I was working at the Katy ISD STEAM center last Thursday night. It was crowded with high-school students working on their robots. Not a cloud in sight. Students were focused on their task when several phones beeped with text messages, mine as well. It was an update from our district that school was cancelled for Friday August 25th. The hushed voices became a din of excitement as the news spread. Students began to call their parents and I could hear one particular conversation as the student came out into the reception area to be able to hear their parent over the commotion, "Can I stay at Rogers tonight school is cancelled for tomorrow? I know, I do not know why either, but it is a day off." The cancellation was for preparation, evacuation and taking shelter before the storm hit. Yet, with the hullabaloo occurring around me it felt more like a vacation, at least for the teenagers in the building. The adults became somber, knowing that if our district cancelled school, Harvey was going to be a big one. I knew I wasn't evacuating so for me it was about stocking up on food and supplies and keeping track of Harvey's route.
Friday ended up being a dry day. This only created a sense of complacency and security for many who opted to just relax and wait it out. Many were saying "My house never floods, so I am not worried." But, that night, thunder, lightning and torrential rain led to the first of many days of flooding and devastation. Neighborhoods that have never seen flood waters were submerged. Coastline cities decimated and that was only the beginning. If 12' of rain over night in some areas wasn't bad enough, tornadoes blew roof's off and high winds knocked down trees and power-lines. Even then, many people came on the news and said "Our neighborhood never floods, we have been here 25+ years, so I am not worried." Water continued to pour, mandatory evacuations were announced and this was only Sunday.
My neighborhood filled up with water quickly, it always does, but it crept up my driveway. Taunting us. The rain continued to ravish Houston and East Texas. Neighborhoods that never flooded, flooded. Bayous, rivers, reservoirs had enough. They spilled their banks and caused more flooding. The levels reached such capacity, they had to release water from the reservoirs for fear of the dams breaking under the pressure. More water washed away cars and forced its way into homes, that for every storm prior to Harvey remained dry. Not just inches but feet of water, attacked their surfaces like a storm of hungry bees. Trapping many in their homes. Boats arrived and rescues were all the news was showing. Just countless families in silver boats floating down Houston and East Texas streets. Roads became rivers and inland neighborhoods became unrecognizable.
Days passed. Rain began to slow, yet rivers continued to rise. Flooding expanded and encompassed anywhere it could. Affluent or poverty stricken areas, it didn't matter, water is both non-judgmental and unforgiving. The sheer force of it can shake even the strongest foundation. After five days of relentless rain, the sun peered through the clouds giving hope of reprieve. Yet, flood waters remained steadfast. Shelters, volunteers, first responders continued to offer respite. Then National Guard, helicopters, the Cajun Navy arrived. My part of Katy, drowned and beaten became a staging area and everywhere you look you see Hum-V's, buses, boats and every military and support organization imaginable. Helicopters and large military cargo planes are continuously flying over head, even today. Rumbling my house, reminding me that things are not normal, not yet at least.
The storm has ended but flood waters, still holding their stance are slowly retreating. Homes are being gutted, cars towed. Supplies are being sent in. Many shelves bare of food and drink. Stores closed even in dry areas as employees can not make it in, have evacuated or their homes have been damaged. Normalcy seems far away but Texans are strong, Houstonians are resilient. Neighbors helping neighbors and support efforts are well underway. But, many teachers in Katy ISD, not to mention the rest of Houston and East Texas, have lost their homes, students are displaced, families are in shelters. How do you go back to school when 5 of your schools took on flood waters? When you get back to school how do you as teachers, help students deal with trauma? All the while dealing with trauma yourself. Most people survived, although we lost some of our fellow Texans. But surviving is only part of this catastrophe. It is where we go from here that can be crippling to many.
Once we step back into our classrooms, we need to bring Harvey to the forefront. We need to have open, meaningful conversations. We need to listen to our students. Watch for signs of post-traumatic stress. Hug them. Make sure they know that we went through this too. Share stories. Be mindful and aware of the quiet internalization that is often overlooked. But, we also need to get some kind of normalcy back in place quickly. Reiterate routine and community. Not overwhelm our students with homework, but spend time reviewing and making them feel safe back in the classroom. It is important to remember that weathering the storm does not just mean making it through, but continuing to cope and make sense of the tragedy.
I am not sure when we will get back to school. But tomorrow, for the first time in a week, we get to enter our classrooms and assess the damage. A deep breath and calm focus brings me to a meditative state. Whatever lies ahead will be conquered. Harvey may have taken a bite out of Houston and East Texas but we are survivors, we are tenacious and stubborn. We can see the sunshine through the clouds. Even on the darkest of days. This is what makes us Texas strong.
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