Hurricane Harvey from a College Student’s Perspective

For those who follow my blog regularly, I am a Houston fanatic who has called Houston home for 21 years now. The recent tragedies in Houston have caused me to think a lot about the city I love, and it has taken me a few days to put into words what I’ve been feeling.

As a native Houstonian attending college in Houston, my heart is broken. The destruction that Hurricane Harvey caused my beloved city makes me sick to my stomach. Even though I have been keeping up with the news and watched as water levels rose and as pictures of my flooded neighborhood appeared on national television, I have been very fortunate. As a college student living on campus, I’m in one of the safest places in Houston. Rice has done an amazing job taking care of its students, and it has been amazing seeing the Rice and Houston communities come together.

Rice, like many other universities and school districts in Houston, cancelled classes this entire week so that students and staff could take care of their homes, apartments, families and livelihoods without having to worry about school. I have never been more proud to go to Rice than I have been this past week. Our Housing and Dining Staff, who take care of our meals, maintenance of the colleges at Rice, and so much more, volunteered their time away from their families and stayed on campus in order to feed all the students (for free) and to clean up around the university. I know all the students here at Rice, as well as many of the worried parents and relatives of the students, will be eternally grateful for the sacrifices made by so many staff and faculty members at Rice.

As privileged as many of us feel at Rice, where we are fed, sheltered and have access to clean water and electricity, students have already taken efforts to give back to the city - a city that many students do not even consider their main home. One of the best parts about Houston is how welcoming it is to people. We are the most diverse city in the country, with the highest population of refugees in any city in the U.S. We welcomed thousands of people from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina devastated the homes of so many of our Southern neighbors. Houston has always been known for opening its arms to newcomers and allowing people to embrace their own journey and experience in this city.

Rice University stadium parking lot after Harvey. (Photo: Rice student Damien Ng)

This is why it makes me so proud to see people who aren’t from Houston adopting this spirit to help native Houstonians who have been affected by the flooding feel safe. Seeing people taking it upon themselves to rescue others in their boats and cars with no expectation of being paid back is amazing. These days, it seems like nothing is done out of pure goodwill, so the fact that so many people, especially young people, are giving their time and money to help Houston truly restores my faith in humanity.

As a college student, one of the biggest worries is money. How can a broke college student help aid hurricane victims if we don’t even have enough money to buy all our books for the semester? Rice has been asking for donations in the form of clothes, toiletries, food, and other necessities to bring to the victims of the storm. In addition, students have been piling into cars to go be a hands-on volunteer at NRG Stadium, BBVA Compass Stadium and the George R. Brown Convention Center.

One of the most powerful sources of spreading information these days is Facebook, and it has become another place of support where many students are setting up accounts and pages to collect donations from friends and family members. The world is watching and listening, and the power of young people and social media has been helpful in collecting monetary help. The donations that have been raised from countless sources like JJ Watt, the Mexican government, Kevin Hart, the Red Cross, and even the Kardashians, is so generous and so needed, and as students, we must use the resources we have to help, even if it is reaching out and asking for help from others.

Last school year I took a class called “The Sociology of Disaster.” In it, we talked about how natural disasters, despite physically tearing apart communities and wreaking havoc upon entire cities and ecosystems, actually bring people together when they’re over. While this is exemplified in many other natural disasters we’ve seen throughout the years in the United States, the people of Houston have gone above and beyond in exhibiting the kindness and camaraderie expected after a natural disaster. Texas has always been known for being friendly (did you know “Texas” means “friend” in the Caddo language?), but it has been heartwarming to see people come together to donate time, money, and ideas towards improving the wonderful city that is Houston.

As a college student I feel so lucky to have been in the position I am during this disaster, but every day I worry about my family, friends in my neighborhoods, and those who do not have the resources to help rebuild their lives and homes. I am so thankful for all the kind, innovative, and selfless people surrounding me at Rice and in Houston for sacrificing their time and money to helping rebuild (I’ve always thought this, but maybe you’ll agree with me now) the greatest city in the world. We are #HoustonStrong.

If you are able, please donate to @RiceHarvey-ReliefFund on Venmo, YouCaring.com/JJWatt, text HARVEY to 90999 (donates $10 to the American Red Cross), or donate to the Houston SPCA through houstonspca.org.  See our list of volunteer opportunities and more opportunities to donate here.