Issue 03, Volume 83

PRINT WEEKLY. DIGITAL DAILY

Breaking news online thedailycougar.com

Are you watching? coogtv.com

Tune in to student-run radio coogradio.com

Join the Student Media team Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Issue 03, Volume 83

After disaster

Houston stood strong in the face of Harvey's destruction. Now students face the reality of their flooded homes and vehicles.

uh.edu/csm

2 | Wednesday, September 6, 2017

NEWS 713-743-5314

thedailycougar.com/news

news@thedailycougar.com

Traynor Swanson, EDITOR

CAMPUS

Planning, communication key to storm safety Director of emergency management says personal responsibility, UH alerts help keep students out of harm

Maintaining safety during a natural disaster is partly accomplished by keeping students updated through University communications. Boysen said students should maintain up-todate contact information in MyUH to ensure they receive UH Alerts, such as those sent out regarding campus conditions during Harvey.

“If the campus leadership makes any decision to cancel classes or close the campus, that’s going to be communicated out through the University’s emergency

thedailycougar.com

ABOUT THE COUGAR The Cougar is published every Wednesday during the fall and spring semesters and online everyday at thedailycougar. com. The Cougar is supported in part by Student Service Fees. The first copy is free. Additional copies cost 25 cents.

No part of the newspaper in print or online may be reproduced without the consent of the director of Student Publications.

MANAGING EDITOR @JPDAVIS_TDC

Personal preparedness

The Cougar

COPYRIGHT

JASMINE DAVIS

When disaster strikes, the Office of Emergency Management at UH believes personal preparedness is the best way students, faculty and staff can set themselves up to weather the storm and recover.

They encourage members of the community to take personal responsibility for their preparedness, in addition to standing by for University communications, in the case of an on-campus emergency.

Director of Emergency Management Kelly Boysen said the best way to be ready for any kind of incident is to have basic supplies on hand, maintain a personal evacuation plan and stay informed.

“Taking personal responsibility for your preparedness is something that’s really important,” Boysen said. “Doing a few things in advance is going to put you in a way better position to respond, should something happen.”

The University's Emergency Operations Center was activated from Aug. 25 through Friday for Hurricane Harvey, Boysen said.

"I'm grateful to say that the EOC operations during Harvey were a great success as our top priority and objective was met: maintaining the safety of our students," Boysen said. "This success is a result of the many talented and dedicated individuals who remained on campus during the storm."

i

ISSUE STAFF CLOSING EDITORS

Emily Burleson Marialuisa Rincon Bianchi Jasmine Davis COVER

Jennifer Gonzales

The University of Houston's Emergency Operation Center was activated from Aug. 25 through Friday for Hurricane Harvey, said Kelly Boysen, the director of Emergency Management. | Courtesy of UH Media Relations

notification system,” Boysen said. “That’s why we stress so strongly that students have updated their contact information in MyUH, to make sure they get those critical messages.”

Students should aim to keep basic supplies in their residence, whether on or off campus, Boysen said. Necessities to keep on hand include water, a flashlight, prescription medication and cash. Aside from these, Boysen said individuals should avoid putting themselves in situations which could hinder their safety if a disaster were to occur.

"If you commute to campus," Boysen said, "don't let that gas tank be below half full."

The Office of Emergency Management has offered Community Emergency Response Team training since fall 2011, Boysen said. The free eight week course — the next one beginning Sept. 15 — teaches students how to best help emergency responders save life and property.

Evacuation plans Residential students are encouraged to created a personalized evacuation plan, which should include a predetermined evacuation site and how they would get to that location, Boysen said.

“The Student Housing and Residential Life department has a comprehensive list in place for a ‘Planned Evacuation,’” said Don Yackley, executive director of SHRL. “As part of that plan, there is a ‘point person’ assigned to each residence hall who implements the plan by

delegating responsibilities to other staff and organizing the evacuation. All residents are summoned into a central area, and then transported via buses to a safe location.”

The housing department maintains a list of special needs students, Yackley said, and a

to warm temperatures in the Atlantic.

Bernhard Rappenglueck, a UH professor of meteorology, said many of the tropical storms which might make up a moreactive-than-usual hurricane season should remain over open seas.

"Just one disastrous hurricane like Harvey hitting a populate area for a couple of days is catastrophic, regardless of how active the hurricane season is."

Bernhard Rappenglueck, UH meteorology professor staff member in each residence hall is assigned to attend to anyone needing assistance in the event of a planned evacuation.

Students, faculty and staff who live off campus are encouraged to find out whether they reside in an evacuation zone, Boysen said. For example, she said, the University of Houston does not fall into an evacuation zone, but the Energy Research Park, just under 2 miles down I-45, does.

Hurricane season The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted above normal activity during this year's hurricane season in May, three months before Harvey.

Boysen, who was a meteorologist prior to entering the field of emergency management, said August and September are considered the peak months for hurricane formation due

"However, just one disastrous hurricane like Harvey hitting a populated area for a couple of days is catastrophic, regardless how active the hurricane season is," Rappenglueck said.

Hurricane season, which lasts from June 1 to Nov. 30, generally satisfies two important prerequisites for hurricane formation, Rappenglueck said. One is water surface temperatures of at least 81 degrees Fahrenheit, and the other is warm air.

Sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico currently range between 84 and 88 degrees Fahrenheit, he said.

"In terms of rainfall, the most disastrous tropical storms are those which are pretty slow or which stall," Rappenglueck said.

"Then, even storms of lower categories, like Allison in 2001 and now Harvey, can become catastrophic." news@thedailycougar.com

i

Center for Student Media uh.edu/csm

ABOUT CSM The Center for Student Media provides comprehensive advisory and financial support to the university’s student-run media: The Cougar newspaper, Student Video Network and COOG Radio.

Part of the Student Life portfolio in the Division of Student Affairs, the CSM is concerned with the development of students, focusing on critical thinking, leadership, ethics, collaboration, inter-cultural competence, goal-setting and ultimately, degree attainment.

While our students are engaged in producing and promoting media channels and content, our goal is to ensure they are learning to become better thinkers and leaders in the process.

CENTER FOR STUDENT MEDIA

(713) 743-5350 csm@uh.edu www.uh.edu/csm N221 Student Center University of Houston Houston, TX 77204-4015 ADVERTISING

(713) 743-5340 advertising@thedailycougar.com thedailycougar.com/advertising ADVERTISING REPS Muhammad Ali Larissa Jimenez DESIGN TEAM Ram Armendariz

Wednesday, September 6, 2017 | 3

713-743-5314

thedailycougar.com/news

NEWS

news@thedailycougar.com

Traynor Swanson, EDITOR

RESEARCH

Professors receive grant to digitize Latino literature ANDREA FERNÁNDEZ VELÁZQUEZ

STAFF WRITER

@ ANDFERVEL

The first novel of immigration, published in 1916 in Spanish, and the first novel published by a Mexican woman, from 1872, lay on the shelves of University of Houston-based Arte Público Press. Around them, hundreds of other literary legacies of Latinos in the U.S. need to be digitized. For an efficient method of digitization, modern technological tools are needed and slow methods won’t be an option any more.

In an attempt to preserve that literary history, UH was awarded a grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources and the nonprofit Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to establish the country’s first center in digital humanities that will focus on U.S. Latino Studies.

“This is going to give us the opportunity to have a richer, wider audience and to be in the same place that other major writers are participating in,” said Gabriela Baeza Ventura, associate professor of Hispanic Studies and executive editor at Arte Público Press.

She and Brown Foundation

Director of Research of the Recovery Project Carolina Villarroel received the two-year fellowship grant of $167,700 in early August.

Baeza Ventura and Villarroel plan to start using different technical platforms that facilitate research, like Voyant — a web tool that facilitates text analysis and interpretive practices for digital humanities scholars — and Omeka — a server that allows people to create digital exhibitions.

“As a student, when you look at (such programs) you can start thinking (and) looking at literature in a very different way,” Baeza Ventura said. “You start seeing that literature is not necessarily just tied to the book itself, but it also allows you to see beyond the book, like how it was produced, the way maybe a writer is using a term that as a reader you may not see when you are reading it. The computer extrapolates that information for you, and you start seeing it in a different perspective.”

Baeza Ventura added that the M.D. Anderson Library has an Omeka server, so the goal is to work with the extant setups to create projects.

The center will increase the opportunities and learning process for students early in their careers,

"What we will do is we are going to start populating the web — the virtual world — with all this information on Latinos that was not available before," said associate professor of Hispanic Studies Gabriela Baeza Ventura (left). | Traynor Swanson/The Cougar

she said, because they will be able to do research and learn how to work different software.

According to their web site, the Council on Library and Information Resources gives two-year fellowships in data curation for Latin American and Caribbean Studies that provide Ph.D. graduates with a professional

development, education and training opportunities.

In exchange, postdoctoral students share and help their host institutions with practices and services in data curation.

“My goal is to help and bring the Recovery Project to the next level and help the scholars who are inter-

ested in these archives,” said Lorena Gauthereau, the postdoctoral fellow funded through the grant.

The creation of this center will allow masters and doctoral students who do not want to go

RECOVERY PROJECT

Continues on next page

HARVEY

Bayou Oaks residents to return once air quality OK'd KAYLEE DUSANG

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR @ KAYLEEDUSANG

Residents of Bayou Oaks began moving back into their dorms Monday, after Brays Bayou overflowed and flooded the first floor of Bayou Oaks the morning of Aug. 27, displacing all students housed there.

Bayou Oaks was the only UH-owned residential building to experience flooding, according to a tweet from the University. As of Monday, there are sample air quality tests being run through UH Facilities Planning and Construction to ensure that remaining residents can return to a safe environment, said the Executive Director of Student Housing and Residential Life Don Yackley.

Yackley said residents can return to their rooms if the air quality tests yield positive results, meaning the rooms are habitable.

“As a precaution, because so much water was involved, they’re doing some basic sample air quality testing to make sure that the air is good and that mold hasn’t grown as a result, before we’re able to let folks back in,” Yackley said. “We’re all

Townhouses 9 through 15 incurred the worst of the damage from the storm.

All but 10, 11, 13 and 15 were cleared Monday. | Kaylee Dusang/The Cougar

expecting those tests to be good, but out of an abundance of caution we just have to make sure-and get the final word from campus safety.”

All buildings in Bayou Oaks were cleared Monday except Townhouses 10, 11, 13 and 15, said Yackley. Another air quality test was conducted inside the uncleared townhouses Tuesday.

“We’ve been working with facilities such as campus safety, the fire marshals and contractors to get Bayou Oaks up and running as soon

as possible,” Yackley said.

The majority of Bayou Oaks’ damage was due to flooding from the bayou, Yackley said, while minor damage was incurred from wind and rain. The worst of the damage occurred in Townhouses 9 through 15, he said.

“Even when we let folks back into Bayou, there will be construction and work that continues for two to six more weeks, depending on the individual situations," Yackley said.

Whether students unable to

reside at Bayou Oaks during the construction will receive a discount on their rent will be unknown until possibly next week, Yackley said, but the issue is being looked at. He said displaced students are not being charged to live temporarily at the Quadrangle, where the University initially evacuated all Bayou Oaks residents who stayed on campus during the storm.

“Our focus right now is really about getting Bayou up,” Yackley said. “That’s our full attention."

Electrical engineering junior, and resident assistant for Townhouses 2, 6 and 10, Sean White said he was a part of the mandatory relocation to the Quads Aug. 27. White lives in Townhouse 13, one of the homes still closed to residents.

"It's a little frustrating, but at the same time it's understandable," White said. "I understand that the school is trying to be as safe as possible. If you fail an air-quality test, it shouldn't be a livable place anyway — it's better to be safe than sorry."

White said he believes the air-quality test failed in Townhouses 10, 11, 13 and 15 due to all the garbage left behind when students

evacuated. Similarly, Yackley said the failed tests could possibly have been the result of damp clothes, rugs and garbage left behind in the flooding.

Yackley said they expect the results to be positive after they clean the community spaces in the uncleared townhouses and retest Tuesday.

"Our house did not have as much damage as some of the others I saw," White said. "I definitely think 14 and 15 had way more damage than we did."

Once the waters went down last Wednesday, all residents were able to be escorted by UHPD to collect some of their belongings from Bayou Oaks, White said.

White said he hopes to move back in Tuesday, or possibly Wednesday, but UH has provided all the Bayou Oaks residents with everything they have needed in the meantime.

"We are taken care of by the University," White said. "The only complaints I have is that it's taken a while to move back in, but that's not their fault." news@thedailycougar.com

4 | Wednesday, September 6, 2017

NEWS 713-743-5314

thedailycougar.com/news

news@thedailycougar.com

Traynor Swanson, EDITOR

IMMIGRATION

Judge blocks SB4, but DREAMers face nightmare Trump rolls back DACA less than one week after federal judge blocked controversial "sanctuary cities" law

“It’s hard to read into the decision too much, except for the fact that the court found enough of the policy to be potentially legally difficult and problematic,” Rottinghaus said. “Just because there’s a temporary injunction doesn’t mean that the policy will go away long-term.”

The lawsuit will go to the next layer of court, Rottinghaus said, “The full circuit will likely hear it, and if that doesn’t go the way defendants want, it’ll be appealed by the attorney general to the Supreme Court,” he said.

It is too early to tell, however, if the Supreme Court would hear the case, Hoffman said, because 98 percent of certiorari – an order in which a higher court reviews a lower court’s decision – are not accepted by the high court.

TRAYNOR SWANSON

NEWS EDITOR

@ TRAYNOR SWANSON

The estimated 800 undocumented immigrants at the University of Houston breathed a sigh of relief Wednesday when a federal judge temporarily blocked Texas’ Senate Bill 4, known as the "anti-sanctuary cities law," from going into effect.

But uncertainty rose again Tuesday when President Donald Trump signed an executive order phasing out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which allows immigrants who came to the country illegally as children to receive renewable two-year work permits and receive temporary deferral from deportation.

Trump’s executive order gives Congress six months to create legislation that protects DACA recipients, known as DREAMers.

“The ball really is in Congress’s court to develop a new plan,” said Brandon Rottinghaus, UH political science professor. “Not developing any plan would mean that (DACA recipients) are vulnerable to deportation, which is not to say that that will happen, but if the policies are followed through, it could very well mean that.”

DACA recipients’ legal protections depend on the implementation procedures and policies of the federal government, said UH Law Center Immigration Clinic Director Geoffrey Hoffman.

“The hope is that Congress will step in and pass much needed immigration reform and protect DACA recipients and people into the future who meet the strict DACA requirements,” he said.

RECOVERY PROJECT

Continued from previous page into the teaching field to continue their education, Baeza Ventura said.

“It is the first time that they have given this grant to this specific group of Latin American and Caribbean (Studies), and specifically it is different for us because we specialize in Latinos and Latinas in the U.S.,” Villarroel said. “Actually, this is the first time they actually gave it to a

A federal judge ruled that Senate Bill 4, known as the anti-"sanctuary cities" law, has unconstitutional provisions, but Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton vow to appeal it in court. | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Congress has six months, Rottinghaus said, to address immigration reform with specific legislation to protect DACA recipients and maintain the program in some form.

It’s possible that Congress will try to pass a broader measure aimed at protecting DACA recipients’ parents, he said, which was attempted in 2014 under President Barack Obama but blocked by a court ruling.

The scope of immigration reform is contingent on whether conservative elements of the Republican Party voice opposition to it, Rottinghaus said.

“If Congress goes small and tries to reform this one program, they might succeed,” he said. “If they try to go bigger and try to include this program as part of a bigger package of reforms, it might make it more difficult.”

UH President and Chancellor

Renu Khator said in a statement that the Trump administration's decision is "of great concern to the University of Houston System."

"We are sensitive to the disruption that DACA termination would have on our students who are covered by this law, the work they are doing to further their academic pursuits and dreams and their crucial role in our institution's culture and diversity," she said. "As a diverse and inclusive community that believes in the power of education, the University of Houston System will continue to support all of its students, including those covered under DACA, through any means afforded under law."

Trump was pressured to act on DACA, which protects roughly 800,000 immigrants, by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, according to the Texas Tribune.

He, along with nine other attorneys general, wrote a letter to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions in

Paxton was also named as a defendant, along with Gov. Greg Abbott, in the SB 4 lawsuit filed by San Antonio’s City Council in June, according to NBC News. Austin, El Paso, Dallas and Houston later joined San Antonio in the lawsuit, uniting Texas’ major urban centers.

U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia granted a preliminary injunction of S.B. 4 last Wednesday, meaning the bill will not become law for six months, according to the Texas Tribune.

Garcia blocked the part of the law that requires local police departments to honor all federal immigration “detainers,” or requests to hold someone accused of being in the country illegally, but it did uphold the portion of the law that allows police officers to question the immigration status of the people they detain.

Latino-focused group institution in the United States.”

The Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage Project, also known as the Recovery Project, is a center for research that is home to written material about Latino documentary history in the U.S. from colonial times to 1960. It's part of Arte Publico Press, a Spanishlanguage publisher based at UH. “There is material in the archives that has not been studied,” Baeza

Ventura said. “We just have not been able to have enough researchers to do publications on these projects, so now if we work towards the creation of a digital humanities center that will be focused on U.S. Latinos, what we will do is we are going to start populating the web — the virtual world — with all this information on Latinos that was not available ."

For 25 years, board members from the Recovery Project have worked in digital humanities compiling

research and digitizing materials — making that information available through databases — since before this was known as digital humanities, Villarroel said.

“This is firsthand access to one-ofa-kind archives that no other place in the United States has,” Baeza Ventura said.

Baeza Ventura added the creation of this center is still in its initial stages, but she hopes the research center will be available to students,

In Congress's hands

June threatening a lawsuit if DACA was not terminated by Tuesday.

S.B. 4 appealed by state

A comma, not a period The temporary injunction of S.B. 4 is good news, said Youth Empowerment Alliance Maria Treviño-Rodriguez, though the battle is far from over.

“Unfortunately, it’s only temporary,” she said. “This doesn’t necessarily solve the issue of politicizing undocumented people within our state, but it does at least serve as some type of safety net for a lot of families that were fearing unjust and cruel deportations.”

Trump’s decision to rollback DACA, however, is dangerous for the immigrant rights movement, she said, but it’s a surmountable hurdle.

“It isn’t the end of the conversation,” Treviño-Rodriguez said. “ This isn’t necessarily a period but more of a comma.

We’re looking forward to, at this time, creating even more of an understanding of why dreamers are necessary in our communities.” news@thedailycougar.com

scholars and the UH community in less than five years, she said.

“We want to show that Latinos have been writing and participating, they are cultural icons, they are Americans and they have been contributing to the culture and the legacy of writing the American history of the United States since forever, since before the United States was a country,” she said. news@thedailycougar.com

Wednesday, September 6, 2017 | 5

713-743-5314

thedailycougar.com/news

NEWS

news@thedailycougar.com

Traynor Swanson, EDITOR

HARVEY

Semester will not be extended after lost time Deans prepare plans to help students, professors cope with classes canceled by Hurricane Harvey C. MCRAE PEAVY

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR @MCRAEPV1

In response to the threat of Hurricane Harvey, UH locked its doors and shuttered its windows for a total of nearly eight full class days, counting Saturdays.

Despite the lost time, UH will not be extending the Fall 2017 semester.

Following the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s recommendation that UH does not have to make up contact hours missed due to Harvey, the University decided not to extend the semester, according to the Harvey FAQ website.

Everyone returned Tuesday to a campus still recovering from flooding, and all colleges and the University at large have plans in place to help students and professors alike cope with the lost time.

“Students dealing with housing, childcare, financial and other Harvey-inspired challenges may require extensions of assignment deadlines, some delivery of online instruction, independent study, and other accommodations,” said Robert McPherson, dean of the College of Education, in an email. “I have encouraged faculty to be creative in their pedagogy.”

University spokesperson Mike Rosen said a preliminary assessment of all buildings on campus found that 88 percent were fully operational and 18 percent were partially operational.

Only two percent of buildings were non-operational due to flooding.

“Remediation efforts are ongoing,” Rosen said in an email.

“The biggest impact of the storm has been on the UH community — many of our students, faculty and staff have lost vehicles, have flooded homes and were displaced. We recognize not everyone will be able to return to campus starting Tuesday, and we are willing to accommodate them in any way realistically possible.”

The Harvey FAQ page advised students to contact their professors or a program representative if they were unable to return to campus by Tuesday.

If unable to do so, the website advised students to email their circumstances to harvey2017@uh.edu.

“Some possible accommodations may include relaxing participation criteria, allowing online participation, dropping the lowest exam,” said Dean of the Bauer College of Business Latha Ramchand in an email. “While we are fortunate in having all our instructors back on campus on Tuesday, we have suggested that instructors also leverage the technology available on Blackboard.”

Ramchand said professors received an email from the Provost listing specific Blackboard tools they can use to supplement class time for students who can't get to campus.

According to the final Harvey update sent on Sunday, students who are financially affected by the hurricane can request additional financial aid through the Cougar Emergency Fund and submit a Financial Reconsideration Appeal to potentially increase their aid through one online application.

“This will enable the University to connect affected students with every type of fund available,” the update stated.

The already-existing Cougar Emergency Fund is designed to help students with "extraordinary need" or who "find themselves dealing with a personal or family emergency" that may prevent them from affording the costs of attendance at UH, according to an information sheet about the grant program.

Aid awards typically cap at $2,500, according to the document.

Anthony Ambler, dean of the College of Technology, said in an email that cramming material into the semester's remaining weeks would not be appropriate, and that College of Technology faculty have discussed how assignment deadlines should be moved or relaxed.

Ambler said accreditation authorities said they support the college in that endeavor.

“We will be listening to the students and working to accommodate them — remembering that some will not be able to get to campus for a few more days, and some will have lost everything,” Ambler said.

“Focus on the students.” news@thedailycougar.com

A preliminary assessment of all buildings showed that 88 percent were fully operational, 18 percent were partially operational and two percent were non-operational from flooding, according to UH spokesperson Mike Rosen. | Thomas Dwyer/The Cougar

UH STUDENT HOUSING

CALL TODAY! 713-395-9701 Starting at $650/month 4102-4116 McKinney St. GreenResidential.com/Student-Housing

6 | Wednesday, September 6, 2017

SPORTS 713-743-5303

thedailycougar.com/sports

sports@thedailycougar.com

Frank Campos, EDITOR

After suffering through a horrible natural disaster, the Houston community needs to stand behind the Houston Strong movement in support of their sports teams. | Courtesy of the Houston Astros

STAYING STRONG

After Harvey, get out to the ballgame, Houston PETER SCAMARDO

Many of them were outside of the city when the storm hit.

The Astros were playing the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, California. The Texans were in New Orleans for a preseason game against the Saints. Even the Rockets' James Harden was in Las Vegas attending the Floyd Mayweather-Connor MacGregor boxing match. Our very own football team fled to Austin for practice.

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR @PLSCAMARDO2

Houston Strong. Two words that say so much. Words that shout to the world: We are here, and we will not be broken.

It's a phrase inspired by the motto "Boston Strong," created following the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013.

That year, the Boston Red Sox rode that motto all the way to a World Series championship.

They took a tragic event and created something the entire Boston community could gather around, not to forget what had happened, but to persevere; to be strong as one city.

Houston has just suffered a tragedy like no one in this city has ever seen. Thousands have been either forced to evacuate or have lost their homes entirely.

Worst of all, more than 60 people have lost their lives.

Between floods and widespread displacement, it's hard not to find similarities between Houston's Harvey and New Orleans' Katrina.

But there is a question hovering everywhere — a question of what to do once the waters finally recede. How does life return to normal after suffering

Athletes who care The Houston Strong motto was created in dedication to those who were affected by Hurricane Harvey. | Courtesy of the Houston Astros

through so much trauma?

No one has the perfect answer, but getting back into a routine might help.

That is why I urge all Houstonians to go out to sporting events of all kinds.

Force of will Look at the Saints following Hurricane Katrina. The Superdome was heavily damaged while it sheltered thousands, and there was a genuine threat that the Saints might leave the city. But they stayed, and the Superdome reopened just 13 months later.

New Orleans responded in

force to their team's commitment. Fans filled the Superdome for the first game of the 2006 season. The atmosphere was such that players from the rival Atlanta Falcons admitted they had no chance to win that day.

The response from the city was so great that it propelled the Saints all the way to the NFC Championship Game, their best result in franchise history at that time.

Hurricane Harvey has done far less damage to the sports arenas in Houston compared to what Katrina did to the Superdome, but this storm left our athletes in an uncomfortable situation:

Nearly all of the teams have spoken out in frustration at their inability to help those in need back home.

The Texans cancelled their last preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys so the players could return to Houston to attend to their families and help those hurt by the storm. The Astros played a doubleheader against the New York Mets Saturday so the players could use Friday to help those in need. The Cougar's matchup at UTSA was canceled, too.

These athletes are more than people we see on television. They are real people with families, who care deeply about the city they live in and play for.

There's no better example of

that compassion than JJ Watt’s ever-growing fundraiser for Harvey victims.

There is a chance that the Texans will not be able to play their season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Houston on Sept. 10, but head coach Bill O’Brien is adamant that the team needs to play that game in Houston.

It is clear that the players want to be in Houston and play for this city.

That is why I urge all people to go out to the games when they start up. I believe this is important for all Houstonians, not just sports fans. It's about more than supporting a team. It's supporting our city. A full crowd at the Cougars' home opener against Rice would say to the whole city: We have survived, and we are still strong.

So I plead to you: Do not sit at home and watch the games. Go out and be with your friends and neighbors. Show the athletes on the field who they are playing for.

And if history repeats, we might be looking at a beautiful season for our teams. sports@thedailycougar.com

Wednesday, September 6, 2017 | 7

713-743-5303

thedailycougar.com/sports

SPORTS

sports@thedailycougar.com

Frank Campos, EDITOR

REGROUPING

Women's cross country looking ahead after Harvey PETER SCAMARDO

runners from the last two seasons, 2017 graduates Selena Sierra and Maddie Brown, and will rely heavCross country opens their season ily on a younger and somewhat Friday at the Norry Hersey Rice untested group of athletes.

Invitational, a week after their “Obviously, that’s a little scary,” original opening meet at HBU was redshirt sophomore Meredith canceled due to Hurricane Harvey. Sorensen said. “I think it’s really Yet despite the weather, the motivating to the younger girls. runners continued to train, someWe have a lot of girls from my year times by finding higher ground or that are looking to step up and fill even making endless loops in the those empty spaces.” parking garage.

Sorensen is one of a pair of “We have athletes who’ve been athletes who did not compete last putting in up to 90 miles per week season due to stress fractures. in the heat and humidity of Texas,” As a freshman, Sorensen was head coach Steve Magness said. one of several promising athletes “I’ve seen them out in the parks who were in shape after putting and gotten good reports back. This in several miles of work per group trains hard.” week —fifty miles a week prior After losing their top two runto her injury, she said. But after ners from last season, it remains one injury in cross country and to be seen how they will fare this another in track & field, she has year. worked her way back.

Last year, the women only manMagness has worked to tweak aged a 9th place finish out of 11 at each athlete's workout to her the American Athletic Conference benefit. Sorensen said Magness championship meet. Now the takes how the runners react to Newspaper August_PRINT.pdf PM Cougars10-10902_Cougar are without their top two each workout1and9/5/17 changes3:28 what ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR @PLSCAMARDO2

he thinks they need from there.

"The team has proved to be extremely resilient," Magness said.

"Like many around the city, we had athletes or their families lose homes and suffer extreme flooding damage. I've been extremely proud of how our group has rallied together to help teammates and others in need."

For the Cougars to improve on their conference finish, they will need to be on par with the top teams in conference. The women have the numbers to do so, but it all comes down to whether the athletes who have found some success in track & field can transition into cross country.

Senior Jennifer Dunlap and junior Jahnavi Schneider are two such women.

Dunlap did well in her main events, the 800m and 1500m, during the track season. The highlight of her season came when she helped the women place third in the Distance Medley Relay at the Indoor AAC championships.

This will be Schneider's first official season competing on the cross country team. Just like Sorensen, Schneider suffered stress fractures the last two seasons that kept her from competing.

Schneider hopes that running in a more long-distance run and cutting her time to sub-17 minutes have better prepared her for the season than she has been in the past.

“Even if I’m not able to help out the team as much as I might want to, I hope to be a kind of conscience, (someone) to motivate the team and give them a little bit more hope for the season,” Schneider said.

Magness has already told the women to set personal and team goals for this season. All they have left to do is get the work done.

And after having to wait an extra week thanks to the Hurricane, the team will be ready to run Friday.

No. 21 in the nation, and eventually earned the top seed in the

AAC Championship Tournament.

Sullivan has found a good balance in his desire to win and also being content with the results if the choices are correct. Assistant Coach Daniel Whitehead believes Coach Sullivan’s expertise is in his communication and motivation.

Whitehead was in a unique situation last season. He joined the program as a volunteer assistant coach on January 6, and on June 2, he was promoted to full time assistant coach, so he has a good feel of how the system works and what’s expected of him.

“What I’ve enjoyed about working for Patrick has been his approach towards practice and matches,” Whitehead said.

“On one hand, the guy wants to win as badly as anybody, and on the other hand, he doesn’t overload the pressure on anybody and always emphasizes choices, in that if you make the right choices then the results are what they are.” sports@thedailycougar.com

8 | Wednesday, September 6, 2017

SPORTS 713-743-5303

thedailycougar.com/sports

sports@thedailycougar.com

Frank Campos, EDITOR

GAME PLAN

Silver linings playbook: Football makes most out of catastrophe REAGAN EARNST

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR @REAGANEARNST

Preparation for the 2017 season has been anything but routine for football's players and coaches, who are attempting to field a successful team while also trying to restore normalcy to the program and community in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

On Aug. 25, as Harvey strengthened to a Category 4 storm and barreled toward the Gulf Coast, the team announced they would temporarily move football operations to Austin. When an unprecedented 51 inches of rain inundated the city over the coming days, hundreds of impassable roads forced the Cougars to stay put in the capital through the week.

Afflicted city University of Houston officials were left with no choice but to suspend all athletic events due to the catastrophic flooding in the area.

With that, the Cougars were given the opportunity to shift their focus from the UTSA Roadrunners— whom the team had been preparing for—to the city of Houston.

“You don’t move on, but you have to compartmentalize,” head coach

Major Applewhite said. “That’s one thing we kept talking about last week. We have to compartmentalize what is and what we have to do.

That’s a great lesson for us to learn.”

Applewhite said, between 10 and 15 players were directly affected by the storm with their families being forced from their homes due to high water and dangerous situations. He said players not originally from the area have stepped up by volunteering to house their teammates.

Using the ample supply of man power at their disposal to their benefit, the Cougars wasted no time in venturing into the community to aid in the heavy-lifting that comes with the cleanup of teammate’s homes.

“We had a lot of different groups go out with their units, so it was by position,” Applewhite said. “The defensive backs went out and helped D.J. (Small). I know Dillon (Birden) had some running backs go out and help him. It was all based on need and by positio.. If you were one of those that needed help from your position group, they were there to help.”

However, football's relief efforts stretched far beyond helping out flooded teammates and coaches.

While in Austin, seven other Texas

universities — Baylor, SMU, Texas State, Texas, Texas Tech, UTSA and UNT — lent their football equipment trucks to be filled to the brim with Harvey relief supplies. The trucks assembled at distribution points, where they loaded up on items prior to convoying back to Houston in a display of generosity.

With thousands of donations packed into the seven 18-wheelers, the Cougars had their work cut out for them upon returning their home city.

“We had a great opportunity for our players to take all the goods we collected there in Austin and take them to a shelter that was able to provide to a community that didn’t have a lot,” Applewhite said. “It’s eye opening when you have that opportunity to see what some are lacking in basic necessities. For our staff, our wives and players to see that — I felt like that was a really good learning experience.”

On to Arizona Football now tries to focus on the task at hand: preparing for a matchup at the Arizona Wildcats' stadium on Saturday night. Although the Cougars had a well-established practice and training regimen before

Applewhite discussed dealing with Hurricane Harvey aftermath and their upcoming apponent, The University of Arizona. | Thomas Dwyer/The Cougar

Harvey, they must try to rediscover consistency to find success on the field.

“We needed to get every player’s mind locked in,” Applewhite said.

“Now that we are locked in: What is our routine? How do we prepare?

How do we prepare our minds? How do we prepare our bodies? What kind of premium do we put on our preparation versus our opponent’s preparation? How do we focus on us?"

A break in the clouds for the Cougars following Harvey was the realization that their downtime could be used to their advantage against the Wildcats.

Applewhite had his coaches and players watch football games over

the weekend to stay mentally sharp without having a game or practices.

The first-year head coach said that picking up on the Week 1 successes and failures of other programs can go a long way in helping his team learn from obedience.

“I told the guys, ‘Let’s watch what happens in some college football games,’” Applewhite said. “Let’s see some substitution errors, let’s see some delay of game errors. Let’s see a special teams error where the punter goes down with the football and takes a knee. Let’s learn about all the little things we can and let’s be conscious of it because we lost that game experience.” sports@thedailycougar.com

RELIEF

Donations abound following Hurricane Harvey FRANK CAMPOS

SPORTS EDITOR

@ FRANKCAMPOSJ

Hurricane Harvey may have brought death and destruction to Southeast Texas, but it also brought out the best in people wanting to help the country get back on its feet.

Basketball head coach Kelvin Sampson tweeted a call for donations of t-shirts and shoes on Aug. 28, sparking a huge response from around the country.

“The school has received more than 1,300 commitments from all over the country, and that’s just from twitter,” Sampson said. “We are anticipating north of 125,000 t-shirts and somewhere around 20,000 pairs of shoes.”

As of today, the school has received only 35 boxes, but team spokesperson Jeff Conrad said they expect that number to rise significantly once the mail system starts back up again.

The first packages arrived Sept. 2 and members of the men’s Basketball team helped unpack

UH has received only 35 boxes, but Sampson said he expects that number to rise significantly once the postal system starts up again. They are expecting over 125,000 t-shirts and 20,000 shoes to be donated. | Thomas Dwyer/The Cougar

and sort the apparel by size in the Great Hall of the Athletics/Alumni Center.

“I sent out a text on Saturday and said you guys that are in town that can come up to the Alumni center, come on," Sampson said.

“Then when I come up here we have 10 of our team members.

Not only that, but our coaching staff — John Houston who had to evacuate his house because it got flooded, him and his wife were here.”

Coaches and their families, including assistant coach Kellen Sampson who brought his wife and newborn, came to help unpack the boxes, Sampson said.

An overwhelming number of schools answered the call on twitter, and have been tweeting Sampson for the past few days to show their support and items that they are sending.

Sampson and his team are not the only Cougars who have been busy gathering donations this past

week. Football head coach Major Applewhite and his team have been doing their part to gather as many supplies as they can.

Schools from across the state answered Applewhite's call to provide aid in true Texas style.

They not only brought supplies, but used their 18-wheeler equipment trucks to transport their donations to Austin, and then to Houston.

The team set up donation locations in the north and south side

of Austin on Thursday and asked all Texas teams with home games and available equipment trucks that weekend to participate, said team spokesman David Bassity in a press release.

Recommended donations included non-perishable food items, snacks, personal care products, cleaning supplies, paper products and infant supplies, Bassity said.

A total of seven team trucks rolled out from the two collection points around 7 a.m. Friday and traveled back to Houston via Hwy. 290. Participating schools included the University of Texas, the University of Texas at San Antonio, Southern Methodist University, Baylor University and Texas Tech University, Bassity said.

“It just shows you it’s not a UH thing, it’s a Texas thing," Applewhite said to ESPN radio. “It's people having pride in wanting to help people.” sports@thedailycougar.com

Wednesday, September 6, 2017 | 9

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 11 AM-4 PM IN & AROUND CAMPUS uh.edu/wow/prowl

10 | Wednesday, September 6, 2017

OPINION 713-743-5304

thedailycougar.com/opinion

opinion@thedailycougar.com

Dana C. Jones, EDITOR

COMMUNITY

Will Harvey usher lasting sense of unity?

T he past two years have been divisive. The current sociopolitical climate is devastated by a lack of unity.

We have begun the process of separating, preparing for ideological war against our MIA VALDEZ OPINION neighbors and ASSISTANT family members EDITOR and classmates.

In such a divided climate, our future was looking bleak, and we all retreated to our echo chambers and called ourselves the real Americans.

After a dangerous week for Texas, people whose political leanings align with the left and right alike have reprioritized their energy into helping one another find shelter, safety and solace in the wake of the disastrous Category 4 Hurricane Harvey.

Texas is as ideologically divided as any state, and, as of late, tensions in the unofficial ideological war

brewing in the U.S. have been rising. Just one week before Harvey made landfall in Corpus Christi, Texas, a group of white supremacists stormed the historic city of Charlottesville, Virginia, in protest of Confederate Monuments being removed. The president then released a controversial response to the violence that broke out in the protest, which seemed to divide the nation even further.

As the new semester is finally set to begin after more than a week and a half delay, and towns along the Texas coast must rebuild everything, talk of division, at least in Houston, seems blasphemous. As Texans try to recover from the damages of the past week and thousands of volunteers around to pick up the pieces of their world, are we emerging from the division created by two years of political and social change?

The disaster of Hurricane Harvey has, at least for the moment, melted away the labels with which we identify ourselves and others. So while we may still be Republicans and Democrats, we are, briefly,

They say disaster bring people together, but with Harvey, we will have to wait and see if it stays. | Sonny Singh/ The Cougar

more importantly, volunteers, and kind neighbors. Instead of trying to outwit each other in debates, and discredit one another's values, we are trying to clothe and feed one another.

After an area has experienced a major disaster, people's best qualities seem to shine. During Harvey, and in the rebuilding that is underway, Texans really seem to be stepping up for one another. Houstonians showed up in boats to rescue people who were trapped in their houses.

After the hurricane passed, people with trucks drove out to see what they could do to help cities affected by the storm. Americans all over the country stepped in to help Texas.

Celebrities and ordinary citizens alike have donated money, clothing, food and living essentials to those who were affected last week.

In times of tragedy, people bond together, and they realize that some divisions are more arbitrary than others. We live in a controversial age,

but for thousands of Houstonians, there was nothing controversial about the hurricane. It targeted poor and rich, white and black, young and old. If nothing else, we were unified in our vulnerability and our desire to help one another without consideration for our differences.

I hope that desire persists.

Assistant opinion editor Mia Valdez is a creative writing major.

WORLD

Brown countries get dry flood coverage from West

A

merica was swept in the madness that was 24/7 coverage of the Harvey Hurricane. Our fellow humans on the other side of the world from Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Uganda, Sudan and Niger, were DANA all devastated C.JONES by floods that OPINION received minimal EDITOR coverage compared to Houston.

This is because of Westernized perception and representation of eastern countries poverty as if the whole country is underdeveloped.

Since the perception of these countries is that they are all impoverished and underdeveloped, the addition of trauma and disaster is typical and not news worthy. The “if it bleeds it leads” moniker is not applicable to countries that house a majority brown people.

South East Asia In South East Asia, the Nepal India and Bangladesh were hit with floods because they are in the middle of monsoon season.

The damage, by comparison, was tremendous. Over 700,000 homes perished in Bangladesh alone. In India, more 32 million people have been affected by the floods. The flood is going to affect India across the whole sub-continent because of where it hit. It hit in Mumbai, India where both their financial center is and is the most populous city in the country with 18 million people.

Over 1,000 people have lost their lives in South East Asia since the floods swept into the neighboring countries.

Central Africa With even less coverage come these disaster-stricken countries of central Africa: Uganda, Sudan and Niger.

On August 22, in Uganda, more than 2,000 people were displaced from the floods. The floods were caused by a river overflowing. The overflown river left two people missing. The floods also cause a landslide which killed a reportedly killed a young child.

In Sudan, over 100 homes were destroyed. One of their historic domes (Sheikh Ismail El Wali), that’s over 113 years, was destroyed because of the flooding. On August 20, rain started to fall. The families

who were displaced took refuge weak economies, just like nations with their country's issues. in public schools. From earlier every country on the planet However, they only do this when it rainfall, 300 cottage and 200 homes and yet, the humanitarianism benefits them, especially by means completely collapsed. is lacking especially that of of war. If you want to monitor the The worst of them, in Niger, 219 western civilization. world, then you cannot choose homes were destroyed leaving over There has been no mention, no when and where your services are 1,000 people homeless. The rain fundraisers and not even basic needed. To be the people police, came into the capital on August 26 reporting to bring awareness to you have to protect people for the leaving over 39 inches of rain. The what is happening around the sake of being human beings. floods killed two people. world, especially to Africa.

These countries had the least The western world, especially Opinion editor Dana C. Jones is a print journalism junior and can be reached coverage out of the places that America, likes to be the world's at opinion@thedailycougar.com flooded at the same time even police force by helping foreign though Africa has a history with bad floods.

So much so that a website exists to track all of Africa's floods.

Some of the brownest places in the world, be it the countries in the continent with the most melanin, Africa, or south east Asian countries, had major flooding the same time as Houston, but coverage lacked from how Westerners view their trauma.

These countries have had internal issues, like government Other countries have natural disasters but the west does not care. | Sonny Singh/The Cougar corruption and

HOUSTON

NIGER

BANGLADESH

Wednesday, September 6, 2017 | 11

713-743-5304

thedailycougar.com/opinion

opinion@thedailycougar.com

OPINION

Dana C. Jones, EDITOR

STAFF EDITORIAL

A campus' reconstruction after Hurricane Harvey

N

estled in the heart of the city, UH could have been directly in the path of Harvey’s destruction.

The major flooding in and around campus even caused some displacement, requiring students to move from their dorms and apartments to safer locations. The additional stress caused by this means the university will have to support students in myriad ways.

UH has already begun offering financial support through the Cougar Emergency Fund and the Financial Reconsideration Appeal, which may give afflicted students up to $2,500 in grants.

It’s a step in the right direction — with natural disasters come expensive repairs and replacements and fewer cash on hand to pay for tuition.

Monetary consolation, however, is not the only means of support students need. And support from administration is not enough. It also must come from professors, faculty, student

services and the entire UH community.

Mental health According to a study from the National Center for PTSD, a third of disasters are floods, and at least 25 percent of survivors had symptoms of a diagnosable disorder.

With no pulse of what each student, or even a student in any given area, might have gone through, the student body post-Harvey may be carrying more than fatigue. After natural disasters, affected individuals often experience an increase in stress and anxiety, depression, suicide attempts and PTSD. Yet our campus’ principle mental health resource, Counseling and Psychological Services, has a reputation for inefficiency and long wait times.

To face what could be a wave of new mental health concerns, CAPS will need to prepare accordingly.

Transportation and housing

parking permits.

Concerning housing, students who need emergency housing can apply for a room at the Quadrangle at a cost of $23.79 per night — cheaper and more convenient than a

Figuring out where to sleep and how to get to campus are another concern. Wired magazine reported that some 40,000 homes and 1 million cars

"The best solution is to just be flexible.

Professors should get a general feel for where their students stand post-Harvey.”

The Cougar Editorial Board were lost in the flooding. UH has some answers.

Students who lost vehicle permits due to Harvey can go to the Welcome Center Garage or the Stadium Garage to get a replacement. Parking and Transportation Services asks that you do it by September 15. Also, parking violations on campus will not be enforced until September 18.

They have not said anything about refunding

hostel. Students who take this option need to move out by September 30.

Students who wish to live on campus post-flood can still do so as well with the deposit waived.

The professor's job All of these issues can have a big effect on the studentprofessor relationship. There will most likely be an increase in tardiness, drops in GPA and

overall increased angst.

How will faculty respond to this?

The best solution is to just flexible. Professors should get a general feel for where their students stand postHarvey and open up the door for transparency. Make students feel comfortable about regular updates on their housing, transportation and financial situations.

Allow students to be flexible with due dates and be levelheaded when dealing with stressed classrooms. Of course: All of this within reason. If professors are unsure about anything, do what you do best and be curious. Ask questions and engage with your students.

It will make for an easier process for all.

It is going to take a lot of effort from every facet of the University to put this campus back together again. editor@thedailycougar.com

worship DIRECTORY

CATHOLIC MASS ON CAMPUS

SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICE

SUNDAYS: 10:45 AM - Religion Center 6:00 PM - Catholic Center WEEKDAYS: Tuesday—Friday 12:00 Noon CATHOLIC NEWMAN CENTER Confession: Before or After Masses Office # (713) 748-2529

First Service: 7:15 am Second Service: 9:00 am Third Service: 11:00 am Fourth Service: 1:00 pm Sunday School:

9:00 am

WEDNESDAY BIBLE STUDY 12 noon & 7:00 pm

Sunday Bible Class

Desks on top of each other during campus flooding. | Thomas Dwyer/ The Cougar

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ADVERTISING IN WORSHIP DIRECTORY, CONTACT A SALES REPRESENTATIVE AT 713-743-5356

12 | Wednesday, September 6, 2017

OPINION 713-743-5304

thedailycougar.com/opinion

opinion@thedailycougar.com

Dana C. Jones, EDITOR

FLOOD

Harvey humbled half of Friendswood neighborhood in one week

Dozens of homes look just like this all throught the front of the neighbourhood from Harvey. All damaged belongings are out on the curb for trash from the flood water. | Dana C. Jones/ The Couagr

I

remember on Sunday, I got the first message that Friendswood was in danger. My friend said his house had eight inches of water on the first floor. I thought my house had as much water as his house did.

DANA C. JONES When saw on OPINIONEDITOR Thursday that Harvey was as big as the Gulf, I didn't risk going back to my neighborhood in Galveston County.

I fled to a narrow part of Katy in Cinco Ranch where I was safe from the flooding.

My dad was not there, he too fled, and the only updates I had were two degrees separated -- from my neighbor, Angela Johnson, who was in Friendswood when the flooding started. “We have never flooded in any other major rain storm. Even after Hurricane Ike, the area was clear,” Johnson said.

“But being here for (Harvey) and seeing water rising on the street was basically like a river at one

Angela Johnson's home was safe from flooding. | Dana C. Jones/ The Cougar

point with water just running back and forth.”

Friendswood was hit hard because it is in Galveston County, an area which was constantly stuck in the harsh eastern bands of Harvey. Johnson said at some points, possibly 5 inches of rain an hour fell, which started the flooding.

Watching the eastern bands of Harvey slice through Friendswood left me still and full of nothing.

“You’re kind of taken aback because you don’t expect water on your street, let alone water knee deep in the middle of the street,” Johnson said.

Johnson is a process safety engineer and took precaution for the storm accordingly. “I didn’t feel panicky or nervous. I’m the calm one in the household,” Johnson said. “My background is a safety background at work, so you learn how to gauge but also you learn you can’t panic either.”

The rate at which the water was rising in my neighborhood and me getting closer to my house was inversely proportional. I felt like I was displaced from my home without touching the disaster zones. “It was deep enough for boats to go by,” Johnson said.

“Down the street, I saw a man walking out there and the water was at his waist.”

Finally driving home, I could take the highways I was familiar with. From Alt-90 to 610-East to 45 South. When I saw the first exit that let me know that I was 15 minutes away, everything felt foreign.

Three more exits to go, and I realized it’s not called Bay Area for nothing. From the pictures, there was enough water to fill an entire bay.

When I took my exit, everything smelled weird. I don’t know if it was

the smell of unfamiliarity, but it was different. With each turn I made, the smell got stronger. Several new bodies of water surrounded my neighborhood.

Driving back home each piece of land that looked below sea level, I imagined it being consumed with water. When I made the secondto-last turn, I realized that the unfamiliar smell was fish -- not cleanly killed and harvested for the supermarket fish but rotting pond water fish. Once I got into the first bit of my neighborhood, everything was empty and silent.

When I finally got to turn into my subdivision that I knew to be underwater, I saw something that looked familiar but in an unfamiliar place. My neighborhood of upper middle-class white families looked like poverty. The contrast between houses that were damaged

and ones that were not looked like gentrification.

There were mountains of broken wood, trash bags, computer desk chairs, heirlooms, silverware in front of the first few houses. The streets were full of trash and people just arriving to their homes that they thought they had. There were dozens of people standing in the middle of the street, looking stoic, almost apathetic.

Those who did move were like zombies. Baseball caps and hoodies covered their tears.

When I drove down my street and maneuvered around the debris the mountains of damaged and flooded furniture started to decline.

As more and more houses passed, I realized that my family, along with Johnson, was among the lucky.

“I definitely feel blessed that we were spared from any damage,”

Johnson said. “You definitely have empathy for the people that did have damage because you know if the storm had continued or strengthened or gone on longer, it could have been us.”

I walked in through my garage and then to my dining room and was shocked, not because of any damage but because of how untouched it was. I turned on light switches, gas stoves, and AC units as if they were new inventions; surprised that they worked like they were supposed to. I looked at the wood grain floors for any cracks or water marks. I put my hand on the carpet and drew my hand back shocked from how dry it was.

If you ever want to see what humble looks like, see the suburbs

Damaged furniture in front of Friendswood neighborhood after receded water. | Dana C. Jones/ The Cougar