Sample 15

Sample 15
1 “Lalala…” I hummed as I packed my bag for the holiday trip. “8th December 2011. Trip to San Francisco.” I read the words on the calendar. “Let’s see, clothes, passport, sunblock lotion, portable radio and…Oh I’m done! Let’s go!”
2 I made my way to the Singapore Changi Airport and boarded the airplane. An announcement was made I settled down, “We will be taking off in 5 minutes. Please enjoy your flight on flight SQ1.”
3 After 18 hours on the plane, the plane touched down at San Francisco International Airport. I checked into a hotel and rested on the armchair. The time read “05.45 A.M.” I took out my portable radio and listened to the news. “Channel 98.5 FM, Channel 101.3 FM, oh I know, Channel 183.0 FM!” The radio started blaring.
4 Just then, the radio crackled, “This is an important announcement; we are issuing a mandatory evacuation in San Francisco. This is an earthquake warning, I repeat AN EARTHQUAKE WARNING!” But the warning came too late.
5 “Rumble…Crash!” the building started to crash in. I ducked under a table as the fan crashed onto the tabletop. There was a huge dent on the underside of the table where was hiding under. At least I could see outside as the window was unharmed. I saw a school building collapse as I felt the building tip over. Car alarms wailed as the ground cracked open. The hotel started leaning into the crack.
6 “Help!” I screamed raucously. I felt the building tip even further and further into the crack. Just when all hope was lost, the rumblings stop. “Phew…” I thought as relief flooded through me. The building was tilted at an angle of 60 degrees. It was a dangerous situation to be in.
7 “Rumble…” the ground shook again. This time, the whole city shook like crazy. People screamed at the top of their voices. Anarchy gushed upon the entire city. Furniture slid across the ground, ramming against the wall. Power line after power line snapped. San Francisco became dark.
8 The hotel seemed to come alive. I held on for my dear life to one of the table legs. Cement rained down on the table. Whole stories crashed onto the lower stories. Along a section of the Golden Gate Bridge, the road gave way. Cars fell into the water, to their dooms.
9 No building structure was safe. Even the cranes at the docks could not withstand the force of the earthquake. The cranes buckled and crashed onto the boxes, ships and trucks.
10 Finally, the roaring stopped. I crawled out of underneath the table. The room was in a mess. It was as if a tornado had torn through the room. The fan was wrecked, the door flew off its hinges, and the ceiling had cracks in it. Without further ado, I crawled out to the hallway. I was just in time because as soon as I crawled out, the ceiling gave way. Everything from the room above mine crashed onto my room.
11 I managed to find a way out of the wrecked hotel. Outside, it was a catastrophe. There was a huge crack in the ground. Cars lay overturned. The hotel which originally had 20 stories was left with only 14. Something glowed in the horizon. I squinted my eyes and realized that minor fires had started.
12 Left with nothing to do, I managed to activate the portable radio. The only channel was Channel 101.1 FM. “Two earthquakes, the first of an 8.9 magnitude and the second of a 9.3 magnitude have hit San Francisco. Relief is coming to San Francisco. The estimated total deaths are going to hit approximately 5,000. It is expected to rise.” I was heartbroken to hear that and my heart filled with sorrow.
13 “It would take about 5 years to rebuild San Francisco, workers and contractors estimate.” The broadcaster continued. It was the worst natural disaster in San Francisco and I hope the city would be rebuilt and the fires would be put out. (665)