It felt like COVID-19 all over again for Heritage students Sept. 26 as students logged on for virtual school.
“Hurricane Helene may have thrown us a curve on Thursday, but our ever-ready faculty quickly rose to the challenge, seamlessly transitioning to online learning. If the COVID era taught us anything, it’s how to be nimble and proficient with technology,” principal Mr. Osmel Rodriguez stated in his newsletter.
Around 8:30 p.m. Sept. 25, administration decided to close the Broward campus Sept. 26 after Broward County Public School’s put out their decision to close schools. However, instead of canceling, Heritage decided to host virtual classes for grades 4-12 to avoid wasting any valuable education time.
Throughout the day, Plantation experienced heavy winds and scattered storms. The storm later hit Florida’s Big Bend area Thursday, Sept. 26 at night as a Category 4 hurricane, bringing winds of up to 140 mph.
Now, Helene has been downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone, but continues to hang over the Tennessee Valley, according to the National Hurricane Center.
While Plantation got lucky, avoiding the wrath of Helene, other areas weren’t so lucky. North Carolina was hit especially hard, and many places that were once meaningful to many are now gone.
In North Carolina, more than 200 individuals have been rescued from floodwaters that destroyed homes in various locations. Search teams are still attempting to locate over a thousand individuals reported missing in North Carolina and Tennessee. Meanwhile, around 1,100 residents are currently taking refuge in emergency shelters.
Highways such as US 70 are gone, and cities such as Swanaanoa have water up to people’s roofs.
“I am heartbroken by the effects of Hurricane Helene, specifically Western NC. I have been frequently checking the weather apps and the term the app uses to describe these areas is ‘closed,’” recent (2024) graduate Courtney Lesser said. “This area means a lot to me because it is right around where my sleepaway camp, that I have attended for seven years, is. We used to hike and backpack a specific area of Pisgah National Forest that is now washed away.”
Heritage is planning to help these areas however possible. “We are incredibly grateful that our area was spared the worst of the storm. That being said, our neighbors in North Florida were significantly impacted and will surely need our assistance. Next week, we’ll discuss ways American Heritage students can offer support to those in need. Please stay tuned for more information in the days to come,” Mr. Rodriguez said.
In such hard times for so many, the Patriot Post would promote help for those devastated:
- Click here to donate to GoFundMe’s Hurricane Relief Fund
- Click here to donate to the national Red Cross’ Hurricane Helene relief efforts
Photos posted by North Carolina Weather Authority Sept. 28. The caption reads “Many roads have been washed out, and many landslides have occurred. Reports are that some power and communications are being slowly restored in this area.” (Photos/Zach Hogan, posted by @ncwx_authority on Instagram)
