Hurricane Irma, one of several hurricanes this hurricane season, began brewing in the Atlantic Ocean August 30th, stirring up concern from locals to the tropical areas it was going to hit. Barbuda, St Barts, St Martin, Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands, the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, the Bahamas, Cuba, and Florida were all hit by the hurricane. Along with the Keys getting slammed with the force of the dying hurricane, the area of and around Jacksonville suffered from flooding.

The previous hurricane, hurricane Harvey, started up on August 13th, making landfall in Texas on the 25th. It remained a named storm for over 59 hours, making it the longest named storm to hit Texas on record. Damages from the winds and floodwaters still scar the coastline, resulting in hundreds of people having to stay elsewhere as they try to fix their homes. Serious problems many people face when confronted with repairing their house are the aftereffects of flooding. Strewn debris, mold, bacteria, and possibility of structural damage all pose a challenge and a threat to people trying to mend their abodes.

Difficulty and setbacks await many Floridians and Texans trying to rebuild, one of the biggest ones being the cost of repairs. Despite the 7.9 billion dollar relief bill passed by Congress, many homeowners affected by hurricane Harvey are still struggling to find the funds to make repairs.  Bob and Shirley Shaw are an elderly couple whose home in Webster, Texas has been devastated by the hurricane. Their home took on four feet of water, with most of their possessions ruined because of flooding. Clothes, furniture, three vehicles, and a computer were all spoiled by the floodwaters.

Bob Shaw is locally known as the “neighborhood floor guy.” thanks to his many years of practice in his field. Now he’s doing his best to fix his own home, working to repair the damage done by the storm. In this time, he’ll be unable to work for other paying customers, which leaves the couple in a bad place. The SGA and NHS wereraised $508 at the football game September 24th to donate to the couple.

In addition to raising money at the game, the SGA has been raising money during all lunch shifts from October 2nd to October 6th. Not only will the money raised be helping a family in need, but it will also be going towards taping Mrs. Poff to a wall! Fun for students, not so much for Mrs. Poff.

The SGA has raised just over 1,200 dollars for the Shaw’s over the course of all the fundraising, which will be the biggest donation to be made so far.

“I think it’s awesome that the community banded together to raise that much money for Hurricane Harvey.” said Tommy Moyer, the Class of 2018 treasurer in the SGA.  

Hurricane relief efforts are likely to continue for months to come, with damage ranging from mold infestations to collapsing structures. Mildew, bacteria, mold, rotting drywall, and unwanted rodents are just a few of the issues and problems people have to tackle when fixing and repairing flooded homes. If you want to donate online to the help Shaw family recover, a family friend of theirs has set up a donation page here. 

“Your generous donation will help Bob and Shirley through an extremely challenging time in their live,” saidKeith Drake, the one responsible for the donation page. Every donation counts towards the ultimate goal of raising 12,000 dollars.