[MN] Winter is Coming

[NagandEmerald]

The German government, in response to the upcoming disaster, ordered an immediate weather advisory warning to be delivered to all of the Länder regarding the chilling winds and large amounts of snow. Roads were preemptively salted, and weather service stations keeping track of the changing weather patterns. The civilian fishing fleets off the German Coasts would be ordered to return, and the price of marine goods, such as fish, would be inflated due to the shortages that were expected.

The Federal Ministry of Transport, Digital Infrastructure, Energy, and Nuclear Safety had ordered immediate action to be taken to combat the cold weather, including placing chains on tires and ordering snowplow companies to continuously patrol the streets of major cities and towns.. The Autobahn would be considered more challenging, due to the the intense use of it. Depending on the day–to–day weather, the Autobahn would have to be closed due to a lack of resources to help in keeping the snow from creating dangerous conditions. Furthermore, flights were delayed due to wind conditions and icy weather, though they would resume their normal schedules when temperatures were a little less cold.

---

 

[Zak]

The Ministry of Ecological Transition would monitor the current reports from around other European nations and in turn would order the State Meteorological Agency to issue warnings to citizens in the regions of Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, Basque Country, Navarre and Aragon to make preparations as an amber warning would be issued. The governments in these regions would also issue orders for the emergency services to be on standby and crews currently off shift would be called into action to potentially deal with any crisis' that may occur. Fishing boats in the seas around the affected regions would be ordered back to port and harbormasters would assist people in securing their boats in ports.

Beach stores in the regions would also be closed and all beaches in the regions would be closed with the Civil Guard enforcing the closures severely. Sandbag purchases would be at a record high just in case of any flooding which may occur. Gritters would be out in full force as they prepared for the worst and began gritting any roads in the affected regions.

Volunteers in the regions would begin to knock on the houses of elderly people to inform them of what was going on and they would hand them resources such as water, blankets and small bags of food in case they could not leave their homes. Spain was waiting for the worst.

 

[Dutchy]

The RV Pelagia would return to Den Helder harbour ahead of the storm in order to make safe berth.

The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, having a 7-hour warning of the severe incoming weather would immediately release the most severe weather, a red alert. In response society would begin preparing for what was to come, schools would be closed and children sent home, hospitals would prepare for an influx in cold/frost related ailments while also sending out teams to check on the elderly and ensure they would be able to survive the coming storm, businesses would close and the transport system would begin to grind to a standstill. While Rijkswaterstaat would attempt to keep roads clear and accessible, it was advised that unessential journeys should not be made. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol would begin to cancel flights as it became increasingly dangerous to fly in and out of the Netherlands, Dutch airspace would also closed for all flights while the high pressure system dominate the sky. Rijkswaterstaat would also continue to monitor all dikes which had recently gone through a multi-billion dollar repair and maintenance project.

The storm was expected to force the Netherlands in total isolationism and the government released a statement calling for people to remain indoors for their own safety.

 

[Jamie]

The Rescue Mission Conclusion
The information provided by the Norwegian Air Force was immediately forwarded to the British C-130 Aircrew who would use it to ensure their safe extraction. The weather was monitored for the flight and as previously arranged, the mission was at the discretion of the aircrew to judge whether it was safe to carry on. The evaluation of the leading officer concluded they were to go ahead. Battling the wind, temperature drops and general area, the C-130 was to carry out low and slow landing. Minimum speed offered them the opportunity to come to a halt much quicker to accommodate for anything on the airstrip that could cause them to slide; even though the ice was to be eased before their arrival.

Slowly making touchdown and holding against the wind, the capability of the C-130 stood against the plummeting temperatures and safely came to a halt. It was a quick transition between getting everyone on board for the evacuation and any equipment they needed before departing. The intention was to be airborne as soon as humanely possible to make for the UK. The A330 MRTT was notified of their departure for an air to air refuel to make it back to the UK. The aircrew remaining in constant contact with their operation command post. Once back in the UK, checks took place on those evacuated and the Norwegian Government informed..

Winter is here
Weather Forecasts on TV and internet sources provided the prediction of the snowfall and generally what to expect. Light Snow in the UK generally brought the country to a grinding halt but this was worse. With the strong winds, heavy hail followed by the snow -- already emergency services were entering briefings of what to expect in the coming days. In preparation, the Armed Forces were instructed to ensure the securing of Naval Vessels and the housing of aircraft. The Coastguard, working in cooperation with RNLI were put on high readiness with other emergency services. The Royal Air Force was informed to be ready to deploy helicopters in support if required, but that was only a possibility at this point.

RMS Queen Mary 2 was informed of the lack of safety clearance to make port and was instructed to hold back in safer seas, they would be informed when they could enter and tides observed cautiously to offer the best window possible for it to make it into Southhampton. RNLI Lifeboats and Coastguard Helicopters remained active in support of Fishing Trawlers getting into complications. Fire Services remained ready to deploy to anyone stranded, or unfortunately caught in an accident on the roads. The NHS however, had to remain proactive with getting ambulances to medical emergency's.

In an urge to keep services going, snow plows had been out in force throughout the days to keep roads available, this would be the same for train plows to keep the rail services running. Airports, however, had suffered major delays whilst airstrips were cleared and assessed for flights, if the winds provided the ability to safely fly.

 

[Dragon]

The Irish Government would respectfully permit British merchant vessels and trawlers the right dock in Irish ports until the sea ceased to be plagued by stormy weather. Port officials will see to it that lodgings are found and each vessel's supplies restocked.

 

[Odinson]

This is the response of Norway, NOT an official MN Event response
Note: While not relevant to the effects of what is happening here, this post is directly proceeded by this post in another thread for the sake of story.

It was early in the morning, but Enoch was back in Oslo. His aircraft landed without any problems, and he was swiftly escorted into the city by the Royal Guard and his normal security entourage. He gave his driver orders to take him directly to Akershush Fortress where there was an emergency meeting of the High Command and of some of the cabinet. As Enoch's motorcade pulled up, he could see the remnants of the Prime Minister's motorcade dispersing, indicating that Mister Holt had arrived only minutes before him. Enoch stepped inside and was greeted by several soldiers who were surprised to see him, but stood at attention and saluted. He saluted them back, and continued down the hall alone. It took him only a few minutes to determine what meeting room they were in. The guard outside of it opened the door for the King, who slightly ducked his head as he walked in. Prime Minister Holt looked relieved to see the king. He stood up, as did everyone else.

"Your Majesty, I'm happy that you were able to join us. We didn't think you would be able to leave." In the room were Mister Holt, Enoch's uncle Ingavr who was also the Chief of Defense, several cabinet members, and the entire high command of Norway.
"It looks like a coup is being planned," Enoch said, only half joking.
"I only plot against you when we play chess, King Enoch," Ingvar said from across the table.

Prime Minister Holt offered Enoch the head chair at the table and started to speak. "Your Majesty, the situation with the weather is getting much worse than expected but... out of the darkness that is to come, we do have some good news. Our scientists in Jan Mayen were stranded. A meeting was convened in here this morning to assess ways of extracting them, but we determined that it would simply be impossible due to our lack of vehicles. Well, since we were sharing all scientific data from the Ministry of Environment with the Dutch and British, the British received the distress call rom our head scientist on Jan Mayen that was sent to Minister Lund. The British deployed a C-130, which was able to evacuate all of our scientists on the island. From what we can tell, they are now safely on their way back to Britain. We're just waiting on a call from the British to confirm it, and we'll get them back here to Norway." Once the British had informed the Norwegians of the rescue mission, they quickly told the scientists on the island by radio and text broadcast that a British C-130 was going to attempt to pick them up.

Minister Lund bit his lip and sat back in his chair before speaking, he looked distraught. "Your Majesty, Environment dropped the ball on this one.. I take full responsibility for that."
Enoch, who wasn't concerned with the prospect of losing any of his ministers at the moment, ignored the comment. "Oscar, can you explain, in detail, what's going on now? I had to leave a much needed vacation to come back here for this meeting."
Oscar adjusted his glasses and nodded. "Yes sir. There's been a critical disruption of the global thermohaline system, but what's of more immediate concern is that a massive arctic oscillation is going to bring immense cold and severe winter weather down south into Europe. We are first on the chopping block, along with the British. We're not going to know how bad it'll be until it gets here but... well I don't want to alarm anyone here.. but the Meteorological Institute has some ranges of how cold things could get here..."

Enoch poured himself a glass of water and asked for the sake of clarity, "What, around freezing?"
Oscar shook his head. He took the King's glass, poured the water within it back into the pitcher, and used a pair of tongs to drop several large ice cubes into the glass. He pushed it back to Enoch. The king looked up at him. "What's your worst case scenario, Oscar?"
The Minister looked up for a moment, and then back at the King, "Isolated conditions under a worst-case scenario could mean -50 degrees Celsius in Oslo and some other parts of the country, while most of the rest sits at about -25. A worst case scenario could involve five feet of snow in some parts of the country, hurricane-force winds, and massive hail..."

The room was quiet as Enoch stared at the frozen glass. "How much time do we have?"
Oscar checked his watch, "The last report I was given said that the severe weather will first hit Trondheim in about an hour, maybe two if they're really lucky."
Enoch looked over at his uncle Ingvar, "Sophia stayed in Trondheim" he said.

::::::::::

It took twenty minutes to get in touch with the Queen's detail in the forests outside of Trondheim, where she was still in their secluded cabin. The King's Guard stationed at the Palace in Trondheim commandeered a private helicopter and took it to the a clear area near the cabin to pick up the Queen and several of the King's Guard, while the rest were to drive back to Trondheim as quickly as possible. The Queen did manage to make it to the palace in Trondheim before the weather turned sour, but only by about fifteen minutes. As they entered into the city, they could hear air raid sirens wailing, and from the sky they could see the lights of government buildings flicking on early.

In Oslo, Enoch remained with the High Command and the Prime Minister for another hour to assess what should be done in the little time they had to prepare. Before Enoch had even arrived, Ingvar ordered for the emergency deployment of three frigates with their full compliment of crew, food, and all other normal and basic necessities that would usually come with a deployment. By the time Enoch even brought them up, they were already steaming out of dock and into Oslofjord. Their orders were to remain in international waters, but to hug the coast of Denmark and sail towards the English channel at top speed. It was decided not to leave them in Oslofjord because of the growing ice and the incredible winds that they would be facing in port itself.

Enoch also ordered the emergency mobilization of three regiments of the Home Guard's Rapid Reaction Force and for the other two to be put on standby. The three that were being deployed were in and around Oslo, and were being tasked with keeping the city functional for as long as possible. Once the bad weather was over, temperatures would continue to drop, and they would be needed to make shipments, transport fuel, clear the streets, and assist anyone in need until it was determined unsafe for them to be outside. A single company (comprising of 100) of the Valkyries were also mobilized and ordered to use the Palace as their staging area. Finally, all a company (100 men) of the King's Guard were also mobilized and staged from the Royal Palace as well.

Enoch called Sophia to inform her of the situation, and explain why it would be impossible to get her home at this point without putting herself and a lot of people in harm's way. He told her that he loved her, and took the unusual step of appointing her commander of Trondheim's armed forces in the event that they lost communications with Oslo. Their phone call wasn't long because the King had many things to do, but neither of them wanted to hang up.

At the same time, Minister Ingvar ordered the Ministry of Defense to active that country's Emergency Response System (ERS) which included automated messages on the radio, television stations, and sent to most mobile phone devices. It also activated the country's network of air-raid sirens at military bases and in major cities such as Oslo, Trondheim, and others. The idea was to wake up the entire country that morning so that they would at least have one to three hours to prepare for the incoming weather. Minister Lund also ordered that scientists from around the kingdom continue to send their information to Environment's headquarters in Oslo so that they can interpret the data - temperature, windspeeds, wind direction, and precipitation were given priority.

Minister Karlsen ordered that all passenger and commercial train services to shut down - while some locomotives were equipped with special plows to continuously clear snow from the tracks as it fell. While there weren't enough plows or trains to keep the country's tracks clear so that they could all be used after the bad weather, there were enough to prevent the snow from compacting into two feet of ice and incasing the most vital tracks for a longer period of time. Karlsen also closed Norwegian airspace to all ingoing and outgoing commercial flights, including international flights that would be crossing through Norwegian airspace; and also ordered all commercial and civilian vessels in Norwegian waters - especially fishermen to either stay in or return to port, warning them that they would not be able to help them during or some time after the storm. Major highways leading out of the cities were also closed, and civilians were advised to stay off the roads. Finally, he closed Norway's major ports of trade and especially ordered a temporary ban on the shipment of petroleum via sea through Norway's waterways. Minister Jakhelln sent out a PSA that would be nationally broadcast which said that all public schools and universities were closed until further notice and that faculty and staff should also remain home. The Minister of Energy sent out the order for all off-duty engineers employed by the government to report to their duty stations or remain on standby to keep Norway's electrical grid functioning. Special attention was being put on keeping the grid secure and online during this time. The Minister of Foreign Affairs informed all of the embassies in Oslo to shelter in place due to the incoming weather, and to listen to the news.

The sirens sounded for ten minutes, and then the ERS took over major Norwegian broadcast stations to report on the incoming weather, and that all of Norway was under threat from it. It urged people to stay indoors, keep warm, use their fireplaces instead of their heaters if possible, and to shelter in place. This message repeated for fifteen minutes until the broadcasters were allowed to resume their programming, however during that time, the Minister of Internal Affairs was calling major Norwegian news networks, and urged them to begin news broadcasts to inform the Norwegian people.

Enoch returned to the Palace in Oslo. The High Command would remain at the fortress to oversee the safety and defense of the rest of Norway, while Oslo's military command was placed directly under the King and some other military officers. By the time he made it to the palace, softball-sized hail was already being reported around Trondheim. As he stepped out of his motorcade, he looked to the right of the Palace and knew that soon billowing black clouds would be approaching from that direction. He wanted to address the nation, but his advisors talked him into waiting until the storm passed so that they could first assess the damage. He waited inside the Palace as the Rapid Reaction Forces of the Home Guard first showed up, followed by more of the King's Guard and the Valkyries who were standing on opposite sides of a large room on the first floor of the palace. It was like the boys and girls on different sides of the room at the 8th grade dance all over again. All of the forces that would be outside were equipped with heavy-duty winter gear to keep them warm, and were also fed by the Palace cooks who had been working overtime with help from local restaurant staff to feed the troops breakfast in the Palace. Oslo's snowplows and iceremoval equipment was seized by the Home Guard, and fuel was sent in via truck to Palace grounds. If all else failed, the Palace's emergency generators should keep the lights on. Artic-grade diesel was shipped in exactly for this purpose.

::::::::::

After an hour, all light communications with Trondheim had been lost. Hardline communications, and longwave radio, remained operational for the time being. Enoch called Sophia again, who informed him that they were readying the Palace in Trondheim for the storm, and were inviting in their families and some of the local people. The Royal Guard in Trondheim were also working with local police to ensure that the streets were clear. In other major cities throughout Norway, similar plans were being made to keep the cities at least somewhat functional, and the stockpiling of fuel was underway as well. Towards the end of the front of weather is when temperatures began to drop dramatically. Data from Trondheim continued to roll in, and temperatures of -30 were already being reported. Civilian communications in Trondheim fell apart around that time, but the government and military still hard working hard-lines.

Once the weather hit Oslo, it was clear how bad things were. Soldiers and police rushed for shelter as baseball-sized hail pelted parts of the city. Afterwards, powerful winds brought in frigid arctic air and then the snow began. It snowed, and snowed, and snowed, and snowed. Reports were coming in of some stranded citizens in the city who either didn't receive the warnings or had decided to not take them seriously. There were already confirmed fatalities to "Exposure." Enoch felt like an armchair-idiot sitting in the Palace. He ordered that the Valkyries be assembled and ready for deployment in the main lobby of the Palace. Enoch informed everyone else in the room that he was "tired of sitting around" and that people needed help out there. He temporarily handed over operational command of the city to a high-ranking Home Guard officer (who had been doing much of the work anyway), and geared up in heavy-duty winter-wear for his own deployment. He put on an Ushanka along with the rest of his uniform, and headed downstairs where the Valkyries were waiting. He addressed all 100 in the lobby.

"Valkyries," he said in an elevated voice as he towered over everyone in the room. "We've received reports of stranded civilians in the streets and apartments and homes without electricity. The Palace is equipped to function in worst-case conditions, which is why all priorities will be brought here. As Norway's premier search and rescue team, I have my full faith that we will be able to accomplish our mission. We move out in five minutes, get ready!" The Valkyries began scrambling for their equipment while the Palace's dedicated staff began quietly moving items of extreme value and historical significance to the basement or attics of the palace. After five minutes, Enoch led the properly-equipped Valkyries outside. Many of whom were armed, while many others carried equipment and supplies like MREs, blankets, communications equipment, and other essentials that either they needed, or they could give to those in need. They were also equipped with heavy-duty flashlights and blue flares which were especially reserved for use of soldiers protecting (or in this case serving under) the King.

Outside they were immediately met with freezing air, and heavy snow. Once off Palace grounds, they continued into the streets of Oslo. They first went to ensure that several VIPs who the government couldn't contact were okay. They continued into the city and found a street where power appeared to be off. Enoch and the Valkyries entered several homes and offered blankets, food, and even firewood to some homes. Those that were close enough were given the option to evacuate to the Palace where they would be given refuge, food, and a place to sleep. Many accepted the offer of the Palace. Some citizens were comforted, or excited, by the presence of the beautiful, strong Valkyries while others were surprised to see the King with them, leading the way. After being outside for two hours, however, things were getting very bad. They had evacuated well-over 300 people to the Palace, but the snow and winds were blacking out the sky. That was when the power in Oslo went out. Entire streets lost power, including government buildings, many of which didn't have emergency generators. Enoch continued to lead the Valkyries to homes and apartment buildings, but after hour and a half, they decided they needed to get back to the Palace to assess the situation. Tragically, on their way back, they found a woman and three children dead in the snow - the youngest of which appeared to be three or four years old. The commander of the Valkyries saw this shake Enoch, who was a veteran himself, to his core. They wrapped up the bodies in blankets, and carried them back to the Palace.

Once they were back on Karl Johans Gate (the main street of Oslo that connected the Royal Palace and Storting Building) the leading Valkyries lit their blue flairs and waved them. King's Guard on snowmobiles road down and met them. The bodies were taken back to the Palace via the snowmobiles and kept in a private place just outside to preserve them. Enoch and the Valkyries returned to the Palace, exhausted. The civilians inside, however, cheered for them as they walked back in. They, unlike the rest of Oslo, still had power. Enoch couldn't imagine what some people must have been going through.

People continued to come into the Palace on their own accord, and were welcomed by orders of the King. Soon, bedrooms were being prepared to house families and couples, while bunks were available for single people in different parts of the Palace. Police and King's Guards made sure that no one was armed or had any weapons on them, and every floor had a sizeable number of guards and police to ensure that everyone was kept safe. At all times, Enoch was followed by three Royal Guards, two who remained at his side, and one who protected the rear of their small fireteam. An hour later, the emergency generators in the Palace failed, and the power went out there too. Fireplaces were stacked with logs and were lit as people huddled together in blankets and kept their doors shut to keep their rooms warm.

Enoch had reported back to Oslo-Command, which had been doing a good job at keeping important streets clear and safe. The High Command reported that power failures across the southern part of the country were occurring, and that all communications with Trondheim had been lost, including hardline communications. The three frigates had left Oslofjord and were encountering rough seas, but had trained pilots on them who got them out without running aground or striking other ships. The vessels were now encountering rough seas somewhere off the northern coast of the tip of Denmark. They last reported seeing Skagen West Lighthouse.

Once the power went out, all troops were recalled to the Palace or surrounding government buildings or barracks so that they could keep warm and wait out the rest of the storm. Enoch remained with Oslo-Command for most of the time, but took a few breaks to see the visitors in his home, check on the kitchen staff who actually had the warmest part of the building thanks to their constant cooking, and took a bit of alone time to wander the halls. Reports continued to come in of dead civilians in the streets, people calling for help and being stranded, and the loss of electricity. After an hour without electricity, communications with the High Command in the fortress were loss, and the Palace was now without the ability to communicate with the outside world. That is, until Enoch found an old telephone line from World War 2 in the basement of the palace. Amazingly, it was still working. He decided to call a friend for comfort.

 

[HeadlessSeeker]

The Socialist Republic of Vietnam having been paralyzed for months by the restructuring and rebuilding of it's government followed by the ousting of it's previous controversial government has begun to quietly observe the situation happening in Europe. There was some worry as the information and data trickled in about what was happening. The collapse of one system could effect them all, and not only that but this harsh winter would worry residents of Europe. So quietly General Tô Lâm of the Ministry of Public Security would send out an alert to all Major Airports and Ports to prepare for a possible influx of immigrants and refugees. The Department of Immigration would be quietly and non publicly told to ease regulations on refugees and immigrants coming from Europe at the time until otherwise told to. Data was to be recorded on the numbers of people arriving from European nations so that an adequate response for housing could be determined should things get worse. Experts at the Department of Immigration were told to research population affected by this weather and determine a likely percentage of it that could come to Vietnam.

The Minister of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment would contact the head of the Agency for Meteorology Climate Change and ask them to have their scientists look into how these changes in Europe could effect Asia. They would act immediatly and contact VAST-STI-VNSC requesting data from their 10 Meteor-3M earth weather satellites. Take their weather data and compare it to weather data from the past two months. At the same time scientists would board a crewed Sevmorput-Class Nuclear-Powered Icebreaking LASH Carrier and go out to take temperate readings and look into the currents. The icebreaker would leave port and take a route of OK, PL, QM, RN, RO, AO, and AP. The vessel would return to port via the same route while staying in international waters. They would take readings every transit square and compile the data as well and make observations of ice build up on the Bering Strait. On approach they would make sure their signal marker was active for identification.

 

[Bruno]

The Government of China seeing this unfold in Europe, would be willing to help those in need with Humanitarian Aid, and if any disaster would happen with severe economic repercussions to those in Europe, China would be willing to help in the front to with Economic Funds. This would be more directed towards Norway,Britain & Ireland as it would seem they were the ones more affected by this meteorological phenomenon.

The Chinese Foreign Office would also issue a statement to any Chinese Nationals in Europe to care for their safety and if need be come into contact with Chinese Embassies for additional aid.

 

[Odinson]

This is an official MN Event response. Please note that European players who aren't directly mentioned are free to reply to this thread (and encouraged to do so).

SEA TEMPERATURES

Polar Ice Cap Pink
(The Red Line Indicates where the Ice originally was, the pink beyond it is ice growth; the thick black line indicates where Ice was as of the last post, and the pink beyond it is the extent of ice now)
-2 (Celsius) Violet
-1 Purple
0 (Freezing) Blue
1 Light Blue
2 Turquoise
3 Green
4-7 Yellow

(Very late December to mid-January)

Sea ice has now made access to sea via Russia or most of Scandinavia virtually impossible. Fishing around Iceland or the Arctic is now impossible due to thick sea ice that now covers the ocean's surface. British, Irish, and Scandinavian fisheries have found themselves effectively shut down as conditions continue to get colder and colder. At this point, all of Europe is aware of the crisis - from local shop owners in Italy to corporate boards in London. Thousands of civilian vessels in marinas and port have found themselves stranded, and even severely damaged, by encroaching ice. While the North Sea remains technically accessible, the incredibly cold weather and possibility of small icebergs have guaranteed it to be a hazardous place to travel. Iceland is entirely incapsulated with ice, while Norway and Sweden have most of their major ports incapsulated.

Parts of Europe were now without the ability to import food and goods via sea. This would, of course, cause significant problems over time.

::::::::::::::::::::

WEATHER REPORT

Explanation
Below is a weather map showing a major Arctic Oscillation which is currently moving southward over Europe. All references to temperature are discussing air temperatures.

Thick Red Line The actual border of the High Pressure front.
Thin Red Line The extent of severe weather. Everywhere between the Thine Red Line and Thick Red Line is experiencing white-out/blizzard-like conditions.

Dark Blue Line All areas north of this line are either at or below freezing (0 degrees Celsius).
Sky Blue Line All areas north of this line are either at or below -5 degrees Celsius.
Light Blue Line All areas north of this line are either at or below -10 degrees Celsius.
Purple All areas north of this line are either at or below -15 degrees Celsius.
Pink All areas north of this line are either at or below -20 degrees Celsius.
Black All areas north of this line are below -25 degrees Celsius (some isolated spots go far below this temperature. For example, in the last post Oslo was around -50 C while Stockholm was probably closer to -25.).
Grey All areas north of this line are below -50 degrees Celsius.

Scientists around Europe were helpless to watch as temperatures continued to plummet from the massive oscillation. Thousands of local records, and about a dozen national records, were being broken within hours of each other. Those most at risk now were the homeless and anyone living without electricity. The wall of severe weather (incapsulated between the two red lines) effortlessly swept over Northern Europe, the British Isles, and Central Europe. What came with it was severe weather, odd occurrences, power outages, and tragic stories. Anywhere that the front swept over was expected to get at least two feet of snow (~ +61 cm) within a matter of hours. Winds ranged anywhere from 56km/hr to 110km/hr in some extreme cases. After the initial part of the front (incapsulated between the two red lines) passed an area, the frigid temperatures came next. Luckily, the skies were normally either clear or at most hazy after the terrible storms. Meteorologists would be able to roughly determine that the front's southwardly advance was slowing and thus weakening, but it had not stopped. Istanbul (Constantinople), Sicily, and Spain would all feel the effects of this storm, even though it had yet to reach these places.


::::::::::::::::::::


THE UNITED KINGDOM
The C-130 was able to successfully land and extract the trapped scientists and officials on the island. A few of them brought aboard suitcases filled with either equipment, data, or personal belongings, but the primary objective was to evacuate the island. Most of them left their things behind. The takeoff from Jan Mayen was especially terrifying because visibility had dropped to near-zero. Most of the ride back would be pretty rough, but eventually the weather cleared somewhere over the Norwegian Sea. The aircrew would be able to determine that they had evacuated all of the Norwegian personnel and that no one was critically injured. The mission was a total success. However, attempts to contact the Norwegian government or Norwegian High Command were not so successful. In fact, all radio, telephone, video, and text attempts to contact Oslo either resulted in an error message being sent back, or no response at all. The only Norwegian official the British government had access to was the ambassador who was at his residence in London. If offered it, he would make a report of what happened and promise to transmit it to Oslo as soon as technically possible.

Scotland was blanketed in at least two feet (61cm) of snow, which was even worse in some places of the Highlands. The lights flickered again and again in Edinburgh and Yorkshire, but electricity providers were able to keep the power on for now. Although the skies began to clear over Scotland after 3-5 hours of blizzards, temperatures continued to go down, and the sky remained a dull white which was thick enough to prevent a person at ground level from being able to tell where the sun was. In Aberdeen, temperatures were dipping below -10 C while temperatures in Scotland would soon also be that cold. The fresh snow that had fallen was now packed, and was starting to freeze into layers of hard ice wherever it hadn't been moved away. The overwhelming majority of people had not gone in to work, and the vast majority of parents had chosen to not send their children to school.

As the front continued into England, powerful winds, large hail, and rapidly changing temperatures continued to be common occurrences. Unfortunately for the people of Nottingham, this culminated into a series of perfect events that lead to the formation of a tornado. The tornado began over the northern portion of a Nottingham neighborhood called "The Meadows", outright destroying or seriously damaging 30% of the homes there. The tornado continued to the river Trent, but did not cross it. It continued to go south, but remained in the north side of the Trent as it headed into the Riverside district. It roughly followed Queens Drive and caused significant damage and destruction to shopping centers along that road, likely taking with it countless lives of people who were still rushing general stores for food and supplies. Luckily, the next target was the Riverside Family Golf Centre which was mostly deserted. Faculty at the University of Nottingham would be able to see the tornado from their windows as at passed by, only a mile to the south. The tornado continued to ravage empty fields until it made an abrupt northwestern turn into the "Rylands" neighborhood where it destroyed dozens of more homes/flats. The tornado then made an abrupt turn to the southwest and was guided in to what appears to be a nature reserve between the railroad tracks and the Trent River.

The tornado continued down through the nature reserve, luckily not destroying any more homes. It fizzled out into a funnel-cloud just north of Thrumpton, bringing it dangerously close to the Ratcliffe power station. While it did not damage the power system, the funnel-cloud's last act of destruction was bringing down a single high-capacity power line between the coal-fired power station and the Trent River. The power station provides most of the electricity for Nottingham and some of the surrounding villages, meaning that shortly after the carnage in the city, the power totally went out in: Long Eaton, Toton, Beeston, the Riverside district, The Meadows, and downtown Nottingham. Greater Nottingham (the suburbs to the north) retained power, but there were occasional brownouts.

Exactly 511 men, women, and children were killed instantly by the tornado as it passed over their homes or stores. A further 352 are critically injured and are likely trapped under rubble or are not well enough to move and are dying from exposure outside in the freezing cold next to their destroyed homes. Finally, 431 people suffered injuries that are not life-threatening, but need medical attention such as broken bones, concussions, serious falls, or wounds. At least twelve buildings were on fire, most of which were homes in the aforementioned areas.

Northern England and then London faced exactly what Scotland had just recently experienced. Unfortunately, the size and complexities of the ancient city complicated problems that it would have. With less than an hour before the front struck London, the Met Office would come to understand that conditions in London could be as bad as Oslo, which was currently in a communications blackout and had reportedly lost power. As the front approached the outer-edge of Greater London, incredible gales were recorded across the countryside. Several more funnel clouds were spotted across the English countryside, but only two other tornadoes touched down, both of which were in remote areas.

The first thing to ravage London were powerful winds that broke into the core of the city. Shortly after that, as in the other cities, the massive hail began to pummel vehicles. While it wasn't a problem for smaller structures, windows in the City of London faced more considerable damage from the tennis-ball sized hail that cracked or obliterated the windows of skyscrapers. Air traffic controllers at Heathrow continued to monumental task of ordering planes around the web of runways and taxiways that made up one of Europe's most important airports. Although they expected poor weather conditions, no orders were given to temporarily ground flights or put a full-stop to landings until the front passed. As the front swept over Heathrow, the powerful winds and hail pelted the airport. Dozens of lightning strikes could be seen in and around the vicinity - it almost seemed like lightning was striking every other second when it was at its worse. As a Boeing 777 (British Airways) was attempting to land on Runway 27R, a rogue gale of wind struck the aircraft which was already attempting to make a dangerous crosswinds-landing. The aircraft smashed down on it's rear left landing gear, snapping it. Making a split-second decision, the pilot turned the aircraft and put down the rest of the airplane in a hard-landing. The pilot lost control once the entire airplane was down. The left side of the aircraft was so far down to the left, that about 15% of the left wing was snapped off. What remained of the left part of the wing began spewing jet fuel onto the runway, which didn't take long for it to be ignited. The front and right landing-gears did hold up, but 2 passengers did die, 11 more were injured, and there was still the possibility of many more deaths as the fire ran up the runway and back towards the aircraft which finally skidded to a halt. Within minutes, most of the aircraft would be ingulfed in flames. The pilots, crew, and airport staff would need to know what they were doing to avoid hundreds of deaths. Before the botched landing, 349 souls were on board, now there were 347.

Dozens of lightning strikes plagued London, blowing up transformers and making minor blackouts around the city. After the hail ended, white-out conditions began as was blasted from the sky. London itself was covered in over 65cm of snow as temperatures became frigid. It wasn't long until people could see ice starting to form in the Themes, which was already emptying into a freezing sea. The snow went on for hours, clogging city streets which forced more and more people to use the tube for transportation. Temperatures continued to drop, and went all the way down to -5 C. The Met Office believed that these temperatures would not go up any time soon, and would continue to fall.

The relevant officials were also given notices that power consumption was increasing dramatically, and that power outages were imminent in parts of London. Essentially, they could decide what parts of the city would go dark, or let it play out on its own and handle it as it happened. Regardless, 5 to 10% of Greater London was doomed to loose power.

The captain of the RMS Queen Mary 2 was aboard the deck as it made its way towards the English channel at full-steam. With no permission to dock, the captain figured that his ship would at least be somewhat sheltered in the English Channel. He had no choice but to sail the ship directly into the front, keeping the bow of the ship toward the increasingly bad weather since there was no hope of outrunning it. Calm waters soon turned into ungodly gusts of wind sweeping the sea. While their communications and navigational equipment was still working, the captain ordered his First Mate to inform him when the Eddystone Lighthouse was in view. Thirty minutes later, the First Mate informed the captain who directed him to look northeast. The captain looked with his binoculars and could see that the tower was still lit, but 10 meter high waves were crashing against it. It was a foreboding warning to come for the massive ship as he saw a small rogue wave seconds before it gave a witty smack to the portside of the ship.

Finally, scientists in Scotland would confirm to the Met Office in London that ice has incapsulated part of northern Scotland, connected it to the sea ice. For the first time in probably several thousand years, it was possible for a person to walk from Britain to continental North America without needing a ship along the way.

@Jamie


::::::::::::::::::::


KINGDOM OF IRELAND
The powerful winds and massive hail that battered Great Britain did not spare Ireland. In fact, near Cork, there were reports of grapefruit-sized hail. As the weather continued to deteriorate, Dublin was packed with desperate parents trying to withdraw their children from school, while others were ransacking grocery stores. A dozen fishing vessels in the Irish Sea started sending distress calls to the Irish Coast Guard. Two stated that they had capsized, while the others reported that they didn't think they'd be able to make it back to port. The protests in the city were now over as people were scrambling to either get their kids, get home, or quickly pick up food and supplies. Highways were also congested with confused citizens, many of which were only beginning to hear about the poor weather in Britain after they had already established their mornings. Hundreds of people in the countryside would soon find themselves stranded in their cars, and began calling the emergency authorities for help.

The relevant authorities who were in charge of power production warned the officials in charge of such matters that there could be a chance of power-outages in different parts of the country, and that if weather reports from Britain and Norway were to be believed, communications towers and major infrastructure could face serious damage. Meteorologists confirmed to the government that temperatures were going to drop drastically across the island after the weather passed. Indeed, temperatures from Dublin to Cork were already dipping below zero as the serious weather hit the island.
@Dragon


::::::::::::::::::::


KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS
Future meteorologists and historians reading about this weather event would use The Netherland's initial preparations as a model for how countries should prepare for such an event. Dutch citizens took note of the Red Alert issued by the government - many of whom remembered not taking the serious heat wave last summer as seriously as they should have - and began preparing to wait out the storm. Parents picked their children up from school early, doctors and medical staff were prepared for a potential larger-than-usual influx of patients, and businesses began to close early so that employees could go home. Closing Amsterdam Airport also proved to be a wise decision.

As the front pushed towards The Netherlands, Dutchmen could see what appeared to be a black wall ingulfing the sky. As it got closer, they could see flashes of white light followed by the booms of thunder as it cracked through the atmosphere at the speed of sound. The Netherlands was internationally known for being a pioneer in green energy, specifically its large windfarms off the coast of the country. As gale-force, and then hurricane-force winds began to batter the wind turbines, they were able to automatically adjust to the high winds. The combination of massive waves, high winds, and lightning did pose a threat to a number of them. Anyone on the coast would be stunned to see the now darkened sky lighting up once or twice a second with flashes of lightning, it was unlike any storm anyone in that area had ever seen, and would probably ever see in their lifetimes. Hundreds of turbines were either directly or indirectly struck in all three windfarms. A number of the ones that were struck began to malfunction and were not properly adjusting to windspeeds. The RPMs of these wind turbines far-exceeded what was considered safe, and a number of them destroyed themselves. Between all three of the windfarms, 117 were struck by lightning. Of those 117, 5 caught fire and were seriously damaged, 22 malfunctioned and disintegrated after spinning too fast. The remaining 90 windmills that were struck by lightning were still functioning and suffered little to no internal and cosmetic damage. These 90 windmills were still producing electricity and would probably only need some maintenance or minor parts replaced. People who lived on the coast saw a number of water spouts ravage the sea, but luckily there were no Dutch vessels for them to destroy, and they were far enough away from the windfarms to not interfere with them. They were, however, psychologically terrifying to see. Lights at The Hague flickered as windmills at the windfarm were destroyed and crashed into the sea. Entire neighborhoods and districts of the city lost power as the front rushed over the city.

As the front moved inland, the Dutch fell victim to the same massive hail and high winds that Britain and Scandinavia had faced. Reports were coming in from officials at the small community of Breezanddijk that crashing waves were indeed washing onto the causeway. Water levels were several feet higher than normal in Waddeneilanden which connected directly to the sea. The high pressure system was likely causing a storm surge that could pose an incredible problem for flooding if Afsluitdijk was breached. While the water was about five meters higher than normal and the worst waves were shooting seawater onto the causeway, Rijkswaterstaat would be able to determine that there was currently no danger of the dam being breached even though it was under more stress than normal.

The Dutch Coast Guard received a destress call about an hour and a half after the front struck the mainland of The Netherlands.
"Mayday mayday mayday, Dutch Coast Guard: This is the SH Willem III. We are a fluyt that has run aground on the Isle of Griend. There are 103 souls on board. We are abandoning ship onto the island, I think the ship is going to fall apart. We'll try to take the radio on the island. How copy? Over."

If the Dutch Coast Guard decided to respond, they would find out that the SH Willem III was a 17th century fluyt replica which had a crew and spectators aboard. They were stranded upon the Isle of Griend which was already mostly flooded.
@Dutchy


::::::::::::::::::::


GERMAN REICH
Heavy softball-sized hail pelted most Germany cities along with incredibly strong winds. The governments last-minute warnings to the German people did help get most people off the streets and prepare the larger cities for the incoming front. The cancellation of German flights proved to be a very wise decision by the government. White-out conditions began to ingulf the country as a blizzard swept over the German nation. As the weather started to isolate northern Germany and cause some terrifying sites, people in Nuremburg and Munich began to rushing general stores for food and supplies and, in some cases, becoming violent. A specific case of this was in Munich where a grocery store near downtown was rushed by hundreds of scared citizens trying to buy, and then later steal, as much food as possible. In northern Germany, some trains were literally forced to stop in the middle of their routes as inches of snow fell within minutes, eventually making the tracks impassable. While pre-salting the roads in Berlin did help, a couple of feet of snow did eventually bring the city to a standstill. Much of the traffic was, in fact, parents rushing to schools to try to pick up their children and bring them home.
@NagandEmerald


::::::::::::::::::::


POLAND
Dozens of Polish civilian fishing ships were making mayday calls to the Polish Coast Guard as they encountered rough sees and waves that were several meters high. Three fishing ships had already capsized and others were in danger of sinking or capsizing. The Polish government's focus in transplanting crops did have some minimal success, but only so many plants could be moved in number of hours. Riot-like scenarios began in the city of Poznan as rumors of ice storms devastating the north began to percolate into the native grapevine. People were rushing grocery stores and outright stealing as they attempted to take as much as possible, and not necessarily only what they needed. Also, a 737 attempting a landing at Warsaw Chopin Airport narrowly prevented crash-landing (similar to what happened in the United Kingdom) as a gust of wind caused significant crosswinds a couple of seconds before landing. Within a matter of hours, aircraft moved to Krakow were in the midst of an intense blizzard as the front continued to move south. Runways froze and became virtually unusable.
@Zager


::::::::::::::::::::


TURKEY
Turkish weather officials would be stunned to see the massive high pressure front pushing towards southern Europe and Turkey. By the time the storm was five hours away, it was clear that the front would not spare Istanbul and most of Anatolia from the severe winter-weather that came with it. As the massive wall of black clouds passed over the border between Turkey and Bulgaria, people in Istanbul could see a black wall of clouds heading their way. The Turkish people needed guidance seeing as they only had 5 hours at best to prepare Istanbul. People were already beginning to make a run on grocery and general stores for food and supplies.
@Retroliser


::::::::::::::::::::


KINGDOM OF NORWAY
Over 300 people have froze to death in southern Norway as temperatures continue to go down and the power remains off. The efforts of Norwegian military and government-employed electrical engineers proved to not be fruitful. Telecommunications between Oslo and the rest of the country were minimal at best, and non-existent at worst. The High Command in Oslo was now unable to communicate with most of the rest of the country, let alone the three frigate that were steaming towards the English Channel. The ships were now off the coast of The Netherlands, and one of them have had its communications and navigations disabled. The ships were taking water over the bow as rogue waves and towers of water multiple meters high threatened the ships. A rogue wave 15 meters high was threatening the broadside of the three frigates, it was coming directly from the north as the ships were heading west.

In Oslo and most of Norway, temperatures were now below -25 degrees Celsius. In northern Norway, however, temperatures were now approaching or below -50 degrees Celsius which seriously threatened any person or domesticated animal that was outside. Bodo, for example, was at -51 degrees Celsius but still had power. Virtually all civilians were inside, some even burning books and paper in the hearths to stay warm and not stress their heating systems too much. Civilians were resorting to cutting down trees in northern cities to gather much-needed firewood.


::::::::::::::::::::


VIETNAM
Vietnamese scientists were able to observe that the Bearing Straight was normal, perhaps slightly colder than average but nothing of alarm. The Arctic oscillation could move into Russia and Siberia, therby threatening northern Asia, but they were not sure how predictable this high pressure system would be. What appeared to be a major disruption of the thermohalene system in Europe was a cause for significant alarm, however. If this disruption was not corrected, it would likely bring temporary chaos to the Northern Hemisphere and a permanent state of coldness that Europe hasn't seen for a thousand years. The Vietnamese satellites would observe that ice around the Bearing Straight was mostly normal. If they did observe Europe, they would of course see that ice was now further south than it had ever been in modern human history.
@HeadlessSeeker


::::::::::::::::::::


CHINA
The Chinese would get no response from their embassy in Oslo which was currently in the midst of a power and communications blackout.
@Fairhold

 

[NagandEmerald]

While the Federal Government of the German Reich did pat itself on the back for a job-well done in preparing for the storm, there was still far more chaos than what the Kaiser would've preferred. In northern Germany, anyone who was caught outside in the below-zero conditions further north would be subject to harsh conditions, to the point of many people being hospitalized for acute symptoms of frostbite.

In the city of Kiel, winter warnings were all in effect as parts of the city completely shut down, as brittle power cables snapped under extra weight thanks to the snow. Snowplow crews in major metropolitan areas worked day and night to ensure clear roads, and continually salted areas where ice, black ice in particular, would crop up. In the first few weeks, schooling was done via homeschooling courses sent to parents by the schools' online websites. The train systems in northern Germany, at a dead stop, were to hold out as long as they could until help arrived in the form of Federal police. While several hundred people had to be hospitalized for hypothermia, the result was generally the same throughout: police taking a calm and professional approach to the dire and panicked situations and getting the people to safe havens.

While temperatures continued to get colder, the Royal Household consoled in the people to take whoever they could off the streets and into warm homes, to provide comfort in tough times, and to remember to be decent human beings in their attempts to survive. While some were clearly hard of hearing, or didn't care either way, many acts of kindness were seen by any observing the events in Germany, including one in particular that went viral in a Bavarian slum near Ingolstadt where a group of blatantly racist neo-fascists put aside their differences politically and racially to help an Germanic-African gentleman — despite some racial slurs being thrown — get some food for the winter ahead. When questioned, one member of the group stated, "Even if they are invaders and niggers, no one deserves to die in this cold...not like this. I have a brother who lives in Norway who might die because of the cold there. I-I just try to think about like that...that we could start getting temperatures like that. That scares me more than the niggers."

However, most Germans were not just content to be concerned for themselves, but for the rest of Europe as well, particularly Scandinavia, which was now seeing record-breaking freezing temperatures for its time. Many petitioned to the Reichstag to send assistance in some way, shape, or form to their brothers up north, but to no avail. Despite the German government's attempts at contacting any of the countries of Scandinavia, they were only met with silence. They could only hope and pray that Norway would not be ruined, nor Sweden or Finland, and start asking for other members of the international community, openly and vocally, to send help if they could...to get people out of the Hell that had frozen over...

"We cannot leave them behind," was what the Kaiser & Reich Chancellor only were able to comment on the matter.

 

[Owen]

Malaysia Airline's only European route would be the London-Heathrow to Kuala Lumpur route with 2 flights daily on the Airbus A380 and Airbus A350. The weather would be looking grim with winds beginning to pick up strongly, the Head of Malaysia Airlines Operations at Heathrow would be baffled that flights haven't already been cancelled due to the weather. With news coming in that a Boeing 777 from an unknown airline had crashed on the runway, Malaysia Airlines headquarters back at Kuala Lumpur International Airport would order that the current A380 at the airport be grounded and all flights be cancelled. The current A350 which would be in bound from Kuala Lumpur somewhere over Turkey would be ordered to land at Istanbul, where the weather system would be moving in quickly but still stable enough to land flights, especially those rerouting from Asia heading to Europe. Passengers stranded at Heathrow would be given accommodation paid for by Malaysia Airlines along with food vouchers, likewise the passengers stranded in Istanbul. Passengers in Kuala Lumpur who were planning on going to London would also be given that option or to return home if they were Malaysian and wait for when flights resume.

 

[Retroliser]

"Are we ready to broadcast?" Olağan Bilgelik asked the TRT personnel bustling around him. He had been aware of the approaching weather, just like anyone else who had been observing the international news. This event, which was like a real-life 'Day After Tomorrow', would undoubtedly be reported on by media outlets in Turkey. Now, with it on the doorstep, it was necessary for him to, while the finer details of establishing a proper government in the wake of the elections, act to calm the public and announce measures to be taken to protect the population.

With the producer finally giving a thumbs up, they counted down to provide him with a guide to when he was live.

"Ladies and gentlemen of Turkey," The former grand vizier began. "As you are no doubt aware, Europe has been engulfed by unusual and devastating weather that is almost apocalyptic in nature. This weather is now fast approaching Turkey itself. Already, citizens across the country are scrambling to buy food from shops in preparation for the onslaught. Well, I wish to allay the fears you all share. This government, while still assembling, is not going to stand by and let this weather continue without a fight.

Effective immediately, a number of measures are being implemented to ease the inevitable pressure about to be exerted on you. The first is the immediate, and temporary, nationalisation of all agricultural land. Since the 1980's, Turkey has been more than self-sufficient in the production of foodstuffs. To ensure the fair distribution of that bounty, since the weather will, undoubtedly, frustrate farming. The government, through the assistance of The Sultan, who has kindly put this law through by decree, as is his right under the constitution, will be buying all the produce in Turkey. What is currently in the shops will be left untouched for everyone to buy, however any new food will not be coming, as we shall be preparing it for rationing.

We do not know how long this weather will last, so we must prepare ourselves to wait this out. In addition to rationing of food, the government will also be requisitioning all lignite stocks currently within Turkey's borders. While this low-grade coal is not the best for use in power plants, it is perfectly good for keeping you, the people, warm. We shall be providing those affected by the weather a coal ration for people to use to keep themselves warm. This is because the nations north of us have been unable to prevent blackouts. As such, we cannot guarantee the continued production of electric power either. So, I must warn all of you to remain vigilant and do not be alarmed if your electricity supplies suddenly cease. Instead, utilise your coal ration, use it to keep you warm and cook your food.

Finally, the safety of the people themselves. All schools and places of work that are close by to the approaching weather front are to cease operation. The reports regarding grapefruit sized hail in northern Europe cannot be ignored. I would rather Turkey took a temporary economical hit by ceasing work, than to have to explain to families that their loved ones have been struck down in a manner once thought to be possible only through an act of God.

Stay calm, stay stoic and do not panic, your government will do everything in its power to keep you safe, just as it is expected for you to do the same for yourselves, your families, and your fellow Turks. Thank you."

 

[Dragon]

The Irish Government would authorize a declaration of martial law and the deployment of armed police personnel in to urban areas in order to assist local authorities in maintaining order. Shortages and congestion continue to provide the Irish government with plenty of logistical nightmares. At sea, deaths are mounting as ships seem to vanish to the button without so much as a word from the coast guard, understaffed and funded.

In rural areas, the authority of local governments has collapsed as many farmers, artisans, and small scale industrial plant worker's sent a message to the Irish government criticizing its apathy to the plights of the common man by refusing to pay their taxes and establishing autonomous worker's councils.

 

[Retroliser]

@NagandEmerald
Berlin
"Leave it, Liz," Doctor Mason ordered, as he grasped her firmly by the arm and escorted her to the entrance of The Jewel Palace. "If we had finished unpacking and setting up, I'd see your point of view. However, since we're not, we're going now. Keep your coat on now."

The days preceding this moment had grown progressively colder for The Turkish Embassy in Germany. The unusual weather front had fascinated the doctor, however his job as ambassador had prevented him from paying any real attention to it. Now though, with the temperatures reaching -15 degrees celsius in Berlin, it was time to decide: stay and try to hold out, or order the embassy staff under him to pull out. Having chosen the latter, Doctor Mason and his tiny entourage of 4 assistants piled into two cars. The motorcade, having allowed their engines to run for a while to warm them and the interiors, finally set off, travelling slowly at 15 miles an hour through the deserted streets of Berlin. The only sign of life was the ever-increasing snowbanks at the sides of the road, indicating that the diligent Germans were still fighting the continuously falling snow.

Grimacing, Doctor Mason retrieved his government-provided mobile phone and dialled the number for The Reich Chancellor, hoping that the mobile phone lines had been spared from the fate of standard landlines, which would have inevitably been cut off by the lack of power, or the cables transmitting the signals snapping too.

 

[NagandEmerald]

After a second or two of waiting, the Reich Chancellery Secretary answered.

"You have reached the Office of the Reich Chancellery. My name is Alicia, how may I help you?" The connection was full of static, thanks to worsening connections in the face of the blizzard. Thankfully, even if the landlines were down, mobile connections were still up for the time-being in the Berlin area. The rest of the country, however, may not have been so lucky.

 

[Retroliser]

"Alicia, I need you to contact The Chancellor," The doctor replied urgently. "I say again, contact The Chancellor. I want you to tell him that The Turkish Ambassador is coming to The Chancellery. Again, The Turkish Ambassador is coming to The Chancellery."

The line suddenly went dead, causing him to sigh in defeat.

"Why are we going there, Doctor?" Liz asked inquisitively. "Shouldn't we be heading out of the city to the south?"

"If we can bring just one German with us to save them from this catastrophe, I'll be happy," He replied. "I must, at the very least, try."

 

[Logan]

As the storm began to near the Italian Pensinsula, preparations would be made by the government to assist in evacuations and cease nonessential operations. Nonessential Government Personnel would be furloughed and told to take their families to safer areas. Shelters were set up in major public buildings in Trieste, Milan, Turin, Rome, with evacuation flights, through chartered or commandeered civilian carriers and military flights, taking place out of Ghedi, Istrana, and Pisa, and carrying vulnerable populations to Sicily and Sardinia, where refugee centers and more shelters were set up.

Otherwise, the entire north of the country was essentially shut down. A curfew was set in place in almost every major northern city, with all snow plow efforts being focused on keeping evacuation airports and main thoroughfares open. Airports in the band of severe weather were shut down except for essential flights such as evacuations or supply runs, and commercial aircraft not taking part in evacuations were prohibited from entering or crossing the band while in Italian Airspace

The Entire Italian Navy would set sail out of Naples to set anchor near Sicily, where the severe weather would be less likely to create untenable sea conditions. 350 Knights of St Steven Martyr and Pope were deployed, alongside 10 Agusta AW139s, to HRMS Cavour, which would prepare to respond to any maydays either at sea or along the coastlines.

 

[NagandEmerald]

@Retroliser

The Federal Government of Germany had made a final decision within the following hours of the storm worsening. The Kaiser, upon realizing that temperatures and weather were only getting worse, took executive action and called a State of Emergency. In hours, the hail was already pelting berlin, about the size of tennis balls to soft balls, soft flakes no longer covering the streets. Citizens across German soil were directed by the Federal Government, which had temporarily fled to Munich, to flee for their lives. The Kaiser would advise the rest of Europe to take his course of action and flee their parent countries if they could and seek asylum in warmer areas. or areas that were not or were predicted to not become heavily affected by the storm.

The Kaiser, along with portions of the Volksrat, the Royal Household, members of the Reichstag, and an assortment of around 200-300 of Berlin's citizens, would request asylum from the storm in Turkey, if they could manage it.

 

[Dutchy]

As Global Energy, the company managing the off shore wind turbines had failed to prepare for the weather front the engineers back at the monitoring station would be too late to turn off the turbines as they began destroying themselves. The Hague would be thrown into darkness as the system began failing to deliver power to the network. However, with the turbines being green energy substitute to the Dutch energy network, the remaining energy network would be able to cover the loss of the off-shore wind farm. Slowly but surely districts in The Hague were given back light and power as the sky above them remained ghostly dark.

The KNRM (Royal Netherlands Rescue Society), a voluteer organisation tasked with saving lives at sea would receive the distress call from the SH Willem III. With their ships unable to make the journey in current sea conditions they scanned their radar in search of a suitable vessel to make the rescue. They were in luck as they picked up three Norwegian frigates stationed off the coast in international waters. "SH WIllem III, this is KNRM Station Terschelling West, we have picked up your distress call and are preparing to respond. Please find high ground and stay in contact, over!"

The operator would begin hailing the Norwegian Frigates, "Unidentified Norwegian Frigates, this is KNRM Station Terschelling West calling you on VHF Channel 16, please respond, over!" This would continue in 30-second intervals until a response was heard. Once heard the operator would continue, "Norwegian vessel, this is KNRM Station Terschelling West, we have a vessel in distress of the Isle of Griend at coordinates 53°15′5″N 5°15′15″E. SH Willem III has 103 souls aboard, requesting rescue. Please respond, over!"

 

[John]

With the situation in Europe growing worse, the United States had decided to deploy the USS San Diego and USS New York, both San-Antonio class LPDs - that were stationed in Portsmouth Naval Base - Into the English Channel and North Sea to help in the rescue and recovery of vessels trapped in the area. The ships would be fully crewed up, however the spaces usually reserved for Marines, some 630 beds, would be kept open for those rescued and recovered. Onboard the vessels would also be four (x4) Rhibs, to be used to rapidly get to vessels in danger, which would be manned by VBSS teams. The two ships would also be carrying two MH-60 Seahawks for SAR and would be completely stocked with food, water, medical and cold weather supplies. As the vessels leave Portsmouth, they would go into Condition Zebra to maximise the safety of the ship and send out a call on the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System, which due to the nature of the system, would be bounced off every VHF Receiver near the coast to maximise range. "Any station this net, this is US Navy Dock, two-two, currently leaving Naval Base Portsmouth, England. Any vessels receiving this message in need of aid or assistance, please activate your Search and rescue transponder or reply to this hail if unable to access SART." The message would be put on repeat as the ships sail towards the North Sea, via the English Channel.

Meanwhile, out of RAF Brize Norton, USAF personnel clad in thick winter clothing would be preparing three of the six C-130Js currently stationed there. They would be completely fuelled up and loadmasters would be loading the planes with six (x6) 463L master pallets each. Each pallet containing 10,000lbs of food, water, medical and cold weather supplies. Once they were loaded and the crew were ready, they would begin to take off one by one from the runway. One aircraft was to head for the Highlands of Scotland, whilst another was to fly to the centre of the Netherlands, and the third was to fly to the Centre of Germany. Each government would be sent a notice of this operation (@Dutchy @Jamie @NagandEmerald). It would be noted that not alot could be done from only six pallets, but it was a start to the relief operation.