Amid the aftermath of Houston's recent tempest, schools, including Lamar High School, have found themselves navigating a series of safety dilemmas. On Monday, the odorous specter of gas propelled an evacuation of students and staff at the institution. Following the detection of this "strong smell of gas in one part of the building." the school officials promptly cleared the building, as noted in a statement released by Principal Rita Graves to concerned families. The Houston Independent School District took charge of the situation, in an effort to unearth the origin of the pervasive scent, as reported by KHOU.
As Houston picks up the pieces left by the lethal storm, energy provider CenterPoint Energy grapples with rejuvenating power for nearly 216,000 of its customers. Strained with delivering "difficult restorations," crews work tirelessly among the ruins of Bellaire and Spring Branch among other neighborhoods, where the collapsed trees and sodden soil hinder their progress, as reported by the Houston Chronicle.
Joining Lamar High School in precautionary measures was Reynolds Elementary, canceling operations for the day due to an air conditioning system malfunction, as per a message from its principal. Heights High School had shuttered earlier that morning over similar concerns. Schools like Spring Branch ISD cited "persisting outages" as a reason for extending closures, with a third of the campuses and a substantial fraction of the district's community still devoid of power, a circumstance echoed in updates regarding academic plans. Finals, now cornered by the storm's memory, would be tallied only to the benefit of students' grades, "We do not want any student’s grade to be negatively impacted as a result of this weather disaster," Linda Buchman of Spring Branch ISD told the Houston Chronicle.
While the city's infrastructure labors under repair, the Houston Food Bank rallies the community spirit, beckoning volunteers to unite in assembling disaster relief kits. The organization, buried under the demand for non-perishables and hygiene products, invites helping hands from 6 to 9 p.m. today, directing its strategy towards lending support to those swept up in last week's destructive maelstrom. Those wishing to contribute can find details shared by the food bank on the most needed items to fortify its efforts.
