It spilled over.

The sound was deafening.

Water crashed into streets.

Vehicles began moving.

At first, they rolled.

Then they floated.

Then they collided.

A parked car struck another vehicle and spun sideways.

A small truck was pushed across an intersection.

Objects that had been stationary only seconds earlier became dangerous projectiles.

Water poured through low-lying neighborhoods.

Residents who had not evacuated quickly enough ran toward higher ground.

Some climbed staircases.

Others scrambled onto upper floors.

Emergency workers shouted directions through loudspeakers.

The city had become a maze of water, debris, darkness, and panic.

---

The Road to Higher Ground

One fictional family, the Tanakas, had been eating breakfast when the earthquake struck.

Their apartment shook violently.

Their youngest daughter, Hana, began crying.

Her father grabbed her hand.

Her mother picked up a small emergency bag they had prepared months earlier.

They had never expected to use it.

Now they were running.