The impact of Hurricane Hilary
By Ernesto H.
What happens when a hurricane hits Southern California?
A long weekend was not expected, but that’s what teachers and students got after Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) closed schools due to Hurricane Hilary, which became a category 4 hurricane before being downgraded to a tropical storm.
The hurricane/tropical storm impacted students and teachers at Diego Rivera.
Streets flooded, raindrops poured, trees swayed, and many students and their families took shelter at home.
Senior Victor M. said that he felt shocked and disappointed that the power went out because “there was nothing we could’ve done.”
Another senior, Joel G. said that he felt distraught because “I couldn’t attend my classes on Monday”
Victor also mentioned that he had a plan if any disasters occurred. “In that case, I would go out of the city while the accidents are happening.”
Teachers were also impacted. However, Ms. Suarez, a computer science teacher, was prepared.
She said, “I had this thing called a go-bag with like extra clothes and other copies of important documents, food, and water including COVID testing, just things I’ll need possibly in an emergency.”
The hurricane reminded her of an event from her childhood.
“In 1994, I was 10 years old when the Northridge earthquake hit, and I experienced first time what it was like to be in an actual serious emergency.”
The Northridge earthquake was one of the worst earthquakes that happened. It lasted 10 to 20 seconds with a magnitude of 6.7, which caused extensive damage throughout the area and killed dozens of people.
Though this hurricane impacted LA, it is safe to say that many of us survived this natural disaster.
If you are looking for a safety plan in case of natural disasters, here are some tips provided in the link:
