One of the oldest buildings in Molten during the early hours this morning collapsed. 152 people feared dead, killed while they slept. Last week, a transit shaft collapsed killing 36 people in route during what was a typical day for them. “This settlement has reached the end of its physical life. We really need help!” cries out Jimmy Hatch, an elected official who appears to be at his wits end.
Molten, formerly called Mole Town, is located about 648 km (403 miles) southeast of Seleneca at Lacus Mortis and one of the Moon’s very first settlements. The location was first explored by numerous Teran companies robotically as far back as 2022, and later became one of the very first human settlements on the moon, and the first to located within a lava tube. There are not many humans between here and there, and it has always been somewhat of a remote location. The mining operations that once flourished there have since moved to locations with greater resources, causing the community to deal with hard times for decades now. With so little resources, almost no reinvestment in infrastructure has been carried out. Like Seleneca, they operate as an independent state. They were once controlled by the United States of America but were given independence without any say in the matter when the major mining corporations left town.
Community Leaders are asking for help. Last year, the local government hired 3 local engineers to perform a survey of public infrastructure. Their findings were that the community’s infrastructure was both dangerously overstretched and lagging behind all other lunar settlements. The elected officials have offered numerous proposals for repairs, but their broken financial system cannot deliver the needed funds. They are seeking strategies by way of public-private partnerships and establishing an infrastructure bank, to be funded by taxes and private contributions. Contact Seleneca’s Office of Emergencies to find out how you might help, as they are strategizing ways to offer aid. Comm link: Seleneca Emergency Office.
