Gavin muted the mike and hit the intercom. “How are we on calls?”
“We have them lined up from here to next year,” said Gavin’s producer, happy with this kind of call-in volume. “Sending you a hot one now.”
Gavin Finke punched a button to take the call. “And we’re on with Brenda from Harrisburg.”
“Hi, Gavin, longtime listener, first-time caller.”
“Glad you picked up the phone, Brenda. So, tell me, what do you think is happening in Stebbins County?”
“Zombies,” she said.
“Come again?”
“Zombies.”
“You’re saying ‘zombies.’”
“Yes. Zombies.”
“In Stebbins County.
“Oh, yes. They’re all over Stebbins County.”
“Zombies?”
“Zombies.”
“Oooo-kay, this a new one even for What the Finke Thinks. Tell me, Brenda, what makes you think there are zombies at large in western Pennsylvania?”
“My nephew told me.”
“Your nephew? And does he see zombies on any kind of regular basis?”
“Oh, no. He’s a soldier. He’s with the National—”
“Sorry, Brenda, I have to cut you off,” said Gavin. “I’m being told we are going to have a statement from the president of the United States. Going live to Washington…”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
THE OVAL OFFICE
THE WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON, D.C.
“Mr. President?” said the cameraman. “We’re on in five, four…”
He finger-counted down the rest of the way and then pointed to the commander in chief, who sat at his desk, neat and tidy and severe.
“Hello, everybody,” said the president, his voice deep and sober. “There are two issues confronting us this evening. The first is the major storm that has developed in western Pennsylvania. This storm, now being called Superstorm Zelda, has exceeded the predictions made by the National Weather Service. The severity and duration of the storm has caught everyone by surprise. However, I just received a full briefing from our emergency response teams, including FEMA, and agencies that are going to be helpful in the response and recovery efforts—the Department of Energy, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Health and Human Services.”
Behind the teleprompter, Scott Blair nodded. He’d helped write this announcement, using his typical hands-on approach. The president had raised objections about much of the content, but in the end had been persuaded to handle things a certain way. In the way that Blair and the Joint Chiefs all agreed was the only way to keep the train on the rails.
“Obviously,” continued the president, reading it verbatim, “everybody is aware at this point that this is going to be a big and powerful storm, and that it is far from over. What were originally estimated to be a line of smaller cells moving behind the main storm front have taken an unfortunate turn and are strengthening. However, all across the region, I think everybody is now able to make appropriate preparations and everyone is taking appropriate actions. I’ve spoken to the governors of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, and West Virginia. They have issued emergency declarations. Those have been turned around quickly here in the White House. We have prepositioned assets so that FEMA personnel are working closely with state and local governments. We’re making sure that food and water and emergency generation is available for those communities that are going to be hardest hit. But because of the nature of this storm, we are certain that this is going to be a slow-moving process through a wide swath of the country, and millions of people are going to be affected.”
Beside Blair, Sylvia Ruddy stood with her arms folded tightly across her chest, wearing what the French would call a mouth of disapproval. Blair disliked her because she was far more concerned about party politics and the president’s legacy than she was about actual national security.
“So the most important message that I have for the public right now,” said POTUS, “is please listen to what your state and local officials are saying. When they tell you to evacuate, you need to evacuate. Do not delay. Don’t pause; don’t question the instructions that are being given, because this is a serious storm and it could potentially have fatal consequences if people haven’t acted quickly.
The president paused and gave the camera a two-second beat of unblinking intensity. “But keep in mind that for folks who are not following instructions, if you are not evacuating when you’ve been asked to evacuate, you’re putting first responders in danger. We’re going to have to have search-and-rescue teams in and around multiple states all at the same time. And although we’ve got the Department of Defense all positioned, if the public is not following instructions, that makes it more dangerous for people and it means that we could have fatalities that could have been avoided.