The people in the hotel and the ship at the port, more and more, were tired of living in such close quarters and wished to move into some of the better properties inland from the port. That was understandable. But Derek and I could not oversee all the projects to make it happen overnight. We also didn't want to get involved in the increasing politics of who gets what done. So, we formed a planning committee to do that and we focused on infrastructure.

       With no time to lose, we established growing plots for fresh vegetables at the airport. With both solar and wind power to provide for the families that were moving there. Greenhouses with drip irrigation and air-conditioning to protect crops during the hot summers and cold rainy winters. Away from the runways but nearby, we planted many native fruit and nut trees that once were the staple of Orange County before all the suburbs were created.

       The planning committee came up with a plan to take over the best homes, properties and businesses between the port and the airport to move into, one family at a time. It required the families that wanted to move to do a lot of sweat equity on their property before moving in. Ginger was extremely busy helping these families convert the layouts of the original homes and businesses into what they wanted to make them.

       Derek and I managed work crews that developed over time and followed the layouts that Ginger provided in discussions with the eventual owners. There were some problems with theft, both by existing village people and the few gang members or outsiders that were still able to operate after all of the time since the pandemic destroyed most services, food and water. Sheriff Morgan Singh was very busy on those cases. For some, a path to rehabilitation was offered. Others were placed on work gangs with armed supervision. During this period, none were judged dangerous enough to deserve death by firing squad.

       One day, Ginger and I had finished with the layout for three families in a rather large private hanger for United Airlines VIP private flights when we began relaxing and enjoying each other on one of the king-size beds when Ginger's phone rang, rudely interrupting us. She picked up the phone and briefly, saw Harlan’s face before it disappeared and the phone went blank.

       She turned to me. “That's strange? I thought I saw Harlan, but then, without saying a word, he disappeared and the phone went dead? Do you think he's got video on us and is harassing us?”

       “Oh, Ginge. Don't be paranoid. Maybe he just accidentally called you and then, just hung up and put the phone back in his pocket.”

       We resumed what we were doing for about five minutes and she was really getting into it when the damn phone rang again. She answered and saw a stranger in the viewscreen.

       “Hello… Are you Ginger? This is Roger Worth in Pasadena. I just took this phone from a guy who's unconscious and all broken up in a helicopter that crashed right in front of us!”

       Ginger screamed… “That's my husband, Harlan! Can you put him on?”

       “No ma'am, I told you he's unconscious! It's going to take us some time to get him out of the wreckage, but he’s still breathing. Just appears to be knocked out and has broken some bones.”

       “How can you use his phone?”

       “It was on when I found it here in the wreckage. Saw he was texting you so I figured you were important to him and called your number that he stored.”

       “Can you do anything for him?”

       “First, we gotta get him out of wreckage. We don't have any place to take him. We have a nurse among our people and I sent a kid to go find her, but that's all we've got. Will just give him first aid and try to keep him alive. Can you get here?”

       I interrupted… “This is Harlan's friend. To get an ambulance there would take several hours with the way the roads are, and we might not be able to get there at all. Harlan has been training me on the helicopters and I will try to get there as soon as I can, probably within the half hour after picking up some EMTs that can help. Hold tight and we will keep calling you. If anything changes in his condition, call us and let us know. In the meantime, keep the phone on so we can track it. We already know where you are.”

       I called the Medical Center and two EMTs would be waiting for us at the rooftop helicopter platform. Ginger and I jumped in my truck and we raced back to their place where the MGM helicopter waited. We rolled it out of the hanger, both of us got in, and I took off.

       We picked up the EMTs and were at the site within 15 minutes of leaving the hospital. There was a crowd of over 100 people below who moved out of the way when we landed in the street near where the crumpled United Airlines helicopter that Harlan had repaired earlier in the day and took off leaving us alone to play.

       They had him out of the helicopter and on a stretcher with a woman tending to him. Harlan was in and out of consciousness and asking for Ginger. He smiled when he saw her come close and kiss him on the forehead. He tried to talk when the EMTs carried him quickly to the helicopter but was sedated and stable, too sleepy to.

       I invited Roger and the nurse to come with us. Roger insisted on a couple of other people to come along, too, so I agreed.

       On the way, Roger told us what happened.

       “We are about 200 people working together, trading and scavenging since that terrible pandemic last year. But we are running out of food supplies and about everything else. All that rain nearly did us in and we lost quite a few people to starvation, bad water and food poisoning.

       “Lately, we been seeing planes and helicopters flying over and it gave us hope that we could be rescued. When we saw him flying low this afternoon, we all came out of our houses and started waving at him. And then, the engine quit with a loud bang and the helicopter spiraled down until it hit that streetlight and flipped upside down.    “But, you came! I can't believe there is a medical center operating in this area. What with all the gang activity we've had to fight off by arming ourselves and stopping them only after we killed many.”

       “Roger, we went through the same thing, but from the minute I recovered from my bout with Covid-30 I was about growing food and hunting food as well as rebuilding, since my partner and I lost our fathers and mothers, but The pilot you helped shave, Harlan, taught me to fly this helicopter less than a month ago.” 

       In the setting sun, the port with the Rambler loomed ahead and I landed on the helicopter pad at the medical center where there were people running out to help get Harlan to emergency surgery. I promised Roger and the others that I would take them back and talk to the mayor about bringing his people to our village soon if they wanted to come under our terms. 

He agreed and followed the nurse and the others after Harlan into the hospital. I came back later to fly them back to Pasadena add pick up some seriously ill from there to the hospital.

       Harlan had a broken shoulder, several broken ribs, a concussion and his left femur was broken. It would be weeks before he would be out the hospital and teaching flying again. We really needed him to do that, in the meantime, Drake and I, along with a couple of others that he had trained, took on flying functions even though we were all just beginners.

        The next day, I flew to Pasadena again and brought back to the port ten new villagers who were in need of medical treatment for starvation and malnourishment. A route was found where we could go and get them within three hours and return with buses. So, after the severely malnourished and those who had medical problems from lack of medications, were brought and treated by helicopter, the others came by bus. The village was growing again. I expected many more would come as we reached more areas of the greater LA area by helicopter and plane.

       A group of the fishermen who no longer fished, began creating grazing areas for cattle, sheep, goats and pigs. They did this by removing fences between properties, using their yards and backyards as places where the animals could graze safely. The grazing animals fertilized the soil in those areas. Chickens, geese, ducks and pigeons were everywhere, and so far, unregulated. Chased by feral cats and coyotes.

       Trees bearing fruit or nuts were planted and protected from the grazing animals. Milking and slaughtering stations were set up on the property and some buildings were used for housing animals in inclement weather. A bartering system was set up whereby the meat and milk producers could trade products with the fish market or use cash as the unit of trade.

       Two grocery stores were repaired and opened. One to provide for the port and another to provide for the airport community. Staples were brought in from other stores and food warehouses that were located by Internet searches. Many who had small businesses before, began to open abandoned ones in the area.

       There was a team assigned to opening ship containers. Many of them contained staple food. But there was much spoilage and insect infestation making much of the food unsuitable for humans but good for some of the animals or fowl. The same was true with dated food supplies. Each one had to be checked if it could go beyond its sale date and still be safe. Many would last years. The rest went to compost.

       Finally, the Central Valley had dried up enough for Derek, Melody and Wondah to join me on a flight to check on Gramps. He assured me that the road in front of his place was dry and smooth enough for me to land. "The coast is clear, Drake, come and see me," he pleaded on the phone.

       I hadn't flown that far, yet. But Harlan was a good teacher and with Derek on the other controls, we both could check each other on this flight that might just be a round-trip without landing because of the condition of the road we were supposed to land on. With Harlan's blessing, we took off the next morning at 6 am to get the maximum benefit from daylight that day. Fortunately, it was a clear day after we rose above the morning fog and along our driving route there.

       Before long we were flying over the Grapevine’s mountain range and into the Central Valley. We could see evidence where the floodwaters had been. I circled friendly Mondale and tipped the wingtips back and forth in a kind of wave to those on the ground who hadn't seen anything but highflying military jets since the pandemic. We saw people waving back.

       Before long, we came upon the Central Valley Aqueduct and saw so much destruction that the floodwaters had carried down to it. It was obvious that we would have to take the route through Mondale with trucks again because 99 was blocked by flood debris that wouldn't be removed anytime soon.

       We safely landed on the road to Grandpa Ralph Hutchins's farm although it was much softer than expected. He rushed out of the house to greet them heartily.

       "Hey guys," he squinted, "and gals. I knew you were coming by plane but it surely was a surprise when I heard you buzzing over and then landing right here in front of my house!"

       I answered, "It's good to be back. But landing on your soft road was a little dicey. From what I can see, it looks like the improvements we made last year held up."

       We reached each other and he hugged me, and then Derek, and then, shaking hands and hugging the girls.

       "They sure did, Sonny. The water came right up to the first floor level again, but with the house jacked up and the livestock having raised pens we weathered all those storms and flooding much better than some others I talked to since the water receded. We still have all this mud problem that I hope you can help me with when you come again with trucks."

       I wanted to know. "How did the Meyers do?"

       "They learned a lot from you. Did quite well. Have a lot of new arrivals that they want to share when you bring the trucks. When do you plan to do that?"

       "As soon as we possibly can, but we have so many projects underway that getting away from all of them, even for a couple of days, will be difficult. The road here may require more detours. We will have to fly low all the way back to make sure that we can get through without having help getting the roads open."

       Gramps invited us inside and shared some of his homemade wine and cheese. Derek and I made sure we didn't drink very much, but the others enjoyed themselves and indulged quite a bit.

       Using visual flight rules, we had to get going early to make it well before dark home. We wanted to taxi on down to the Meyer place, but when we got to the plane, it had sunk into the mud on the road and it took all of us to get it turned around and in position where it could possibly take off with all of us inside.

       To get a good start, we went to the barn and got some plywood that we placed in front of the plane for about 30 feet. We then, pushed the plane up on the plywood and all got in.

       I applied the brakes and revved the engine to where it was pulling hard and released the brakes. It was nip and tuck when we hit the soft road accelerating off the plywood. We were nearly to the Meyer place before I attained enough speed to get airborne. We all sighed in relief when we finally were in the air and headed home. It would take a while before that road would handle heavy trucks.

       I told everyone, "Next time we have conditions like this, we'll come by helicopter." I heard some chuckles from behind me.

       Flying low the way home, we buzzed a few folks who shook their fists at us as we passed, but I don't recall anyone shooting at us. We took a lot of videos of stretches of the road where flooding had left debris. And then later, when we got into the mountains leading into LA, we noted mudslides and landslides. Much more than we had seen earlier and found our way over, around or through.

       We knew that it would take longer and much more difficult to get back to the Central Valley this year, but we were prepared to do it, our growing village needed the trade.

Copyright 2024 © Ronald W. Hull

3/16/24