pcwhiz24

Name: pcwhiz24 Gender: Male Zodiac: Libra

If you take pics of cities at night, you can stitch them together and make regional pics at night Here's a couple of them I made using this method with Paint.Net a while back: I photoshopped the highways a bit hehe I even used this method on my very "real" regional night mod! Original Thread:

For those new to this CJ, it is highly recommended to read the updates before this one for context. I apologize for the long wait, I will try to update much more frequently. Back in Woodland Town, the mayor's wife, kids and just about everyone are still unaware of what's happening. The fire has taken out the only radio station in River City and lack of power has left the whole town in the dark. As seen in the image, a police helicopter and several others fly above the roaring inferno below. Meanwhile, the intense heat causes multiple buildings to combust, threatening West-Field Headquarters and several small homes. Firefighters frantically try to contain the flames and prevent the flames from reaching the other side of the road. Meanwhile, a helicopter from Coibridge medical center arrives at the fire, with a crew of 5 people are in it, along with a rescue basket. Under the smoke, I stand below with a severely injured Mayor Matthew surrounded by an ever-growing inferno Matthew laid motionless next to the burning building after the explosion threw him towards it. I drag him to the center of the road where it's at least safer, while everything else burns around us. He's still breathing and is barely awake. Matthew looks at me. "Leave me here" He said, "Save yourself and family. This town is going to burn down. I failed as a mayor." "I can't do that, buddy. I'll never do that to you." Your town is a great town, and you saved many lives." I told him "Trust me it'll be saved." I notice the road I came from is now blocked by a wall of flames. I literally have nowhere else to go. "Mayor," Said Matt, "I just wanted you to help the firefighters, not run in here." I'm not sure at this point how long I've been here, but with the adrenaline I can't tell how thirsty I am or the amount of heat around me. I start thinking about Christina and Jeffrey (my kids) and wife I left at my town, wondering if I'll ever see them again. I thought about Ben (business partner), I thought about my town, that we founded, the town that Matt has given electricity for to all those years nearly for free. I look at Matt, he's done so much as mayor, person, and Friend. I really don't want to lose him. With no communication outside, it's possible the town has burned by now. Hopefully not. Matt looks at me again (grunts) "Leaves me here," He said, "Coal plant is going to explode..." "I won't. I'll stay with you." I said I look at the coal plant. The thought of going inside to turn off the switch crosses my mind until I see the massive flames coming out of the only entrance. Taking the road I came from the other side is impossible, since it's a complete inferno. We're in a quickly shrinking space where we're safe. Suddenly I start to hear helicopter blades Moments later my radio-phone comes back alive "Mayor?" I heard following static "This is Kevin, Officer Lane sent us here to extract you! W're sending in a basket!" Normally a crew member would come down in the basket but there's only room for two people and two separate rescues is far too risky. Never mind the fact that Matt can't move on his own to get on the basket himself. (Radio) Lane: "Hey this is Lane, they're gonna try and get you out of there! How's Matthew hanging right now?" "I don't know," I replied, "He's barely alive now." "I feel cold," Matt barely utters as he's slipping in and out of consciousness. "Don't worry Matt," I said to him, "we're gonna make it out of here. Everything's gonna be okay now." I said to him. (Radio) Pilot: "We'll get you both out of there but we need your help, when you see the basket below tell me. "Will do Kevin," I said Carey Co-Pilot: "Just so you know, we have one shot at this, if that basket hits the flames, you're both good as screwed." (Background) We're going at it blind! It's such a narrow spot. I notice a lot of smoke coming out of the building next to me. Walls of flames are closing in on us. "Hurry up!" I yelled Kevin (Pilot): "We're dropping it now!" After a few short moments I see the basket coming down through the smoke, and straight into the burning power plant! "Stop!! It's too far to the right!! Go left go left!" I yelled "Roger, is that my left or your left?" "My Right!" Through the static I can hear the crew yelling at each other: (background) What the (bleep) are you doing?! You're gonna kill us (static) The basket moves further from me and closer to the flames " The other left!" I yelled. "North." I turn to Matthew who's awake. He noticed the basket "North?" I asked "This road goes west, if I recall, and the train station is east; Tell them north." Kevin apparently overheard him "Is that Matt? What did he say?" Asked Kevin "Go just a little bit north!" I said "The basket moves towards me." "You got it, a little more north!" I said The basket is now directly on top of me "How's about now mayor?" "That works! Now lower it down!" The basket lands just next to me, a little bit charred from the flames. "We're getting on now" I said into the radio "I'll never be able to repay you" Matt said "What do you mean?" I asked as I carry Matthew into the basket. "You risked everything just to save me. You're a true friend. Thank you." "You don't owe me anything, Matt." "I'll repay you any way I can, no matter what" Matt insisted "Alright pull it up." I say into the radio. The platform lifts us up towards the smoke above. "Ow, ow oh man this hurts." Matt groaned in pain. Radio) Pilot: "We're pulling you up, you're gonna have to hold your breath for a minute or two" As they begin to pull us up, Matt opens his eyes again and looks at me. "Are you okay?" I asked him "Haha," he weakly chuckles in a croaky voice, "yeah man, everything's okay." I never felt better." (coughs and groans in pain). "It's all over. Thank you Mayor, for everything." He said as he started to slip away "Matt no no no come on stay with me" I try to take his mind off the pain. "Think of something peaceful, something beautiful. Anything else." "I just want it to rain again." *He pauses as he struggles to breathe a little.* "Yeah, we could really use it now eh?" I said, chuckling a bit. "It would put out this fire." "Yeah (chuckling) it sure would. Thing is, (he pauses for a moment) I just love rain, always did." He said as he closed his eyes. We approach the smoke. They continue to hoist us up, towards the thick smoke above us. As they pull us up, I look down to where I was just standing: Just moments after we're lifted, the buildings along the dirt street flash-over, turning the area I was just standing on into a burning inferno. My radio turns off. Batteries ran out. My eyes start watering like crazy from the smoke. I feel an urge to cough but try to hold it back. I hold my breath and put my face in my shirt as we rise through the smoke. I put Matt's shirt over his face to protect him too. I can feel the wind around me, as the air becomes much cooler. I have never seen this much smoke in my life. I see the helicopter through the smoke... Kevin (Pilot): "We got them!! Okay let's get out of here!" The six man crew cheers as we enter the helicopter. Carey (Co-Pilot): "Now get us out of here!" "For a moment I feel happy, knowing I'll get to see my wife and kids again and hopefully even see my town grow. However, my relief is short lived as reality crashes back down on me. I turn to Matthew, and notice just how hurt he is. Burns everywhere and even his shirt and pants are half torn. Medic: "This is not good, he's got some serious third degree burns to his back, and multiple fractures. Another Medic: "He's lost a lot of blood!" They start giving him fluids as we fly to Coibridge. Officer Lane: "Out-freaking-standing men! I never seen a rescue like that in my 30 years of law enforcement." One of the medics call Coibridge medical center to be ready to take us in... Medic: "He's got broken hips, his left lung completely collapsed." One of his monitors start to beep His blood pressure is dropping fast. Carey (Co-Pilot): "Guys, he's dying. We need to go to Coibridge Trauma Unit!" "Don't worry, he'll make it." I said, he's one tough fighter Officer Lane: "Again, unbelievable job right there, thank you very much!" To my relief I see most of the town is still there as it was before. The north-eastward winds have prevented the fire from spreading to the rest of the town and homes. The rest of the industrial area, however, is now a raging inferno. Firefighters from every city are now responding. "We were in an eternal commute loop but Lane closed off one of the roads so we were able to make it!" remarked one of the firemen from the other town "We're getting aerial relief Fire planes are coming from Woodland town to control the flames and prevent further spread. The only main concern now is preventing the fire from spreading over the river or across the street." Said another fireman Fire-boats arrive on the scene to control the raging inferno, presumably from Pleasant view. Equipped with very powerful pressurized water cannons that hook up directly to the water below. After a while we start to see the first signs of progress is now made towards getting the inferno under control. Unfortunately, the West-Field Office is now fully engulfed along with the rest of the complex. Click on the image to see it full screen. There's so much going on that a quick glance simply doesn't do it justice. We start flying to Coibridge. The light blue line shows our helicopter path, and the orange circle is the fire with dark shaded being the smoke. . We finally arrive at the hospital, with crews around the helipad already waiting for us They immediately rush Matthew on the stretcher down to the trauma ward... Doctor: "He needs life support fast!" "Alright mayor come this way, we'll take him in!" said one of the trauma surgeons The security guard takes me to the waiting room, which is surprisingly empty. "The fire blocked the only ways we can get here. We can only take people by helicopter." Said the security guard. As I walk into the lobby, I notice some TV's, all with the news showing the scenes back in River City. I notice a familiar man sitting watching the news It's the mayor of Coibridge!" He gets up and shakes my hand. Mayor Gene: "I hear you're the mayor.." "Yes sir I am" I replied "My respect to you Mayor," He said, "rushing in there and saving your neighbor, the way you ran down the road into the fire." "Look I think they almost got the fire out!" remarked Gene as he pointed at a TV screen I turn my head and look at the TV: Breaking News: This was the worst accident this whole region has ever seen!" (Real life stock image is the closest to what it actually looked like in the waiting room) "Chief officer Lane told me he's never seen firefighters busting their butts like this. They're the best he's ever seen." Said Gene "I can't believe you two were in the middle of that! How was it like in there?" Asked Gene, amazed as he stared at the screen above. "Hot." I replied. "Ah," he said. Moments later, the doctor walks in the lobby, with the helicopter pilot, co-pilot, a security guard, a woman, and two more people, presumably friends of Matthew "Mayor?" Doctor asks "This is Matthew's Wife Pamela, and some friends." He said, (Pamela looked very concerned). said as I shake their hands. "We brought them here, they wanted to see Matthew and also thank you for saving him." "Speaking of Matt, how's he doing in there?" I asked (He lets out a sigh and shakes his head) "I really wish I had better news. He's currently undergoing an emergency procedure. We're doing everything we can to save him." He said This has to be the worst disaster since the Woodland tornado. Already 6 dead in this and counting." Said Gene "Matt saved a great deal of people, he managed to get a whole group of workers out of there. He always knew his city inside out." I said "Yeah, not sure how good of a mayor he was but I heard he saved some lives." Said the doctor "So is this guy!" Gene said as he pointed at me Gotta give him credit, Matt wouldn't be here right now if this he (referring to me) didn't run into that fire like a headless chicken, and risk everything. Plus Kevin and his crew , gotta give them a lot of props for getting them out of there! Gene said to the two helicopter pilots. "Yeah I saw it on the news, it was one insane rescue effort," remarked the doctor "They've both be certainly dead," pilot remarked, "the whole place just blew up." "Chief Officer Lane is going to address the citizens in the morning at Woodland Town to inform them what happened. They're gonna be without power for weeks, even months." Said Gene. "I have to hook up the power lines while we rebuild the power plants. They're all gone back there." Disasters like this often bring out the best in people. We had a lot of heroes tonight!" Said the doctor, as he's called back into the operating room ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Officer lane: "You're all doing great!" Chief Firefighter: "Come on!!" Water puddles line the streets from the water. After the constant battle, the flames are finally starting to die down. The fire boats and their powerful water cannons help quell the flames. The once bright orange glow of the inferno fades away and give way to the darkness of night, with only the red siren lights of the emergency vehicles. Firemen begin to walk into the burnt buildings and look for anything they can find. The city is saved, but it isn't until sunrise that we can determine the full extent of the damage. Thank you for reading, please leave a comment down below, it is greatly appreciated! I will make the next update much sooner than last time

Ring Ring! Ring Ring! The final school bell echoes across the school campus, signifying a break for freedom! Just minutes later the ringing bells give way to cheering and chatter of over 1,000 students, as they pour out of every door of Woodland High School: But today is more chaotic than usual... Everyone at school is very happy because it is the Friday before spring break! As for me and anyone who owns a car on the other hand... Rush Hour After doing some more negotiations with mayor Matthew (mayor of River City, the neighboring city West of Woodland Town), I make the drive back down main street back home. Meanwhile, my wife went to pick up our kids from elementary school. However, what is normally a 15-20 minute drive is turning into a 1 1/2 hour drive because of this...ridiculous...traffic! I swear I'm about to rip my hair out! You can practically smell the heat coming off the asphalt it's so hot! Seems I'm not the only one who feels this way. Horns blare as tension builds among impatient commuters, all of them going down the same road, trying to either pickup their overly-exited spring break eager teen, coming home from work, or going out for a nice stroll. Me and Ben in the car: Me: "Alright, after this red light for sure!" Ben: "It's about time, we've been stuck at this light for the past half hour!" We're finally about to take a right to go south of the water tower down main street The light turns green as desperate drivers scramble to beat the light. We yell at the cars ahead... Me: "Hurry up! Come on!!!" Ben: "Go! Go!!" It's 5, then 4, then 3, then 2 cars ahead of us... *Light changes to yellow* One car ahead... Both: "GO! COME ON! *Light turns red again* The one car ahead of us stops... Me: "Are you kidding me! He could've gone!!" *I press my forehead on the steering wheel* *Ben pats me on the back.* Ben: "It's okay, we'll make it for sure next time, now we just gotta wait another 5 minutes...." Me: "I regret designing the roads like this, *chuckles,* What's in that folder anyways?" Ben: "Oh, that's fan mail!" Me: "Fan mail? What's that?" Ben: "Comments about your city people sent to my address." Me: "Cool, let's open them!" *Ben hands me the mail and I unwrap the first letter*: From @Sciurus "I really like the atmosphere... good job !" Me: "He likes the atmosphere! He must really like heat because we're sweating like pigs right now *chuckles*" Ben: "For sure, this year it's going to be even hotter than last year. At least no tornadoes this time around." Me: "Let's see what this one says:" *Unwraps* Ooh Fancy! This one has a nice page border! The letter reads: From @madhatter106 "What a delight to find so many of my little mid rise office BATs popping up in here. Beautifully done! I wish my cities looked as good as this." Me: "...Bats? In my offices?! Where?!! I don't want anyone catching rabies in my town!" Ben: "*Chuckles*, not those kind of bats!" Me: "Well that's good then! Does he mean baseball bats then? Must be talking about the baseball league..." *Ben face palms* Ben: "He's an architect...and not just any architect, he's the architect that designed a lot of the mid-rise offices in this town, you know, like the one your wife works in?" Me: "Oh that makes sense! Cool, he wrote to us!" Ben: "Yep, BAT means Building Architect Tool. A lot of architects use it to design buildings, forward it to other architects, then send us the blueprints. They are later approved by contractors and then ultimately built in their designated zones. Mad Hatter's designs have a distinct look to them, they're quite lovely! He's very happy to see his designs used in the region! As the city gets bigger, it will attract more architects who will want their skyscrapers built downtown!" Me: "That's awesome! He's a mayor too, I wonder- *Light finally turns green* Me: "Finally!!" Ben: "Let's go!!" We finally round the turn, right into... We're in the red car left of the large water tower, right behind the white sedan, just barely made the turn. See it? That's us. Yet another red light! Hooray!! *Ben: "At least this one is faster. Since this road gets priority, we'll go faster." *Random guy next to us lowers the window* Guy: "Hey Ben!" Ben: "Hey Mark! What's up! Mark: "Just going to the high school to pick up my daughter. It's just this traffic *his phone rings* She's calling me...Hello?" (He talks to her in the background) Ben: *Turns to me* "Mark works in Woodland River City, he maintains the electric flow between our towns..." Me: "What?" Ben: "He manages the power plants and makes sure we're getting the power that Mayor Matthew dealt with. He makes sure the electric grid is working and coordinates repairs if something goes wrong." Mark: "Well! Never mind, looks like she walked all the way back home! "Ben: "Doesn't she live halfway across town?" Mark: "Yep, she got tired of waiting and decided to walk home. Again. Since it's faster now. Bus drivers are getting paid overtime too." Mark: "Mayor, you better do something about this traffic, people are getting very antsy. I don't like my daughter walking through the sketchy part of town because she can't wait!" *We split off into a different road* This traffic is quite bad, especially along main street. Even railroads are up to capacity! Morning and afternoon rush hour has really made it a nightmare to commute. Ben: "It's because there's only one lane for traffic. We need to widen the roads and add more lanes! It's time to widen these roads into avenues. It's going to take a couple months but we should be done before summer! Only downside is they're quite a bit more expensive." Me: "It's worth it. I love my citizens, I don't want them getting angry haha" Spring Break Fun Fact: That little 3x3 lot in the picture below is the only reminder of the great fire early in this town's history: Here's the chapter where it happened: The railroad curves through the residential area near downtown: Expanding The Arteries First day of Spring Break... Let's take advantage of the low traffic and begin widening the roads! Here are my professionally drawn architectural road widening plans: Work has already begun down main street: Over the months, the roads were laid out, along with a median. This will soon become a 4 lane avenue! It's going to cost us a bit but it'll be worth it in the long run! Some stores and homes had to be demolished, displacing over 1,200 people. Some either moved to the neighboring towns or the new homes that were built here. New business rush to be the first to claim the main avenue since they'll get more traffic: The avenue is paved... ...And finally one May afternoon, the lanes open! Traffic flow is much smoother! This made a huge difference! The main roads are like arteries and they need to be widened. The water towers were both moved but they're still within the same tile. Rush Hour... Me and Ben stand on top of the tall office tower left of the round water tower overlooking the main intersection: Ben: (Holding up clock) "It's almost rush hour...Think she can handle it?" Me: "I'm crossing my fingers..." It's quiet...too quiet. The roads are set, ready to take whatever traffic has to throw at them... The clock hits 5 and over the next minutes cars begin to pour into the new avenues as people head back home from work! Me: "No jams! They're not jamming up this time!" Ben: "She's holding up great!" *High fives and hugs* Woodland Town officially hits 30,000 population... Ben: "She's sure is growing up fast!" Me: "Yep! Where have the time gone? My son's already going into 5th grade, my daughter into 3rd and now our city has avenues! Ben: "After the tornado I didn't honestly think she'd recover." Me: "For sure. But she doesn't go down that easily. We will get to 1 million population one day!" Ben: "Dream big major...dream big..." Me: "She just needs lots of love haha!" Later that evening... The town's first rush hour with the avenues was a huge success! Barely any gridlock! A beautiful end to the day... Ben's two boys came over to my mayor's mansion to play with my kids after school today. He comes over to pick them up. Ben: (Hands me over two envelopes) "Here, we forgot these." Me: "Ooh, more fan mail?" Ben: "Yep" *Both of us open the two envelopes* From @tonyr "Nice work! " Me: "Why thank you good sir! We do take pride in providing you all with the best this town has to offer! Ben: "This person wants to know about our CAM farms!" Me: "hmm let's see..." From @The Edge "Looks awesome! How do you get the different coloured bits in the farm sections (in the first city)?" Me: "Ah, those are CAM designed farms!" Jeremy: (After overhearing me) "CAM? Daddy, what's that?" Me: "Ben can you explain?" Christina: "Dad haha he misspelled color! Mrs. Larson would take 5 points from him!" Me: "Haha, no sweet heart, see, before, color used to always be spelled colour, but they had to save ink on newspapers so they took the u out of it" Ben: "That's not exactly how it happened, but it's a long story. It's old English. Other words used to have it to. Our writer is likely of British descent." Christina: "Wow Cool! But what's a CAM?" Ben: "CAM farms are genetically enhanced fruits, they are modified to grow better and they are more nutritious and resistant to pests and a lot of diseases. These fruits were found in Simtropolis and grown here!" Jeremy: "What's genetic mean?" Me: "I'll explain it later." Ben: "Alright, I'll see you guys! Let's go!" All of Us: "Goodbye!" *Ben leaves with his kids* Goodnight everyone, thank you for reading and see you next update! Also don't forget to take the time to read the trivia facts, they will catch you up on interesting facts and story points in case anyone gets confused. This is mainly a story-driven-CJ with a lot of stories and plots within it, and it can get confusing if you're just discovering this journal. I don't just want to show a city, I want to show you the lives of those living in it and how the consequences of certain mayor choices, natural events, etc. affect them. Trivia Facts! - This entire update takes place from March to May 28, just before the last week of school. - This update only focuses on Woodland Town, and has no images of other cities in the region. Other cities were mentioned however. - Main street is still called main street and Central Square is still called Central Square. The main avenue that goes west to River City goes back to 2 lanes since Matthew hasn't widened the road on his end yet. - Christina Peterson and Jeremy Peterson are my children. Jeremy is 11, and Christina is 8. Jeremy was born about 8 years before the tornado destroyed Woodland Town. He was too young to understand what was happening that day but he does have vague memories. Christina was 5 when the tornadoes came. - Even today, I still occasionally find rubble from the tornadoes... - Woodland Town is the main focus town which me and Ben founded. Woodland River City is a smaller industrial town West of here which provides us with power for a cost, and we manage their trash. - The mayor of Woodland River City is known Mayor Matthew - Matthew was only mentioned but did not appear in this update. - Ben is my best friend, he is my business partner who made it possible to take out the 10,000 simoleon loan to found Woodland Town - Most people who were in the path of the road widening received a warning ahead of time and got paid the value of the home/business before demolishing. They were more happy with less traffic than losing their old home since they were compensated! - Ben has two sons and I have a son and daughter. Both my kids live with me in my mayor mansion. I own a normal red car. - Woodland Town is in a region that is nearly as prone to hurricanes as New Orleans. The climate borders on temperate but usually sub-tropical. - Woodland Town is also in a region that is hit by very violent thunderstorms producing super cells every 4-10 years due to a climate cycle. The last one produced the tornadoes that destroyed Woodland Town. - No cheats are being used in the making of this CJ. Quite the opposite actually, they are used to either make this game harder/more realistic or to transfer money from one town to another only. - A mod was used to make the avenues and roads more expensive than the default game. As of now, Woodland Town is in a deficit of nearly 1,000 simoleons. Luckily, the town has saved over 2 million so it'll be fine for now. - Woodland Town was nearly obliterated very early in it's life due to early debt. Ben saved it by reversing the obliteration process and told me to give the city another chance. Here is the Woodland Metropolis central square area over the years: Special thanks to @feyss, @aegian, @Manuel-ito, @mrsmartman, @JP Schriefer, @kschmidt, @bobolee, @Elenphor, @AndisArt, @aegian, @jakis, @bladeberkman, @aciaKa, @kingofsimcity, @korver, and @Cyclone Boom For all the likes!

Part 3 is coming!! Following mysterious rumbles in the middle of the night, Woodland Town is plunged into the dark. Little do we know the disaster that awaits us in the neighboring town: River City; The town that has provided power to the region for years. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Previously on Story of a Nation... 2:57 AM I just got awakened by what sounds like a loud rumble. It definitely isn't thunder. Neighbor: "Mayor! Do you have any idea what's the heck is going on?" Me: "No idea, maybe an earthquake?" Neighbor: "Whatever it is it's woken up- *Boom* An even louder thunderous rumbling noise so loud that it rattles windows... I can sense people starting to panic. Christina hugs my leg and starts crying. Just then, the power goes out... Chapter 12: Part 2 The night was slightly chilly for a summer night from yesterday's thunderstorms. The air felt heavy with humidity and it was slightly windy. Me: "Everyone stay calm! We'll get to the bottom of this." *Cell phone rings* It's Mayor Matthew. (Mayor of the neighboring River City) Matt: "Send every firefighter, ambulance, and police over here NOW!! Helicopters too! I don't care!! Send anyone you can! PLEASE HELP US!!! Me: "I'll get on it! What's happening over there!" Matt: *Static*" I never heard so much panic in his voice. I don't like the sound of this. With no hesitation, I got the EMS talkie and called the chief of police Lane Jackson. Lane: "Mayor, I was just about to-" (Radio) Me: "We need every fire truck and ambulance over to River City now!" Lane: "I just sent all of our firefighters a couple minutes ago! I don't know what's going on!" Me: "What about Pleasant-view and District 1?" (Radio) Lane: "I already called them five minutes ago! Every unit in this whole region is heading to River City right now!" Me: "Any idea what's happening over there?" (Radio) Lane: "No power, idea right now. We have very little communication. I'm going over there right now. I suggest you and Ben head over there too." Wife: "What's going on?" Me: "I gotta go, I'm wanted at River City. This is serious." Wife: "Please be careful" (Kisses and hugs me goodbye) Jeremy: "Dad where are you going?" Me: "I'll be back, go back to sleep, everything will be okay. Go back to sleep." I get in my red car: Play this at full volume: As I get exit the driveway, I dial call my business partner Ben on my cell-phone: (Phone) Me: "Ben Wake up!" (Phone) Ben: (Yawns) What's going on? Why is the power out?" (Phone) Me: "I don't know! Just get up and get dressed! I'm picking you up in a few minutes!" I pull up to his driveway. Me: "Ben get in, hurry!" Ben: " Hang on, I'm coming!" Ben jumps in and we're on our way. Ben: "People are all coming out, it sounds like the world's coming to end end!" *Chuckles* Me: "Indeed." (Revs car) We drive through the dark eerie dark roads of our town in the middle of the night... 3:07 A.M. Play this at LOW volume: "10-39 get all units to River City! This is a 10-39" "10-69, we're on our way!" "10-71 we need more info!" "10-33 all units in region!" We catch up to the train of four fire trucks as police escort them. Nearly all police units, including our police van lead the way... We're in the red car following the firetrucks Ben: "Good lord..." Me: "Are they all evacuating from River City?" .My EMS Radio rings, it's Chief Lane Jackson. (Radio) Lane: "We got an update from firefighters over at River City!" (Radio) Me: "What's the situation?" (Radio) Lane: "Our whole county has lost power. We are completely in the dark!" ----------------------------------------------------------------- For reference, we are heading to River City, the site of emergency: Light Blue = Medical Helicopters Green = Firetrucks ----------------------------------------------------------------- (Radio) Lane: "There's a huge industrial fire at River City. Three of the coal power plants exploded. We have 14 confirmed casualties, possibly more. Coibridge is the only town that has hazmat units and ambulances. They're heading there too. I can see the smoke from here!" "10-33 all units to River City, all units to River city" Play this at LOW volume: Ambulances pour out of Coibridge Medical Center like angry bees from a hive: We quickly make it to the bridge. It is just endless cars on the other side of the road as they evacuate to Woodland Town. It becomes apparent just how serious the situation is once we cross the bridge: Play this at FULL volume: Play this at LOW volume: Play this at FULL volume: Play this at LOW volume: 3:17 A.M. We finally arrive and find a blockade of policemen and firefighters. Hundreds and hundreds of people are out around city hall that decided to stay: Officer: "Stay back! Everyone back to the town hall!" Ben: "Good lord! There's people everywhere!" Firefighter: "This way, This way! Come on! You get that side and you spread to the west! Go go! Play this at LOW volume: "We have more units coming in!" The sound of sirens is overwhelming. As we arrive, we can already feel the heat. I can barely hear myself over the sound of the sirens. Me: "Chief! Where's Matt at?!" Lane: "I think he's on the other side of the street! Probably looking for trapped workers! There's people still trapped back there!" Firefighter Squad Leader: "What do you mean we're out of WATER?!! Go find more sources NOW!!" Firefighter: "Move over to this side of the warehouse!" Me and Ben get out of the car and walk up to the firefighters (FF Squad leader = Fire Fighter Squad Leader) FF Squad Leader: "Here! You'll need this." (As he hands me a gas mask). Ben, go to city hall and take care of the crowds. Ben: "Will do! Take care of yourself, Mayor!" Another explosion is heard. FF Squad Leader: "10-33, LANE! WHERE ARE PLEASANTVILLE'S UNITS?!!" Lane: "They're still trying to get here! You know there's no direct road connection here!" FF Squad Leader: "Why not?!" (As he turns to me with a death glare) Ben: "Because the eternal commute loop!" FF Squad Leader: "That is the biggest load of bull-(beep) I have ever heard! Are you kidding me?! Me: "People can be dumb sometimes! I mean come- Another explosion Play this at LOW volume: Firefighter: "We got water!" FF Squad Leader: "(Turns to his squad) GO! GO! Spray now! Lane: "Get all your butts down there now! Let's go!" FF Squad Leader: "Spray! Let's go Spray at it!" Firefighter: "What's the point?! We're not the (Bleep)-ing hazmat units!" FF Squad Leader: "We're just buying time for now! We can't let the homes burn! This is all we can do!" 3:42 A.M. I hear a familiar voice on my EMS radio, it's mayor Matthew! Play this at FULL volume: Me: "Matt what's the situation?! Matt: "It's an oven over here Mayor! I'm trying to save people here!" (Talking to his group) "Alright this way come on!" Turns out Mayor Matthew (This town's mayor) has been escorting industrial workers out of the buildings and walked them to the freight station where they walked across the rail bridge to safety. Here's a map for reference to clear things up: The orange area are the burning zones, the big blue arrow is Mayor Matthew's location Lane: "He's on the other side of the power plants! He's walking people to the train station!" FF Squad Leader: "I don't know how he does it, it's over 150 degrees over there!" I radio to Matthew. (Radio) Me: "Matthew! What's going on?" (Radio) Matt: "Just got (coughs) the last group of people out, I'm going to go check (cough) and see (gasps) if anyone still left." (Radio) Lane: "Get out of there Matt! You've done your job! That oil plant will explode any moment!" (Radio) Matt: "I'll do what I...can. I'm...getting dizzy...hard to...breathe (fits of coughs)" FF Squad Leader: "Heat's gettin' to him. He's been back there for the last hour! He ain't gonna make it at this point." (Radio) Me: "No... Matt! Get back over here!" (Radio) Me: "Matt! Matthew!!! Do you copy?" (Radio) Me: "Matt! Do you copy?!" *No signal* I look around for a moment. Matthew has given my towns power for years and has been a great friend for so long. He has family living in another city and he's been through a lot. I put on a fire suit. Me: "I'm gonna go in and get him!" (As I strap on my suit) FF Squad Leader: "Are you out of your ever-loving mind?! Me: "Yes." I start to sprint down the road towards the burning buildings Me: "I'm going to save him! We need him!" FF Squad Leader: "You idiot! Get back over here now! But I kept running... As my adrenaline took over, I sprinted down the street and made my way towards the freight station at the end. I jumped a few flames and held my breath a couple times as I ran through smoke walls. I took a left to the dirt roads and stopped behind the coal plant to catch my breath. As the adrenaline wore out, it dawned on me just how hot it really was. I had burns on my fire suit and if I breathed too fast I would get into a coughing fit. Even my sweat was evaporating right away. The sky was nothing but smoke, and it was nearly quiet, aside from the sounds of burning buildings. "Hello!" I see a figure out in the distance: It's Mayor Matthew! Wearing a yellow suit and cap! I muster whatever breath I can to yell to him. Me: "Matt!" Matt: "What are you doing here? Go back! (Coughs)" Me: "Imma get you out of here, come on walk towards me!" The heat is so intense that I can barely breathe. A weakened and disoriented Mayor Matthew is stumbling right next to the oil plant. Matthew tries to walk but limps. (Radio) Lane: "Mayor! What the heck are you doing back there?!" Me: "I found Matt. His radio died. I'm trying to get him out of here..Can you send any units back here? (coughs) (Radio) Lane: "We can not send anyone back there! That Oil plant will go off any second! There's huge gas lines beneath them!! GET OUT OF THERE NOW!!!" Me: "Come on Matt!" (As he tries to take a few steps towards me) Me: "You can do it! Just a little more!" (He falls) Matt: "I can't make it." I start walking towards him Me: "I got you!" Matt: (Coughs) "You're insane, Mayor." Me: "Let's go. I'mma get you out of here." I hold him by the arm and start walking him to the train station. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oh (Bleep)! Play this at FULL volume: Boom... The explosion sent me and Matt flying. Everything went black. I can only hear a ringing in my ears... Play this at LOW volume: Play this at FULL volume: Suddenly I hear a voice on my EMS radio that was tossed a few yards away. (Radio) Lane: "This is chief lane, copy! *Static* (Radio) Lane: "Copy! Is any one there! Do you Copy? Mayor!" Me: "I'm okay..(gasping)." (Radio) Lane: "That whole plant just blew up! It's a miracle you're still alive! The situation is beyond worse now! Where are you!?" Me: "Behind the power plant. Near the...gas...I mean train station." (Radio) Lane: "How about Matthew?" I look around and notice his body. He's been thrown a couple of yards. I stumble back up and walk towards him. I look over to him. He appears to be breathing. Me: "Matt?" Though he is still breathing thankfully, both of his arms and legs are covered in burns. Likely they were slammed into the ground by the explosion. Half his hair is missing and his shirt is torn. Matt: "(grunts in pain) I can't move. It hurts." Me: "What's hurting you buddy?" Matt: "Everything." (Radio) Me: "He's not doing too well Chief. He's in serious pain." The flames begin to reach down towards us. Me: "Come on Matt I got you. We gotta go." I try to pick him up but my body felt too weak. I try to drag him by his feet. Me: (Grunts). "Let's go to the train station." Matt: "My town...(grunts in pain) I slowly drag him down the dirt road: We get closer to the train station. Me: (Grunts). "We're almost there. We're gonna make it." Matt: "No...take a look.." I look behind me... My heart sinks. Matt: "There's (gasps) no way in hell we're...getting through that." I look to the road I came from earlier. It's blocked by a huge wall of flames and debris. Matt: "Now we're trapped." I try to think about anything, any ideas. But nothing came to mind. Lane can't get anyone here either. Too risky. Even if I left Matthew to die there's no way out for me now. Me: "I'm so stupid, Matt. I left my wife and kids...back in Woodland." The flames continue to get closer...

Before industrial fire: During industrial fire: After shots are coming up soon

https://www.foxnews.com/world/massive-fire-breaks-out-in-notre-dame-cathedral-in-paris Hopefully they can rebuild it

Welcome back! A beautiful winter goes by as we welcome a new year, new opportunities and more growth! Let's get caught up in what has happened over the last 3 years! Woodland Town continues to grow and thrive... The southern Industrial Sector is expanded with more factories to meet increasing demands for work as more R$ move in: Population hangs around 25,000. Woodland Town is now the largest town in the region! More apartment buildings are built alongside the industrial area: A lake was dug out in order to help make the asphalt for the new roads and to create a nice, more natural landmark to break the monotony of the terrain around it: The proposed railroad is finally built, which will ease the major traffic problems in this town as well as connect to Woodland River City. New homes are also built in the space to connect the residential areas: Farming continues to expand as food demand increases. The Woodland Town Fire Department has expanded their firefighting ability with a landing strip: The railroad is a boon to the industries that transport freight. More manufacturing factories are built: As more industries are built, more residential areas are built, along with industries on the southern area of the town: The population approaches 30,000. Me, Ben, and mayor Matthew (of River City) Make plans to expand the railroad further and create a mass regional transportation system, especially for freight! The possibilities are endless! Simoleon income is only 2,000 a month but the treasury stands at 2 million from last year. A small University is built on the southern area of town, currently know as Woodland City College, complete with a few dorms with capacity to house 1,500 eager freshmen! While people will commute for classes there, some students are moving in from River City and Pleasantview since this is currently the only town with a college in the region: Along with railroads, construction has begun on a proposed 2-Lane regional highway that will serve as the interstate connecting multiple cities in the region: The highway is named Interstate 30, as the highway will connect to cities across the region and go east. Here's the proposed concept: Orange = Interstate 30 (Short Term) Blue = Proposed highway system (For the longer term) Green = Proposed Maxis Toll-Way (Will be very expensive as it will require demolishing) More images of Woodland Town: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here's the latest image of the region for reference: Our next door neighboring towns have grown quite a lot! Here's an older image of the region taken just a couple years before the tornado: Not only is there growth but I see some new towns popping up around the region! I see two new cities, Coibridge and Kenneth City. Let's visit our neighboring towns and see how much they changed! (Fact: Woodland Metropolis is the initial name but it is referred to as Woodland Town in the story, at least for now.) Welcome to Woodland River City! (Usually referred to as "River City") WL River City is currently the second largest town in the region, with a population of 18,330. Founded by current mayor Matthew Brooks, WL River City is small industrial town. WL River Town serves many important roles in the region, most notably being the main power provider to Woodland Town, as well as the Pleasant view and District 1. Founded shortly after Woodland town, the town is built along the river, surrounded by thick woodlands of mainly oaks and pines. Fun Fact: Woodland River City was not affected by the tornadoes. In fact, the town served as a haven for those who lost their homes! Mayor Matthew sent us resources whenever we needed them. Their trash is exported to Woodland Town. Mayor Matthew has accepted the railroad connection to Woodland Town! Over 4149 passengers commute to River City now! Yep, very busy railroads: The town's population is a mix of middle and low class folks. Most of the low class are housed in apartments around the central square, along with a dense apartment area west of the town center, housing over 4,000 people! There aren't a lot of high wealth, due to the 12% tax on them. Mayor Matthew prefers them simple folks! Besides, according to him, every time a R$$$ moved in here, they would complain and leave to Woodland Town either due to smog or noises. Life is actually pretty good in general here. The city has a lot of coal and oil power supplies which causes occasional smog, but most people are content living here. The town is built more compact, with services such as schools, clinics, police and fire stations concentrated around town center. Railroads snake through the woodlands delivering freight and transporting thousands of people to other cities. Large power lines stick above the thick woods, which deliver power to Woodland Town: The iconic sound of trains, especially in rush hour is a sound just about everyone is familiar with: The residential area here is made up of mostly apartments, with the occasional middle class home, which usually houses block mangers: A large oil power plant, arguably the tallest building in the region: We head south down the river to a small little town known as Pleasant View! These smaller towns are under my influence as a mayor. (This town and District 1) Welcome to Pleasant View! Here's how much it has grown over the years: (Older photo taken one early dawn) The town now has a population of 12,129! Pleasantview is only accessible by rail, at least until the highway connects it. North of River City is District 1: With a population of 13,866, like the rest of the region, this town has seen its fair share of growth over the years: Following the railroad west, we see a new start-up town known as Coibridge. The town has been separated from the rest of the region until it was finally connected with the road and railroad: Founded by Gene Philips (Current Mayor) this very fast growing town is the 3rd largest in the region with a population of 18,455. The city feeds off the high demands of smoggy heavy industries: Fast forward to today (Back to Woodland Town) I have two kids, a boy named Jeremy and daughter named Christina. Jeremy is in 4th grade and Christina is in 2nd grade. I drive them to school for their last day before Spring Break: I drop them off at Woodland Elementary (Pre-K to 5th Grade) before going to work at the city hall. My wife usually picks them up afterschool. Woodland Elementary School (WLES) School Schedule: 7:30 am - 2:30 am - Full Schedule 11:00 am - 11:45 am - Lunch 11:50 am - 12:30 am - Recess Thank you for reading! I apologize for the long wait but there's much more to come! I will try to update this much more often!

From my most recent update, River City's industrial area is on fire around 3 am after a major accident resulted in some of the power plants exploding. Firefighters tried putting out the flames but they aren't specialized in hazmat. The fire only grew worse, as all water did was slow it down. It just wasn't enough. To see more, click on my City Journal link in my signature.

From my most recent update, River City's industrial area is on fire around 3 am after a major accident resulted in some of the power plants exploding. Firefighters tried putting out the flames but they aren't specialized in hazmat. The fire only grew worse, as all water did was slow it down. It just wasn't enough. To see more, click on my City Journal link in my signature.

Welcome back! School's out and summer has begun! It's time to make great use of the water park that was built a while back! Woodland Town, along with most towns in the region have stagnated a bit, with population hanging at 30,000 people. Plans to connect the towns and region by interstate and rail by the end of the year are in progress and will encourage major growth in all areas once completed. The Mayor and his wife have two kids, their son Jeremy who is 10 (going into 5th grade) and daughter Christina who is 8 (going into 3rd grade). A Summer to Remember I: A Trip to the Water Park It's another hot summer day This particular Saturday, however, it was very hot! Weather Report: July 8 Saturday Temperature: 96 Degrees Dew Point: 72 Degrees Feels Like: 107 degrees Rain: 80% Highs 98, Lows 73. Scattered showers throughout the day, isolated showers in the afternoon. I took the opportunity today to take the kids out to the new water park. They've been begging me to go the last couple weeks! Jeremy and Christina: Daddy let's go! Me: Christina put on your seat belts! Wife: It's really hot out today. The lines are going to be really long today! Me: I imagine. We get in the car and drive out: 1:24 PM We arrive at the water park and as you see, it's quite crowded: Unfortunately, the trip was cut short and just as they were about to go back upstairs to go on the slide, the lightning alarm goes off. The wind started picking up and drizzles of rain began to come down. Me: "Alright, let's pack it up!" People start exiting in droves as the storm nears. Typical summer storm, we've been getting a lot of these lately but they're normal. I feel the temperature drop. 4:15 PM Just as we're leaving the parking lot, it begins to downpour: It rained for a good portion of the afternoon... The sun peaks through the clouds as the rain continues: 7:35 PM The rain finally let's up: Christina and Jeremy playing in the puddles in my front yard: Here's the current weather now after the storm: Weather Report: July 8 Saturday night Temperature: 76 Degrees Dew Point: 71 Degrees Feels Like: 81 degrees Temperatures have dropped by 20 degrees! Later That Night... The night is peaceful, with the occasional sound of a car streaking through the wet streets splashing up water and distant thunder. Kids from the local neighborhood join in for a pickup game: 10:12 PM Regional Night View: Woodland Town on the right, Woodland River City on the Left, District one above and Pleasant view below it, and Coibridge on the upper left. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2:57 AM I just got awakened by what sounds like a loud rumble. It definitely isn't thunder. Wife: "What's going on?" She says as she rubs her sleepy eyes Just then an even louder rumble booms in the distance, waking up the kids. Jeremy: "Daddy what's that? Another storm?" Me: "I'm going to find out." We all go outside and notice just about the entire neighborhood's been woken as well, as families head outside out trying to make out what's going on. I look at the skies for a sign of a thunderstorm but the skies are clear... Neighbor: "Mayor! Do you have any idea what's the heck is going on?" Me: "No idea, maybe an earthquake?" Neighbor: "Whatever it is it's woken up- *Boom* An even louder thunderous rumbling noise so loud that it rattles windows... I can sense people starting to panic. Christina hugs my leg and starts crying. Just then, the power goes out... To Be Continued... Thank you for reading! Don't forget to leave a comment if you haven't already! Like and follow to stay tuned!

Yes, the site had an issue where the links were blocked. The issue has now been fixed

Good ol' Photoshop, my friend It's all a matter of how well prepared you are before disasters. The tornado that destroyed Woodland Town was part of a super cell that formed as a major cold front pushed southwards and created atmospheric instability. (You know how it's stormy before cold fronts sometimes? Basically that but very bad). People definitely got to enjoy the pleasant weather outdoors since they had no home to go back to for a while.

@EvansRE4 Thank you very much for your comment! Realism is the goal -Me I'm trying to get The Mayor to build a memorial for the victims of the tornado but we haven't picked out a location yet. Trust me though, nobody will ever forget that day, especially since the town is threatened by these often enough to remind us lol -Ben

Your attention to detail is amazing! It's like I'm actually there!

Students leaving high school, either walking/biking home, waiting on their parents or boarding the bus the last day before spring break!