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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 12 sepTember 2017
Houston students start classes after delay from Harvey

normalcy to an area still other buildings as well as tire school year. These nine
wending its way through other costs. campuses served about
the healing process follow- Students at 268 of the Hous- 6,500 students last year.
ing massive flooding from ton school district’s 284 “We are working hard to
Harvey. campuses started classes make sure that we’re going
Students “are excited to be on Monday. Houston has to be as normal as normal
back. Parents are excited the nation’s seventh-largest can be, given the circum-
to get students out of the school system, with about stance. We know the quick-
house, to get them back 215,000 students. er we can get students into
to something normal, to Some of the students who a routine, it allows mom
be with their friends,” said returned to school on Mon- and dad to get into a rou-
school secretary Demitra day included many of the tine. It allows the healing
Cain as she greeted stu- less than 1,500 students to begin,” said Carranza
dents and parents outside who remain at shelters be- after visiting with students
Codwell Elementary. The cause their homes and at Codwell Elementary
longtime school district em- apartments were flooded. and helping serve some of
ployee said she had prob- The district bused these stu- them breakfast. “So we’ve
ably given out at least 200 dents from shelters to their burned the midnight oil for
hugs on the first day of the campuses, officials said. the last two weeks to make
new school year, which The remaining campuses sure we can get as many
was delayed by two weeks will start classes on Tues- schools up and running to-
due to Harvey. day, Sept. 18 and Sept. 25 day.”
Superintendent Richard due to ongoing clean up For students who didn’t start
Carranza said the new and repairs from Harvey, on Monday or who have
school year was “going which last month dumped been staying in shelters,
to be a year of not only more than 50 inches of teachers and community
incredible academic rain in some areas around groups have been working
School secretary Demitra Cain, left, greets Danielle Outley, 7, achievement, but it’s going Houston. with them to ensure they
for her first day of second grade at Codwell Elementary School
Monday, Sept. 11, 2017, in Houston. Students in Houston are to be a year of healing.” Nine campuses were so get organized instructional
finally starting their new school year following a two-week delay None of the district’s more severely damaged that activity until they return to
because of damage from Harvey. than 300 schools and facili- their students will have to the classroom, Carranza
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip) ties escaped without some be temporarily relocated said.
By JUAN A. LOZANO filled with the excitement of impact from the tropical to vacant district buildings Myers said her home did
Associated Press meeting new teachers and storm, Carranza said. The or transferred to nearby not flood but her kids were
HOUSTON (AP) — The first making new friends, while district estimates Harvey schools and three of these scared and “slept in their
day of classes for students also allowing the nation’s caused at least $700 million campuses likely will be closets” during the torren-
in Houston on Monday was fourth-largest city to return in damage to schools and closed for repairs the en- tial rainfall.q

No bride’s dress? No problem:

Guard couple tie knot in Irma

By CLAIRE GALOFARO being sent into the state’s
Associated Press most devastated regions.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Lau- They were eating breakfast
ren Durham had a poofy with some friends Sunday
white dress and plans for morning, and one said,
an intimate beach wed- “Hey, why don’t you guys
ding on the second week- get married during the hur-
end of September. Instead ricane?”
she got married in fatigues, Dozens of people — some
with no makeup, in a vast longtime friends from the
hangar filled with rescue service, some strangers
vehicles and paramedics from across the country
just hours before she would who came to assist with
rush into a hurricane to try the rescue efforts — set up
to save her fellow Florid- folding chairs. A few found
ians. tuxedo T-shirts to wear, de-
She and her fiance, Mi- spite the closure of all the
chael Davis — both of stores in town for the storm.
them senior airmen with Someone came up with a
the Air National Guard — bouquet of orange flow-
were deployed indefinitely ers. Their best friend in the
to assist with the rescue. Guard happens to be a
They let their out-of-town notary and officiated.
guests know they’d prob- They don’t think they’ll be
ably miss their own wed- able to come up with a
ding and headed to the cake, but that’s OK: “We
Orange County Conven- have plenty of snacks.
tion Center to wait out the MREs do have Skittles in
hurricane with hundreds of them, so we’re pretty ex-
other relief workers before cited,” Durham said.q