The storm had come ashore with little warning. The sailors had known
the storm was coming, but no one had anticipated how bad it would
be.
It had not been a normal storm. It had come in in the early hours
of the morning, when everyone had been waking up and preparing for
the day. The heavy winds and rain had kept people home and inside.
The storm passed by the mid-afternoon, leaving bands of sunshine
in its wake.
James Norrington stood just beyond his front door and gazed down
the road, or what little of it he could see. Trees had fallen across
the dirt, laying haphazardly everywhere. Domesticated animals wandered
freely.
He turned as his stableman approached, with his horse saddled. He
took the nervous animal with a smile to the man and mounted. He
calmed his horse before riding cautiously down the road. As he went
downhill, towards the town, he noticed that the swath of destruction
that had hit his house worsened the closer he came to the shore.
As he rounded the last bend, he reined in his horse and swore under
his breath. The docks were gone. The town was gone. People were
wandering the ruins, both citizens and military alike.
He turned to look up at the fort. He deemed it sound, for it was
still standing. He decided to inspect it later, for whatever damage
that had occurred there was nothing compared to the damage of the
town.
He cued his horse into a walk and headed into town. Immediately,
one of his officers appeared and approached. James stopped and
waited for him to report.
"Commodore," the officer greeted him with a salute. "The storm
caused much damage to the town, the docks, and the ships. Our
ships, sir. They were destroyed." He motioned toward the bay.
James looked. The ships had indeed been destroyed. The Dauntless
was half submerged and all her masts were broken, lying across
the ship. One was missing. The new ship, the brig Liberty, was
listing to her starboard and was also missing her masts. Both
would be months in repair, if they were even able to be salvaged.
He nodded towards the officer, who continued. "The civilian casualty
has been high. No one knows how many are missing. A death toll
has not even been calculated." He took a deep breath. "Some of
the few survivors along the waterfront say a wall of water, taller
than a house, swept into the town."
James raised a hand and stopped the man. "A wall of water?" He
looked towards the town and examined the damage. Buildings, especially
the ones near the water, had been demolished. Only pieces remained.
"Yes, I can believe that. Continue."
The officer continued. "The damages extend for miles inland. The
places on higher ground fared better. Those locations have wind
damage- trees down- and do not appear to be hit with the destruction
that has occurred along the coast."
James nodded. "Thank you, Lieutenant." He glanced back at the
town and dismissed the officer back to the work he had been performing.
Then he examined the town again.
Wood lay everywhere. There were buildings that had been smashed
by trees, by poles, and other pieces of what had been other structures.
James saw one roof, totally intact. The inn that it had covered
was lying in ruins next to it, stripped down to the dirt it had
been built on. He also saw a building smashed with a large pole,
and it took him a second glance to realize the pole was the missing
mast from the Dauntless. People were pawing through the debris,
bringing out belongings and bodies.
Seeing the amount of destruction, he could only thank God that
the Turners were in England visiting family and not here in Jamaica.
He dismounted his horse and grabbed a passing boy, who looked
bewildered and half-spooked. He shoved his reins into the boy's
hand and told him to take the horse back to his house. He strode
off down the road, trusting that the boy would listen. As he approached
the town, he slipped the wig off his head and slid out of his
coat. He left them lying on a downed palm tree.
He stopped when he reached the first building. From farther up,
it had not looked as bad. But two out of three buildings had been
destroyed. The ones that were standing looked as if they were
going to fall. Only a few buildings looked as if they remained
structurally sound. He noticed the disorganized crews trying to
go through the debris and hurriedly
sought out the mayor.
The man looked lost and confused. James took pity on the man and
took charge. His men from the fort and the sailors on leave quickly
gathered around him. Townsfolk stood at the edges of the crowd,
listening as well.
"Organize into groups and go through each building. If there are
any survivors, put them in the buildings that look stable. Other
teams will bring down the structures that look as if they will
fall. Someone, find the doctor and anyone else who has any experience
with injuries. They are needed. The rest of you, start cleaning
the debris. Lieutenant Groves,
you are in charge of searching for survivors. Lieutenant Gillette,
the building crew." He looked around at his men and the citizens
gathered around. "Godspeed and good luck, all of you."
As the people gravitating towards the different groups led by
Groves and Gillette, James sighed and took one more look around
at the broken buildings that had once been the thriving town of
Port Royal.
~.~
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