Chapter 11

Hannah, Grade Scale-7-1

Clandestine brick towers were the only distinguishing features of what used to be a row of homes, but was now a field of ash. Features of the landscape that had been previously taken for granted were now completely eradicated. Hannah tried to imagine what her own street would look like if not only the homes were removed, but also the trees, brush, fences, and any remnants of life, both anthropogenic and natural, were erased like they never existed. Then she imagined what it would look like if she superimposed a layer of ominous black charcoal over everything.

She examined the towers of fireplaces and chimneys which remained, wondering what sorts of houses used to surround them and how exposed they must now feel. She wanted to sense the presence of the individuals that may have lived in the dwelling for generations before, but it felt impossible. The fire not only took away every possession that wasn’t quickly stashed into a car by one of the fleeing families, but the very soul of the neighborhood. Truly nothing remained except debris and a little bit of hazardous waste.

Teams of EPA contractors scoured the remains for signs of hazardous materials which could harm both cleanup crews and leach into the ground exacerbating an already environmental disaster. Properties were tagged and clean up crews were dispatched to remove the contaminants.

This was Hannah’s tenth straight day working twelve plus hour shifts supporting the clean up effort. Her job was liaising with community members whose homes were destroyed to provide updates on the progress EPA had made towards restoring their properties.

Because most of her hours were spent at the regional response center and at nearby community outposts, she rarely got to scour the debris but instead relied on information being relayed to her through 15-minute stand up meetings. Doing emergency response work she quickly learned that meetings were not scheduled for an hour or half-hour, but instead 5 to 15 minute intervals. The typical small talk to start and end a meeting were non-existent and any semblance of niceties or social etiquette were thrown out the window as meetings would often start with the senior leader screaming orders to the team of people who had started earlier the previous morning. Officers were conveniently color-coded in vests so that the On-Scene Coordinator could efficiently demand updates in sequence. She often found herself fighting back tears as she was on the receiving end of frantic yelling by her superiors and had to remind herself that it wasn’t personal.

And yet, getting scolded by her colleagues was a safe alternative to facing the public. While she knew the information she was able to provide was an invaluable glimpse into the overwhelming clean up and recovery process, the helplessness and desperation of those she interacted with made her feel powerless to help. The cataclysmic adversity they were facing impacted Hannah to her core. Although most people were grateful for her support, there were a few which took their frustration out on her. Perhaps they perceived her empathy and stature as an open invitation to unleash their rage into a receptacle incapable or unwilling to resist.

“What the hell do you mean you aren’t sure when you’ll get to my house? It’s been a fucking week already!”

Hannah recalled one of her more challenging conversations.

“The crews are prioritizing work to try to optimize getting to all homes as quickly as possible. We don’t have a master schedule of future work because plans change depending on in-field conditions.”

Hannah had repeated the same set of lines for over a week now, which in fire response time felt more like a month considering she had logged nearly 100 hours of emotionally and physically draining work in that span. She could easily regurgitate the FAQ responses at-will.

“So when the hell will my house be a priority? I have three kids packed into a one-room motel. The dog keeps shitting on the carpet. I’ve been wearing the same goddam shirt since last Wednesday.”

“I’m sorry, sir.” Hannah did her best to show empathy, but she couldn’t do anything to help this man whose family had lost everything. So, she went to the next tool in the box, “Right here you can see the interactive map…”

“I’ve seen the interactive map!” He cut her off. “And do you know what it says for my property? It says ‘Not Assessed.’ Same thing it said yesterday and the day before. Can you go back there and tell your people to get out to my place?”

“I’ll see what I can do.” Hannah offered. In reality, she could ask the operations crew what the status of the neighborhood was, but she wouldn’t be able to relay that information back to the resident since it was subject to change and they didn’t want to over promise if they couldn’t deliver. It also wouldn’t influence the speed with which they were working since the urgency was already amply apparent to everyone on the response.

“My cousin,” the man continued. “He lives not far from here. He’s got access to a backhoe. He could be at my place by this afternoon and could start digging my place out in no time.”

“We highly recommend you don’t do that, sir. Hazardous waste can be volatile and pose a serious risk to you and your cousin.”

“And why should I trust you? You’re an opportunist just trying to make a quick buck! My cousin he could do it much quicker and hell of a lot cheaper, I’m sure!”

“All of the removal is no-cost to you. The Federal government covers all expenses related to hazardous waste and debris removal.”

“Yeah, right. So you say.”

Hannah wasn’t sure how to respond so she didn’t. She let the man cool off before offering, “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“I think you’ve done enough,” was his retort. He had his pound of flesh and it was time to find a new outlet for his rage. At least your dog made it out was the lasting thought Hannah had as he walked away. She had been exposed to so much loss that she was quick to jump on the silver lining to numb the suffering.

It didn’t take long for her to move on as a crowd of people had now surrounded her hoping for answers. She did her best to provide helpful information to each one of them and in instances when she couldn’t, at least offer another sympathetic ear.

Some of the residents took her off guard by being the ones to offer her sympathy.

“How are you holding up?” Offered one mildly elderly woman whose eyes suggested she had been through disasters before.

“I’m doing okay,” was the only appropriate response Hannah could think to say. Hannah could neither proclaim to be doing ‘well’ or ‘bad’ as either would come off as insensitive. “I just wish there was more I could do,” she tacked on.

“Well we appreciate you,” the woman reached out to squeeze Hannah’s arm. “Your dedication as a civil servant is admirable and we value you.” While the appreciation was welcome, it was also offputting. It felt like Hannah was the one who had lost her home and not the other way around.

Hannah was confused until the woman cut to the chase, “So do you think EGG is going to eliminate the EPA?” Suddenly it felt like Hannah was manning the receiving line at a funeral as others nearby chimed in.

The Enterprising Good Governance Committee was established by the President to audit government agencies, find opportunities for savings, and streamline wasteful spending and processes. A concept that should take precision and attention to detail was instead being led by business and tech executives who were more interested in moving fast and breaking things that weren’t even theirs.

“Is it true that they are cutting the workforce in half?”

“I read in the news you won’t even have a budget next year.”

“I was surprised you were even allowed out here!”

The barrage of policy questions were representative of a broad political ideological and awareness spectrum, however Hannah’s responses were mostly consistent and noncommittal. Usually something along the lines of “we’ll see,” “I don’t know,” or “thanks for your concern.” For the most part, Hannah wanted to focus on what she could convey on solid footing, most of which were contained in the FAQs provided by her Public Information Officer.

At first, Hannah’s assignment of instantly translating three pages of information into one sentence depending on the question seemed inane until she realized just how incapable most people were of navigating the small packet of information on their own. Then she considered her own frustration in trying to navigate even a brief website and imagined how reassuring it was to have the answer provided directly by a human being. That sensation would surely be immeasurably heightened given the anxiety of those who were going through what they were.

Hannah’s thoughts jumped from one person to another as she imagined each one standing among the ruinous parcels before her. She knelt down and touched the ash and closed her eyes to let the memories take a hold of her. Her entire body shivered, dispelling the uncomfortable thoughts as she recuperated her stance out of sheer discomfort.

Hannah pulled out her work phone to check the time and see if she had missed any messages. She didn’t like being away from her post longer than absolutely necessary given how short-staffed they were. More than anything, Hannah felt like she had a real sense of purpose for the first time since graduating from school. She almost felt selfish for getting so much out of this experience as though she was prospering at others’ misfortunes.

The push notification on her phone displayed an email from EGG with the subject “Good News! Please Read!” Hannah knew nothing from that email address was good news, but she was intrigued nonetheless. She opened the corresponding email which read:

Congratulations! After a thorough assessment of your duties we have determined that your skill set would be better utilized in the private sector. We are hereby relinquishing you of your position and allowing you to seek a higher-productivity position in a corporate environment. This termination will be effective at 5:00 pm Eastern Time today.

Hannah read over the message three times before finally putting her phone away. When she felt confident in her mind’s ability to process the message, she looked up at the desolation before her and it suddenly all made sense to her. One of the pillars of her life had been taken away in an instant yet the shock was too familiar as it was what she had been vicariously experiencing for weeks. Karmic justice perhaps.

As her brain caught up, the questions came rushing to the forefront: Could she finish her emergency response deployment? Who would cover her shift? Would she be able to keep her benefits? Would she still have access to her work email? Could she actually be fired by an entity she had never met and knew nothing about her job, experience, or ability? How would she even get home?

She pulled her phone back out and looked at the clock. It was already 1:20 pm local: 40 minutes until her termination would be effective. Suddenly her mind raced about files that needed transferring, contact information that needed savings, people she needed to contact. She picked back up her phone and looked quickly through to see if there were any other relevant correspondences such as a heads up from her supervisor. She saw some generic communicator message about Earth Day, some article forwarded from Zuni about impending layoffs, a recurring meeting update for a room change for her team meeting, and… an email from Hazel, her HR representative with the cryptic subject: “Update on your Status.”

Hannah opened it hoping for some kind of reassurance that the email from EGG should be ignored. She read through trying not to skip any of the substance.

Hannah,

Thank you for your understanding and apologies for the inconvenience. After some difficult internal negotiations, I am pleased we were able to advance your SF-182 for final approval. You should be receiving an automated approval notice shortly. Have a great weekend!

Hazel

Hannah locked the screen of her phone and slipped it back into her bag. She looked up at the apocalyptic landscape and took in a deep breath of the strikingly refreshing air. What a beautiful day it was. Tears began to stream down her face.