Episode 8 - Earth Quake
Deep in the Alaskan wilderness, off grid homesteaders Steve and Cassie Brosius are battling to survive their first winter with their 4-month old baby, Saxon. Living 13 miles from the nearest town, they are at the mercy of Mother Nature. With only one cabin for shelter, and a new baby to keep safe, Steve is racing to build an emergency back up building for the family. Fellow off gridder Dave Weems' nieces, Mikayla and McKenzie have come from their home in Tennessee to get a taste of life in the Alaskan bush, but they are struggling with the extreme weather, and must help their uncle replace the front door before nightfall or else their Alaskan adventure will quickly become a nightmare.
In central Alaska, a magnitude-4.2 earthquake is causing mayhem on the railroad. Track teams up and down the line are racing to inspect the rails for damage from the tremors. They must clear rocks that have fallen onto the rails blocking the main line and fix tracks that have been warped and bent by the earthquake.
Freight crew, George, Wanda and Bill are tasked with hauling a 10,000-ton train, packed with gravel, vital for construction of the state’s buildings and infrastructure, over 200 miles to Alaska’s largest city, Anchorage. With blockages and deformed rails threatening to derail the train, it will take a Herculean effort by the railroad teams to make this delivery before sun down.