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This is one of the many depictions of how high the flooding was and how everything was at the mercy of the storm. Photo permissions by Sarah Carlson.

As many Texans struggle to stay afloat the flooding, many LZ students’ hearts sink at the thought of people they know being in further danger than they already are.

Hurricane Harvey took America by surprise as it quickly rose to a category four hurricane on Friday, August 27. It has caused destruction and severe flooding in its path and many were unable to leave their homes. Although the flooding has greatly decreased, there are still some counties experiencing belated flooding, and the rest is just destruction according to CNN.

“We get a lot of serious rain in my area so it still took a while for the rain to really register as being a problem. No one knew how bad it would actually become,” Danielle Buffa, junior, resident of Woodland, Texas and a friend of an LZ student, said. “On Saturday, August 28, the streets were flooded with water at least up to my waist, if not higher. No cars could get through and we were lucky that we had everything we needed, but if we had needed something, medical care or anything else, it would have been very difficult to get. So we mostly just waited out the storm. Now my family and I temporarily left to Western Texas and we’re just staying in hotels in areas around here until it has all passed.”

Although Buffas’ house did not flood, it is scary to think about the possibilities of death when thinking about anyone who is experiencing the effects of hurricane Harvey and thinking about what has happened takes a toll on a person, Emily Burns, junior and friend of Buffa, said.

“It’s kind of horrifying to know that there [were] people stuck in the water unable to get out of their homes that are at risk of just completely being flooded because I know that some of these people are just like me,” Buffa said. “They go to high schools around me and I see them at football games and I may not know these people, but they are just like me. They are suffering, they have lost everything valuable to them.”

After everything Buffa has been through with this natural disaster, she still believes that there is some good in every tragedy, Buffa said.

“I definitely think there is a silver lining to it all,” Buffa said. “You can see people coming together to help those who are in need and it really humbles you and makes you feel more fortunate when you see how much other people are suffering it just makes you really want to help them. Everyone has been coming together to help those people who need it. It’s a really unique experience to get to see that.”

If anyone would like to help the people of Texas, they can donate money to the American Red Cross, Salvation Army, Save the Children, the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund, as well as many others that can be found on the Charity Navigator. Regardless of the size of the donation, remember that “all donations make a difference,” Burns said.