Chapter 176: Chapter 170: The Lament of New Zealand

The cabinet meeting lasted until dawn, when Arthur and the cabinet ministers agreed on a relatively appropriate disaster preparedness and relief plan.

To deal with this potential disaster, Australia will mobilise officials and forces from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Defence, Public Security Department, Ministry of Industry, and Ministry of Civil Affairs. Prime Minister Evan will oversee the operation, while Arthur will personally supervise, and the Ministry of Finance will provide strong support. If the typhoon does make landfall on Australia’s southeast coast, Australia will harness the nation’s strength to overcome this disaster.

The Australian Government will allocate at least 500,000 pounds for the rescue and resettlement of the affected people.

Meanwhile, the royal family will contribute 600,000 pounds, which will be used for the relief and living security of all affected refugees. At the same time, compensation and assistance will be provided to Australians who suffer significant property losses, ensuring they do not end up as refugees or with zero income due to the losses.

By the afternoon of November 7,1903, the Australian Army, which was training in the western Sydney mountains, had fully assembled and was gradually heading towards Sydney in the east.

For now, their task is to station in Sydney’s western suburbs and move quickly to the southeast coast after the typhoon ends to commence the initial rescue work.

The royal financial group’s relief supplies are also being urgently prepared. To gather enough supplies, the royal financial group will jointly raise funds in Victoria State, New South Wales State, and Queensland State, and then transport them swiftly by cars.

As the typhoon approached Australia’s southeast coast in the afternoon, it moved from near Melbourne to the northeast. To the shock and relief of the Australian people, the typhoon gradually swept southeastwards.

This was a fortunate turn of events for Australia. Although the typhoon got close to Australia’s most important southeast coastal area, it merely lingered briefly in the waters off the southeast coast before changing course to the southeast.

For Australia, the typhoon did not cause significant casualties. Apart from some small ships that were still close to the coast when the typhoon approached, there were no casualties onshore.

After multiple confirmations that the typhoon had indeed swept away to the southeast, the entire Australian Government relaxed and cancelled the previous orders for disaster relief mobilisation, restoring Australia to a state of normal construction.

Although the mobilisation orders for various departments and the military were cancelled, the relief supplies and funds prepared by the government and the royal family were not returned.

More precisely, the sums allocated for relief by the government and the royal family were reduced from the original 500,000 and 600,000 pounds to 150,000 and 300,000 pounds respectively.

However, these relief funds were not prepared for Australia but instead for Australia’s southeast neighbour, New Zealand.

New Zealand is located to the southeast of Australia, and is one of Australia’s friendly neighbours and one of the countries with the closest ties.

Moreover, the cabinet ministers, were well aware of Arthur’s actions in New Zealand, knowing that New Zealand was being wooed and could potentially join Australia at some point in the future.

This was something the cabinet officials were keen to see, especially former colonial governors led by Prime Minister Evan.

During the Australian colonial period, New Zealand had been part of Australia for a long time.

At present, only 63 years have passed since New Zealand formally separated from Australia, and a merger between the two countries and regions is still quite possible.

The direction the typhoon is heading now is southeast, which may hit New Zealand. This cannot be ignored and would be a huge burden and disaster for New Zealand’s current precarious financial situation.

If Australia and Arthur can provide help during this time, it would be worth far more than simply helping New Zealand to grow after this disaster.

As long as they can firmly grasp the hearts of all New Zealanders, then New Zealand would become a piece of fat meat for Australia to consume – and it would be impossible to escape.

In the early morning of November 8,1903, in the small town of Opunaki in the southwest part of New Zealand’s North Island.

This is an ordinary and peaceful small town, with a permanent population of just over 3,000 people.

If it weren’t for its proximity to South Taranaki Bay, where residents can go out to sea for fishing, its economic situation might have been similar to that of the towns on the South Island.

However, fishing is an unstable source of income; sometimes it can bring in three to four pounds in a month, while other times it might not even add up to one pound in a month.

This has cultivated a diligent character in the people living here, who often leave home to fish before dawn and only begrudgingly return when it gets dark.

Now, although it is just past 4 am, many small fishing boats have already gathered at Opunaki’s shore, hanging kerosene lamps in preparation for setting sail. They are heading for the more distant Tasman Sea, where there are many more abundant natural fishing grounds, which can bring them greater income.

On an ordinary fishing boat along the coastline, Erik Theodore Cartman and his wife Osolara Aquina carefully inspect their belongings, making sure nothing is forgotten before setting out for a new day of sailing.

“Erik, why do I suddenly have a bad feeling?” As they prepare to set out, Osolara Aquina suddenly frowns, somewhat uncertainly speaking to her husband, Erik Theodore Cartman.

“Hmmm? No worries, Osolara. You’re probably just tired from work lately; why don’t you go back and rest today? I can manage on my own.” Erik Theodore Cartman pauses, then comforts her.

“Maybe it’s just my imagination, dear. It’s okay, I can hold on until we come back to rest tonight. An extra pair of hands help, don’t they?” Hearing her husband’s explanation and reassurance, Osolara Aquina also feels that her bad feelings are the product of insufficient rest. She gently shakes her head and clears all distracting thoughts.

In the time it takes for the couple to speak, several fishing boats have already sailed towards South Taranaki Bay. Erik Theodore Cartman accepts his wife’s offer to stay and help, and to keep up with the others, quickly steers the fishing boat towards the Tasman Sea.

South Taranaki Bay is as calm as usual, surrounded by a peaceful darkness that’s occasionally punctuated by the passage of a small fishing boat, the sound of water, and the roar of steam engines.

As the fishing boat gradually sails out of South Taranaki Bay, Osolara Aquina’s feeling of unease grows stronger. The rising waves rippling around her only make her feel more restless.

“Dear, what’s wrong with me? Why do I keep feeling like something bad is going to happen?” Osolara Aquina can’t bear it any longer and once again asks her husband, Erik Theodore Cartman.

This time, Erik Theodore Cartman doesn’t laugh off her concerns or offer explanations. His instincts as an experienced fisherman are also telling him that something is off about the area.

As the waves become more intense, transforming into layers upon layers of swells, Erik Theodore Cartman’s face grows more serious. He turns to Osolara Aquina and says, “You may be right, Osolara. We can’t fish today. We must hurry back and warn everyone; a typhoon may be coming.”

Meanwhile, Erik Theodore Cartman has already started to steer the boat back towards Opunaki.

“Oh, heavens. Are you sure it’s a typhoon?” Osolara Aquina looks incredulous, showing no joy in having her premonition confirmed.

“Although I can’t be completely sure, it looks likely. Osolara, go and warn as many neighbors as possible to evacuate. I’ll find Mister Mayor and have him notify the surrounding towns to evacuate immediately.” Erik Theodore Cartman manipulates the fishing boat to return to Opunaki while speaking with a somewhat heavy expression to Osolara Aquina.

If it is really a major typhoon, the damage to New Zealand will be enormous. Even if the typhoon does not make landfall, the fishermen in the Tasman Sea and North and South Taranaki Bay will suffer significant casualties and property losses.

Just in the small town of Opunaki alone, several dozen fishing households have already set out. And that’s not even considering the other towns in North and South Taranaki Bay – probably at least a few hundred fishermen have already gone fishing, no one knows if half of them will be able to escape back to safety. Because Erik Theodore Cartman sails at the highest possible speed, the fishing boat quickly returns to Opunaki’s small harbor.

Osolara Aquina and Erik Theodore Cartman can no longer worry about tidying up the boat. They quickly disembark and each run towards their respective destinations.

By the time Erik Theodore Cartman arrives at the mayor’s residence and successfully wakes him up, the typhoon has truly reached the shores of Opunaki.

Under the influence of the typhoon, the town experiences an unprecedented torrential rain, awakening many people from their sleep, leaving them in shock as they look up at the sky and towards the enormity of the raindrops.

As a coastal town right near the bay, Opunaki’s strengths have now become its fatal weaknesses. Concurrently, all the residents of the town are able to clearly see the huge typhoon spiral approaching in the distance.

Without much hesitation, the first reaction of all the residents is to quickly wake their family and flee inland in New Zealand without any concern for their belongings.

Unfortunately, the speed at which humans can run is no match for the speed of a typhoon. They had barely left the town when an over five-meter high giant wave rushes towards Opunaki, instantly engulfing this small town with a history of over a hundred years.