From the five year drought that plagued Texas relentlesly, the recent floods have changed the daily lives of students across WFISD.

“The flooding impacted the people in the Tanglewood and Eastside areas,” Public Health Preparedness Coordinator Al Gonzales said. “Folks directly in the path of the floodwaters were told to evacuate their homes.”

People in the affected areas were told to either evacuate their homes or face being charged a heavy fine if they needed to be rescued by emergency services. While some families chose to stay at local hotels and motels Gonzales said that the American Red Cross sheltered many evacuees that needed a place to stay at the Hirschi High School gym. Sophomore Pranav Kamath’s family got displaced and found themselves in the position of having nowhere to go.

“All the hotels in Wichita Falls were packed, so we went to Dallas,” Kamath said. “We planned on driving back to Wichita for school.”

The people who took shelter at Hirschi were kept from interfering with the school day. Hirschi student Kiyomi Darne said many teachers are helping out with the effort.

“I know a lot of the staff is helping,” Darne said. “I overheard one of the janitors talking about how much effort they’re putting into keeping these people safe.”

Residents were told not to play in any water lying around the community for safety reasons. Gonzales said that, flood waters are “very hazardous.”

“The water can contain chemicals, sewage, and other things,” Gonzales said. “You may also find snakes and other creatures in it.”

On Sunday, May 24 some residents, including Kamath, were allowed to return home. “There wasn’t too much house damage,” Kamath said. “All of our things and us are okay and that’s all that matters.”