The Rift
I have been reading a novel by SF author Walter
Jon Williams entitled "The Rift." this 900+ page novel was first published in
1999, and tells the story of the effects of an 8.9 earthquake on the Mississippi
Delta region. It turns out that there is a huge fault system deep underground in
that region that gives rise to huge, though infrequent, earthquakes. The last
actual event (actually a series of shocks and aftershocks) occurred in
1811-1812, and the chapters of the novel begin with relevant quotes from
observers of the resulting cataclysm. But the story is that of what would happen
if a modern version of such a series of earthquakes
occurred.
Then Katrina hit New Orleans
and other cities of the Gulf Coast, and I suddenly couldn't tell the difference
between the book and the news. The descriptions in the book and the situations
treated there are very much like what is happening to people now in the region.
The only difference is that the real situation is not due to an earthquake
(which would destroy the levees causing widespread flooding) but to a storm
(which destroyed the levees causing widespread flooding). And in the book, the
disaster was much more widespread, because the effects of such a large quake
would be felt all over the Eastern United States: as far North as St. Louis, and
as far East as Washington.
Anyway,
it's quite eerie to look up from a novel I'm reading and see very similar
situations actually played out in real life.
Posted: Wed - August 31, 2005 at 10:14 PM