Water out of stock, petrol pumps without any gas, cars moved to higher elevation. Or studying for tests on the next day, watching TV shows, waiting for school to be cancelled, these are all reactions toward Hurricane Harvey before it actually turned into a devastating natural disaster, leading to massive losses for many families.

  “I was actually excited because school was cancelled, but now I realize that I would much rathered go to school than go through another hurricane,” junior Amy Yang said.

 For most students, school cancellation meant a short break from school work. With the excitement, it was easy to underestimate the potential damage a Category four hurricane could cause.

 “We didn’t prepare as much as we should have,” Yang said. “My family felt like it would be just like any other hurricane, so we just bought a few cases of water and stayed indoors. Unlike other families around us, we didn’t move our cars to higher elevation, which in retrospect was a really bad decision because all of our cars were flooded.”

 Underprepared families did not expect the flash flood; as water level continued rising and started causing damage, many of them were under mandatory evacuation.

 “The conditions in my area weren’t good,” senior Daniel Oglesby said. “To my knowledge, my section of Grand lakes (Phase 3) is one of the only neighborhoods within the Seven Lakes zone to have widespread flooding. Fences were torn down, water was waist deep, and the majority of houses in my neighborhood flooded.”

 Although the circumstances were dangerous, with the help from volunteers and army force, most families were successfully evacuated. The help from these volunteers and army was not only grateful, but it was also motivation for the people who were affected.

 “It’s really great to see communities like ours here in Katy band together to help each other out,” Oglesby said. “The day my family and I waded out of our house we saw an innumerable number of boats and trucks ready to help people evacuate. It just goes to show you that human nature really is amazing, and people don’t just do things for their own benefits, but also for the benefit of those around them.”

 The positive mindset of lending hands to people who needed inspired people to support each other during the hard time and form a strong bond within the community. It was often tough to go through unexpected loss and damage, but lessons learned from this real life situation can be applied in the future.

 “You should prepare as much as you can by stocking up on water or by moving your cars,” Yang said. “But most importantly you need to make sure that you and your loved ones are safe. Even if something unfortunate does happen to you, don’t despair. Because there are so many kind hearted people out there who will help you and your family recover.”