three men followed behind him. Lines radiated from his eyes as he talked quietly to the woman, who Josie assumed was the lead engineer at the company. He pulled her chair out for her and she sat, the conversation never missing a beat. She had short gray hair cut close to her head and wore a tasteful starched blue shirt and dress pants. Josie figured she was in her late fifties and thought she appeared to have an easy disposition.
Diego remained standing and called them together with few formalities.
“I realize we don’t have the full group. As more people become involved, we’ll update as needed. Sylvia will be typing up our plan so we’ll all be clear on the details.” He glanced at the wall where her notes were being projected.
He sat down and cleared his throat. “First, introductions. To my left is Chief of Police Josie Gray. She and Officer Otto Podowski actually met with me earlier this morning about our disaster preparedness plan. I appreciate the department’s forethought.” He gestured to Otto, who nodded to the engineers across the table. “They will be our liaisons with the law enforcement agencies and will be key to moving this plan forward. If we need additional manpower I will count on Josie’s help to work with area residents.”
Diego looked at Josie and she nodded in agreement. Rarely were the local police afforded the respect that they deserved for their experience and expertise in dealing with local disasters.
“To my right is Sandy Davis. She is our lead engineer. She knows the layout of the plant, including the danger areas, better than anyone.” Sandy introduced the three men sitting to her left, all of whom were engineers. They obviously would be taking their orders from her. And, finally, she introduced Scott Franklin, a chemical expert.
Diego took over the meeting again. “Sandy, I’d like for you to first explain the concern you shared with me before the meeting. It’s important we put this into perspective for everyone.”
She straightened her back and folded her hands on top of her legal pad. Her face was lightly freckled and it reddened as she began speaking. Her voice was quiet but controlled and confident.
“I have been following radiation disasters throughout the world for thirty years. There have been surprisingly few. Given the potential for disaster, the industry has put strenuous safeguards in place. With that comes a cost. When a catastrophe does strike, there is very little to fall back on in terms of response and baseline data. To my knowledge, I don’t know of another former weapons plant that has faced flooding, or more specifically mudslides.” She turned to Josie and Otto. “This is new territory, and we don’t have a sufficient response. The tsunami that hit Japan was a completely different situation. We’re not dealing with reactors or meltdowns. We’re dealing with enriched uranium byproduct. Waste that is highly radioactive.”
“Are you referring to the barrels?” Josie asked.
She nodded. “In part. They are the most immediate concern because the mudflow would hit that area first. But there are other areas of the plant that could be in more serious jeopardy. The pilot unit has a significant amount of high-level radioactive matter. It would be disastrous if that building was compromised. We also have two concrete silos that are not in good shape.”