- By Ashley Ricks, Staff Writer -
Imagine looking out a window and seeing the street outside turned into a river and instead of cars being used as transportation, boats were being used to escape the ever increasing flood waters. This view is what the citizens along the gulf coast of Texas saw as Hurricane Harvey made landfall on August 25th. At the time Harvey hit Texas, it was a category four storm, making it the first major hurricane landfall since 2005, the year Hurricane Wilma hit Florida. Harvey made landfall quicker than expected and came inland with 130 mph wind and rain beating the areas of Rockport, Corpus Christi, and Houston. Many areas of the gulf coast in Texas received more than 40 inches of rain, causing major floods throughout the coast.
This powerful storm resulted in 17,000 rescues and displaced 30,000 people; the most recent numbers say at least 70 people have lost their lives due to this massive storm. Hurricane Harvey lingered on the Texas coast for four consecutive days, which made the flooding worse. Due to the size and catastrophic effects from this storm, the name Harvey will never be used to name a tropical storm again.
In an interview with Yessy Anorve-Basoria, a junior at Meredith College, Anorve- Basoria discussed the hardships of having family members from Texas. Anorve-Basoria has relatives in Houston and knows the difficulties they are currently facing in the aftermath of Harvey. Even though Anorve-Basoria’s family was able to make it out safely before the hurricane hit, Anorve-Basoria believes the government and families should plan for these types of catastrophes so no one is completely caught off guard when another major storm hits. As a way for Meredith students to get involved in the relief efforts, Anorve-Basoria recommends students should give “old clothes, blankets, hygiene necessities, and diapers” and she believes clubs and organizations on campus can start collection sites to make it easy and convenient for students to drop off items. Although Houston has a long recovery down the road, Anorve-Basoria says “the United States has a reputation in recovering from disasters and Hurricane Harvey is no exception. Recovery will be a slow process, but there is a great support system in America.”
Currently, the Communication club, Student Government Association, and Office of Student Leadership and Service are collecting items, such as hygiene products and cleaning supplies, to help the Hurricane Harvey victims. Donation box locations are: Carlyle Campbell Library, Cate Center, Belk Dining Hall, the Chapel, and residence hall first floor parlors. The on campus donation drive will continue until Sept. 15. After the the drive is over, students who still want to contribute to relief efforts can give monetary donations to the American Red Cross, the Houston Humane Society, and Texas Diaper Bank.
Photo courtesy of Digital Trends
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