Hurricane Max

Hurricane Max was a large hurricane that hit the South-East Arlec coast in **502PR**, causing thousands of deaths and untold damage. It was the largest hurricane recorded and the first major Hurricane to hit the area since the first century.

## Preparations

The first reports of something growing in the Ocean came in early July from fishermen travelling to Gonarundu. When scholars went out to research the occurrence, they determined it would hit the coasts of Hashin, Gonarundu, the Carto Empire, Uhek and some of the Nirvan Republic.

In hindsight, most of the preparations made were lackluster, though the nations were dealing with the Plague of the 5th Century at the time.

### Governments

#### Carto Empire

Zinon Carto was in the midst of dealing with a newly created empire, the plague and pressure from Ilaka. Still, the monarch realised it would be very dangerous to ignore it and sent some of his best people to Aecae to begin preparing for an evacuation when the Hurricane got too close.

He would also stop any naval travel, though this was because of the plague as well. All ships were to be docked in Helicules or Aecae for only a fraction of the usual cost, costing him heaps in unclaimed revenue.

#### Gonarundu

Since the Gonarunduns were dealing with the plague quite easily, they were able to prepare the city of Ralom a lot easier. The city and island of Londin were also notified through magic, ordering them to prepare for the worst and board up everything they could when it got closer.

In the capital, Ralom would completely board itself up, closing the docks a few days before the storm arrived and building makeshift floodgates.

#### Hashin

Hasin was in the worst situation for the Hurricane to come, dealing badly with the Hilan Plague running rampant at the time. Most of their city was already trying to isolate but their lack of good sanitation and hygiene meant it would only spread worse with the Hurricane.

Because the city of Sokjin was on lockdown from the plague, the citizens from Iwakita could not be evacuated, instead needing to weather the storm.

#### Nirvan Republic

With the help of Gallio Aebutus, leader of the Calenus Faction, the consuls Gnaeus and Gallus evacuated many of the people from the Western coast in the Agrippa province, placing them elsewhere for the time being. The task was done by soldiers wearing full-body clothing to prevent the plague from infecting them.

#### Uhek

Since Uhek was not dealing with the plague, they were able to prepare much easier. The council sent soldiers to all the villages and towns on the coast, evacuating them to nearby refugee camps while the storm passed. When the citizens returned, the soldiers would help them rebuild and find missing items, keeping everyone from becoming chaotic.

## Impact

### Northern Uhek

Northern Uhek suffered only a small amount of casualties from the storm, mainly from citizens who refused to leave or were unable to be located before the evacuation deadline. Structural damage was high, destroying up to 90% of some towns and villages.

The rains caused major flooding and downed trees, contaminating the drinking water for most settlements.

### Hashin

Not suitably prepared for the hurricane, many of the coastal towns and villages were completely wiped out from the storm, costing thousands of lives and homes.

Most of the roads and paths leading to the coastal settlements were damaged or blocked, while lack of suitable flood protection flooded most of the other side. Evacuees were forced to go to makeshift refugee camps, where they were subject to the weather. These camps, along with the Hilan Plague, led to more deaths, estimated to be around 10,000.

#### Iwakita

Iwakita’s large walls and blocked off dock protected it from some of the storm, though winds grew so vicious that some people were lifted off the streets and hurled into other buildings. Some flooding occurred in the city, though was only around the areas connected to the docks.

While the death count was low, structural damage was high. Landmarks of the city such as the Aoyama Bridge and the Field of Titans were damaged, along with other venues including the Inomi Art Gallery and the Iwakita Theatre.

An estimated 1,000 people died during the storm, and untold costs in reconstruction efforts.

### Gonarundu

The mainland of Gonarundu was relatively unaffected by the hurricane itself, dealing with mostly the storms. The flood protection in Ralom did their task and the city was relatively unaffected, dealing only with some minor wind damage.

On their South-East Coast, most of the citizens evacuated to Mytaron, where they were able to deal similarly to Ralom. The way their houses were built meant that they could easily reconstruct when they returned, spending most of their efforts cleaning.

#### Londin

Unlike the rest of Gonarundu, Londin was the worst hit city during the storm. Directly hit by the hurricane the city was damaged nearly beyond repair. Of their population of 10,000 at the time, they had dwindled to a total of 2,000, most of that 2,000 having already evacuated to the centre of the island.

Flooding and structural damage caused the city to be effectively abandoned until **507PR** when the plague ended. When reconstruction efforts happened, almost all of the city had to be rebuilt, many structures collapsing from water damage or lack of repair.

### Carto Empire

The Southern Part of the Empire struggled with the Hurricane but thanks to the preparations, most of the evacuations, they were able to deal, placing people in quarantined refugee camps to simultaneously deal with the plague.

Most of the deaths were similar to Uhek, being the people who refused to evacuate that were killed while the rest remained safe in the camps provided by Zinon.

#### Aecae

In Aecae, most of their difficulties came from the flood protections being breached, causing around 20% of the area to be flooded. During the storm, most of their rescue efforts came from adventurers hired by the Governor.

In total, only around 400 people died, usually from drowning in the flood water.

### Nirvan Republic

Other than structural damage, the Nirvan Republic was completely fine, everyone from the Agrippa province being safely evacuated inward and the storm already dying down by this stage. When they returned they only needed minor repairs and draining of small flooded areas.

## Reconstruction

After the hurricane and the storms were over, the various governments began to rebuild and repopulate the areas they lost. Using a mix of military and adventuring guilds, they were able to maintain law and order, while helping rescue many of the people still trapped.

As a sign of respect, Tamwull offered some funding to political allies in Uhek, Gonarundu and the Nirvan Republic, unable to send labour due to the Plague.

The Kingdom of Bethune would also show this respect, offering financial aid.