Hurricane Gustav--Realtime screenplays by James C. L'Angelle

HURRICANE GUSTAV
Realtime screenplays by James C. L'Angelle
WGA west reg# 1299687--8/28/08

WRITTEN AT
THE SHANNON DILLON COMBAT BASE

STATE OF EMERGENCY--
Realtime screenplay by James C. L'Angelle--

WGA west# 1299687

STORY IN PROGRESS-- FADE IN:
EXT. Louis Armstrong International Airport (MSY), New Orleans; daytime and overcast. Commercial jet approaches runway, touches down, taxis to terminal, stops at loading ramp. Female FLIGHT ATTENDANT voiceover.

FLIGHT ATTENDANT
Welcome to the Louis Armstrong International Airport here in New Orleans. We have arrived on time here in the Big Easy and hope your stay will be enjoyable. For those of you continuing on to Houston, we expect to be here just twenty minutes. For those of you leaving, please make certain you remove all of you belongings from the overhead bins.

INT. Aircraft. Passengers are busy removing belongings and exiting through the hatch as FLIGHT ATTENDANT continues.

FLIGHT ATTENDANT
Please be aware that there may be warnings posted in the next forty-eight to seventy-two hours due to an approaching weather system. Be advised to stay tuned to weather channels and emergency entities regarding possible business closures and evacuations. The information booth in the airport terminal will assist in details regarding this matter. Onca again, thank you for flying with us and please watch your step as you exit the aircraft cabin.

In the crowd of exiting passengers are TIM SOLDIER and HECTOR LOPEZ of the California based "Recon News Agency" who have recently been in Cuba where Hurricane Gustav caused substantial damage.

HECTOR
For once, Tim Soldier, I am eternally thankful for being back on American soil, even if we get clobbered by Hurricane Gustav.

SOLDIER
I agree with you one-hundred percent, Hector. That Cuban Colonel Rodriguez is very unpredictable. There was a good chance we would have occupied Robert Vesco's former cell for a long time had he not put in a good word for us with his superiors.

HECTOR
Yes, but he did allow us to keep the video we shot of that runway standoff; it will make for a great scoop when we get back to Sacramento.

HECTOR and SOLDIER leave the aircraft with the other passengers and walk down the ramp tunnel.

INT. MSY boarding gate. HECTOR and SOLDIER emerge from the tunnel at the boarding gate and are immediately confronted by FBI agents in suits and TSA security in airport uniforms.

FBI AGENT#1--(displays FBI credentials)
Tim Soldier, Hector Lopez, We are with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Would you come with us, please?

HECTOR and SOLDIER are immediately surrounded by TSA security, their carry-on items removed from them and are forced briskly down the terminal hallway to the surprise of whispering and rubbernecking passengers and airport personnel.

HECTOR (whispering to SOLDIER)
Wonder if Colonel Rodriguez has any pull with the FBI.

HECTOR and SOLDIER are taken into the terminal TSA security room and the door closes behind them.

INT. TSA security room. Overcrowded with tables, confiscated luggage, half-eaten lunches, empty coffee cups, trash not emptied.

HECTOR (taking notice)
Man, do they need somebody in here to clean this place up.

TSA #1 (defensively)
Look fella, I don't know about you, but we're pretty busy here at the airport; and the last thing we need is somebody telling us how to run our office.

FBI AGENT#1
We didn't bring you in here to inspect the TSA operation. We'd like to hear a bit about your recent trip to Cuba.

SOLDIER
Are we under arrest or something?

FBI AGENT#2 walks over to a trashed desk, opens a briefcase, pulls out a file, brings it over to SOLDIER.
FBI AGENT#2
Tim Soldier, of the California "Recon News Agency"; recently been mixed up in that Excelsior space shuttle crash in Syria; next was thrown out of Iraq on that weapons of mass destruction expose. You've been of particular interest to Washington for some time.

Back door swings open, TSA security brings in luggage belonging to HECTOR and SOLDIER. TSA opens it, finds clothing, video gear, cassettes and Cuban cigars. FBI AGENT #1 picks out box of Cuban cigars, removes a cigar from box, sniffs it.

SOLDIER
You didn't bring us in here to bust us for those cigars.

FBI AGENT#1 places cigar back into the box, flips the box to HECTOR.

FBI AGENT#1
You can have the cigars, but I'm taking the cassettes you made at the runway.

FBI AGENT#2 removes cassettes, places them into briefcase.

FBI AGENT#1
Colonel Swank sends his thanks for rounding up the Camp Delta detainees who broke out, but it would look bad for his record if this video was made public.

SOLDIER
Fair enough.

HECTOR

But Tim, that's a big story..

SOLDIER (to FBI)
Are we free to go?

FBI AGENT#1
We have the video, that's all we want.

SOLDIER
Come on, Hector; let's go down to Pat Obrien's and drink a couple of "hurricanes"

HECTOR and SOLDIER round up their luggage and head out the door.

HECTOR
I'll be back, and I expect to see this office spotless and in order or I'm going to Chertoff pronto!

TSA man pushes HECTOR out the door and slams it.

EXT. Nightfall, Orange Beach, Alabama; overcast and drizzling rain. A large fishing boat named "Maverick" pulls into the Orange Beach Marina and comes to a stop as deck hands secure ropes to the dock. The boat's SKIPPER emerges from the pilot house, looks around, then waves for some passengers to come out. Appearing on deck from the pilot house are Camp Delta detainee BIN RAMAN, accomplices ALI, MUHAMMED and GERALDO; all of whom escaped the runway shootout in Cuba following the botched Camp Delta breakout. BIN RAMAN pays the SKIPPER with a handful of American one-hundred dollar bills and they all disappear down the marina into a waiting black limousine. SKIPPER counts the cash and goes back into the pilot house where the radio is currently issuing updated storm warnings. RADIO
Hurricane Gustav is still well out in the Gulf of Mexico but indications are now that it will make landfall somewhere along the Gulf Coast by the weekend. Current projections place the brunt of the storm anywhere from Tampa, Florida to as far away as Brownsville, Texas. The storm has increased in intensity and is now rated a Category Two. The National Weather Service is in the process of issuing storm warnings and evacuations of the coastline are planned in all urban areas that lie directly in the storm's projected path, from Houston to New Orleans to Mobile. Stay tuned to this station for further updates. We now return you to regular programming.

EXT. Bourbon Street, New Orleans, Nighttime. A slight drizzle is in the air as work crews are busy boarding up windows and sandbagging the business facades. There is heavy police presence on the street both in prowl cars and foot patrols. Some National Guard activity is also evident. There is a line out the door as usual at world famous Pat O'Brien's.

INT. Pat O'Briens. Standing room only at the tables and around the bar. There's a girl onstage with the band, she's singing "House of the Rising Sun" and over in a corner booth sits SOLDIER and HECTOR, a number of empty "hurricane" glasses on the table in front of them.

HECTOR
Now this is more like it, Tim. It sure beats that soaking wet airstrip in Cuba.

SOLDIER is high on alcohol and unable to respond as he watches the GIRL onstage singing.

GIRL
I'm goin' back to New Orleans, to wear that ball and chain..

GIRL is interrupted by BAR MANAGER who waves off the band as he steps to the microphone.

BAR MANAGER
Please, could I have your attention, quiet please.

The intoxicated CROWD boos and shouts before finally quieting down. Somebody hollers "Stuff a sock in it!"

BAR MANAGER
I have an announcement to make. The Governor of Louisiana has just issued a "state of emergency" message for the impending hurricane that may strike the city by the end of the weekend. Because of this, I have been given instructions to close early tonight so that we can better prepare Pat O'Brien's for the weather. Our crews will be working non-stop throughout the night but I expect to have the establishment open again for business tomorrow evening with limited entertainment and refreshments. So get here early and once again, I apologize for the inconvenience.

HECTOR
Well just when things were getting interesting

SOLDIER (suddenly sober)
Come on, Hector, we have work to do.

HECTOR
Where are we going?

SOLDIER
To the bar first, we're going to fill up on black coffee.

EXT. Subtitle reads "National Weather Service Forecast Office, Slidell, Louisiana" Late night, overcast and very humid. Jeep Grand Cherokee pulls to a stop in tha rather vacant parking lot and its two passengers, HECTOR and SOLDIER, both looking very haggard and hung over. They approach the front door to the building, it's locked, SOLDIER bangs on it loudly. After awhile, a security GUARD approaches.

GUARD
Sorry, the office is closed for the evening, come back during regular business hours

SOLDIER
Don't give me that crap, open the door!

Weather service SUPERVISOR joins the GUARD, indicates for GUARD to open door. Supervisor steps outside.

SUPERVISOR
Can I be of some help.

SOLDIER
Evening, we're with Recon News Agency and we want to check the progress of Gustav.

SUPERVISOR
I am sorry, sir, but we're very busy at the moment. I can refer you to our media liaison officer in the morning if you'd like to do a tour of the facility.

HECTOR
If we wanted to tour, we'd have gone to Universal Studios over in Orlando, now if you'd just...

Another Guard joins the group and the pushing and shoving match is about to begin when a train of vehicles pulls into the parking lot. The vehicle train comes to a stop and among all those who emerge, one in particular is the Louisiana GOVERNOR; he approaches with his AIDES close by.

GOVERNOR
Good evening, what seems to be the problem here?

SUPERVISOR (sheepish and apologetic)
Well, uh, hello, Governor, I mean sir. We were just having a chat with these two media fellas and explained to them the office is closed for the evening.

GOVERNOR steps closer to SOLDIER.

GOVERNOR
Say, aren't you Tim Soldier of the Recon News Agency, I remember reading about you in that space shuttle thing awhile back. I recognize you from the photos.

SOLDIER
Yes sir, Tim Soldier, and this is Hector Lopez; I won't travel out on a story without him.
GOVERNOR shakes HECTOR's and SOLDIER's hands.

GOVERNOR
So what's up, what do you need to know. I though I'd pay the weather bureau a late night visit before the media horde descends on this place tomorrow morning.

SOLDIER
My feelings exactly, sir. Now this supervisor here has invited us in but there seems to be some disagreement as to when.

GOVERNOR
Well no time better than right now, let's all go inside.

Everybody steps aside and makes a path for the GOVERNOR and SOLDIER is close by.

GOVERNOR
Soldier, you look like you could use some coffee; been over at Pat O'Brien's drinking hurricanes?

SOLDIER
Yes sir, some girl over there singing "House of the Rising Sun" till the man got up and announced your bulletin.

GOVERNOR
Right, that was jus a few hours back. What do you think of that plan?

SOLDIER
Hector did some checking on webnews before we drove over. Nobody seems to be taking Gustav very seriously, only a few of the big 100 newspapers around the country are carrying much on it. Everybody is out to make history over in Denver with the convention and all.

INT. The group reaches the central control room of the Louisiana national weather service office; where maps, computers, radar screens and charts all display Gustav's progress.

HECTOR
If I might add to that, Governor. When Katrina was a couple of days out, nobody, not even CNN, had anything to say about it. They were all busy caught up on some White House infighting and scandal. Then when Katrina hit and the levees broke, suddenly all the big news agencies showed up and claimed to be the first to alert the state of the hurricane.

GOVERNOR
Yes, I know. That's exactly why I called for the "state of emergency".

The GROUP huddles arond one computer in particular that has recent data sent in by the 53rd Weather reconnaissance Squadron

SUPERVISOR
The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron has been up and around Hurricane Gustav twice today with four missions scheduled for tomorrow.

GOVERNOR
And that's out of where?

SUPERVISOR
That would be Keesler Air Force Base in Buloxi, sir. There were two P-3 flights scheduled for today but they were cancelled. There will be four flights tomorrow as the storm clears Cuba and breaks out into the Gulf of Mexico. We'll get a better idea of the path as we get more readings on the vortex data.

GOVERNOR
If I may make a suggestion, I'd like Soldier and Hector here to be on one of those flights tomorrow if that's possible.

SUPERVISOR
I think that can be arranged, Governor; but they'll have to hurry over there to get oriented.

GOVERNOR
Good, then we'll get them on a flight to Biloxi before morning. That O.K. with you Soldier?

SOLDIER
That's a fine suggestion, Governor. Thanks for the opportunity.

EXT. Keesler AFB, Buloxi. A Lockheed-Martin C-130J "Hurricane Hunter" of the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron taxis to the end of the runway, accelerates and lifts of into the mid-morning overcast sky headed out over the Gulf of Mexico as chatter from the cockpit to the tower is heard.

PILOT
Tower, this is Flight Two/Teal70 clearing the runway on schedule and climbing to cruising altitude of 10,000 feet.

TOWER
Roger, Teal70--Good luck and good hunting.

INT. Aircraft. HECTOR filsm video and SOLDIER watch with interest as CREW members prepare to drop buoys.

CREW#1
We'll be dropping 60 buoys equipped with global positioning devices and heat sensors to plot the exact location, size and warmth of the warm water pools that feed energy into the hurricane.

EXT. Guld of Mexico. The C-130J swoops low over the Gulf as the back cargo hatch of the aircraft opens and buoys begin to be dropped into the warm water below.

INT. Aircraft. HECTOR stands inside and shoots video of the buoys as CREW members kick them out of the cargo hatch.

INT. National Weather Service, Slidell, LA. GOVERNOR, appearing quite tired from being up all night stands next to SUPERVISOR and AIDES. A large screen on a wall begins to come alive with flashing lights.

SUPERVISOR
There we have it, Governor. The Weather Recon Squadron is dropping buoys into the Gulf where the warm water pools lie in the path of Gustav.

GOVERNOR
That's good news. How long before we start getting some data as to the possible increase in storm activity?

SUPERVISOR
As soon as the data starts to come in, we'll run it through our computer modelling and it will help to determine just what the projected increase in wind speed, nautical miles of surface movement and projected rainfall amounts expected when it makes landfall.

GOVERNOR
And what about where it will make landfall?

That will be a little tougher since there are some other atmospheric conditions to take into account in the theater of operations.

An AIDE approaches the GOVERNOR.

AIDE
Sir, we've booked that hotel room. You better get some rest, it's going to be a long weekend.

GOVERNOR
Right, tanks. (to SUPERVISOR) I'll leave a couple of my people here to help moniter and report.

GOVERNOR leaves weather service control room.

EXT. Flight Two/Teal 70 is flying over Hurricane Gustav south of Cuba at 25,000 feet.

INT. HECTOR shoots video out an aircraft window as SOLDIER observes with interest. Turbulence is evident.

CREW#1
The storm is showing signs of becoming more organized; that's bad news for the Gulf and coastline.

EXT. Aircraft does a loop high over Gustav and returns to direction of Keesler AFB.

PILOT (voice over radio)
This is Flight Two/ Teal 70; we've reconnoitered Gustav, dropped the payload and are returning to base.

TOWER
Roger, Teal 70.

EXT. Louis Armstrong International Airport (MSY). GOVERNOR's private jet taxis to a stop at a boarding gate. Hatch opens, HECTOR and SOLDIER emerge from aircraft, walk into terminal.

INT. Terminal. CROWD has formed around New Orleans MAYOR, who stands at a microphone surrounded by emergency OFFICIALS and news REPORTERS; HECTOR and SOLDIER join the crowd.

MAYOR
I have alerted all transportation agencies in the city to be on standby in case an evacuation is necessary; that includes city busses and trains. We'll recruit the taxis if necessary. New Orleans police is now on full alert as well as rescue and fire agencies. The city of New Orleans will not tolerate lawlessness if indeed we have the misfortune to be forced to evacuate because of this hurricane. I have instructed the police to arrest not just anybody looting, but looking to loot and detectives are out even as I speak arresting anybody with an outstanding warrant that's just short of a traffic violation. I advise you people out there, and you know who you are, if you have a warrant for your arrest, to turn yourself in and we'll decide if your particular case merits release on own recognizance. Now I'll take questions from the media and please identify the agency you represent.

REPORTERS are in a frenzy raising hands and jockeying for position, MAYOR selects and aggressive reporter from NOLA.COM.

NOLA.COM
Yes, I'm with nola.com. Sir, doesn't it seem that this hurricane preparedness is premature and being blown out of proportion as some political fence mending after the fiasco during Katrina?

MAYOR
Even if Gustav turns out to be a drizzle and a washout, we are not going to take any chances. This has nothing to do with politics, it has to do with the safety and well-being of the residents of New Orleans. As for the status of the hurricane, I haven't had the opportunity for updates from the national weather service.

SOLDIER (interrupting loudly) Excuse me sir, but I just paid a visit to Gustav

MAYOR
And who are you and how did you manage that?

SOLDIER
I am Tim Soldier of the Recon News Agency and this is Hector Lopez. We just returned from Keesler Air Force Base where we accompanied, on the orders of the governor of Louisiana, Flight Two/Teal 70 of the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron on a buoy drop over the Gulf. Hector here has the latest video from over the storm.

MAYOR
You have video of the hurricane? Can anybody here play it?

HECTOR holds up the cassette as REPORTERS scramblle around looking to find compatibility with their video gear. AL.COM steps up.

AL.COM
We have what you need, and we're doing a live webcast of your broadcast right now.

HECTOR takes the cassette to AL.COM who hands it to his ENGINEER who places it into a modified digital/video cassette player.

ENGINEER
Now ain't that one for the books. My other system crashed this morning so I was forced to bring this dinosaur video player I built a couple of years ago.

ENGINEER hits a couple of buttons on his control console and the video HECTOR made out the aircraft window of Gustav begins to play. MAYOR and Emergency PERSONNEL crowd arond the screen as REPORTERS dance and jump behind them with live broadcast cameras hoping to air the video. The crowd becomes quiet as the video zooms in on the eye of Gustav. When video is finished, MAYOR returns to microphone along with emergency PERSONNEL.

MAYOR
It doesn't take an expert from the weather service to see how well organized Gustav is again becoming and I think that answers any questions about evacuation plans and political fence mending. Now if you'll excuse me, thank you all for coming but I have to go into some meetings with my people here. You can get updates at the mayor's office website, we'll be giving briefings at city hall and if you want to speak with me directly, I'll see what I can do to arrange that. Thank you.

HECTOR and SOLDIER are surrounded by REPORTERS who debrief the two on the Teal 70 overflight of the hurricane. An AIDE to the MAYOR comes over, interrupts and takes SOLDIER to one side.

AIDE
Excuse me, Soldier, but the Mayor wants to know if you and Hector would be interested in attending his press briefing in Baton Rouge this afternoon. The Governor will be attending as well as the US Homeland Security Chief. We will arrange transportation.

SOLDIER
Yes, we would. Thank the Mayor for his offer.

EXT. Caribbean off the coast of Jamaica. An observation ship is churning through a heavy squall ahead of the hurricane as waves crash into the ship and washing over the top of the deck.

INT. Pilot House. The ship's CAPTAIN and NAVIGATOR are busy examining charts using protractors, compasses as a laptop slides around along with other items on the table in front of them. NAVIGATOR takes storm updates to RADIOMAN who examines contents and begins to transmit the data on a computer via radio back to NOAA data center.

RADIOMAN
This is Observation Ship Yankee-Bravo-Tango calling in observation data for Tropical Storm Gustav 2100 zulu. Location seventy-seven degrees west longitude and 17 degrees 30 minutes north latitude. Ship moving south, southwest away from center of storm at approximately twelve knots. Gustav is moving west with a current wave height here at Yankee-Bravo-Tango averaging twelve feet. Water temperature is 85 degrees. Visibility is about 100 yards.

EXT. Louis Armstrong International Airport (MSY), New Orleans. The road into the airport terminal is jammed with traffic and at the offloading station, HECTOR and SOLDIER get out of a vehicle driven by a GOVERNOR's aide. TSA and airport security are overwhelmed by the number of cars and passengers swarming on the terminal.

HECTOR
You certainly called the shot right about what to find here at the airport, Soldier. So where do we go from here?

SOLDIER
We certainly didn't learn anything from that press conference in Baton Rouge that we didn't already know. I think it's time we did a little bit of looking around on our own.

THE END--8/28/08/1800 EDT (screenplay in progress--8/28/08/1630 EST)

"Breakout From Camp Delta"

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