Local areas feel the effects of Hurricane Irma

Hurricane+Irma+barrels+down+on+the+Florida+peninsula.+Photo+creds+Palm+Beach+Post

Hurricane Irma barrels down on the Florida peninsula. Photo creds Palm Beach Post

Hurricane Irma blew through Fla. on Sunday, Sept. 10. Not only did it affect millions across the state of Fla. it also brought residents closer together as they hunkered down for the storm.

 

Approximately 1,800 schools across Fla. were out of power for a week. The United States Department of Agriculture gave students the ability to get free lunches without any paperwork from Sept. 18 – Oct. 20.

WPTV’s Scott Sutton explained in the article ‘Palm Beach County, Treasure Coast Schools offer free lunch, breakfast after Irma,’ that “All students in the 48 counties affected by Hurricane Irma will now be able to enjoy free school meals provided by the USDA’s national lunch program through Oct. 20.”

 

Upon return to school on Sept. 18, teachers and students had to adjust to the loss of instruction after the storm, even though the pacing calendar stayed the same.

 

“[The school district] didn’t change our pacing,” said Geometry teacher David Anderson.

 

To restore power to the state, Florida Power and Light lineman, along with out-of-state workers, put their lives in danger, many of them working over 15 hour days.

 

Although residents were grateful for the hard work by FP&L, it was frustrating to go without power for days.

 

“Power surged all day the day before the storm, then after that I lost power for four days,” said sophomore Chloe Griskie.

 

When Irma approached Cudjoe Key on Sept. 14, the storm was a category four with winds at 130 mph. The Fla. Keys, the west coast of Fla., and parts of southern Miami had major damage from flooding and flying debris. According to CNBC, as Irma tore through the state, more than 60 percent of its residents saw some sort of damage.

 

“We were worried about the winds possibly damaging the boat as well as the storm surge flooding the house,” said Griskie.

 

Along with power outages, flights were canceled all across the state. According to the FlightAware.com tracking site, a total of 3,582 U.S. flights were canceled on Monday, Sept. 11, mostly as a result of the storm.