Maryville students hurt by Harvey
At the end of August, the country received word that Hurricane Harvey would travel up the coast and hit major cities in the United States. When it eventually touched land, Hurricane Harvey reached many areas, but the one that was most affected was Houston, TX. The category five hurricane caused a flood that is said to be a 500-year flood, or a one in 500 chance that it was supposed to be that bad. Many people were devastated due to the amount of damage, and many people lost their homes.
What hit home for the Maryville community is the fact that the hurricane touched some of the families here on campus. Students were hurt from their losses, and many students lost possessions that they can never get back.
Danaus Ferguson, a Maryville College student who is originally from the area where Harvey hit, is one of those affected by the loss of possessions that the storm caused.
“Well, it is very stressful being so far from home,” Ferguson said. “My grandmother lost her house. That is the house that she lived in throughout my childhood, so it hurts to know that the house is gone.”
Students Elijah Chenier and Aaron Solomon also had similar situations back home.
“During the week of the hurricane, my family was moved out of the neighborhood due to the flooding of the entrance,” Chenier said. “Thankfully we did not experience any flood damage to the house, although our church family took a hit with eight feet of water.”
Solomon’s home town, too, experienced damage.
“Multiple communities have started to help out around my home area,” Solomon said. “They are supplying food and water and trying to recover from the devastating storm.”
There are many outreach organizations around the world donating to the Houston community and to the surrounding cities. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has seemed to be on the job in the city. FEMA is helping with the natural disaster cleanup and restoration for the things that were damaged and lost during the storm.
The Maryville College community is very tight-knit and includes students from all over the world. When one of the members of the family is affected, we all are affected. The recovery is going to take time, but the families of our students are doing better day by day.