CHRONICLE Richland
Vol. XLVII Issue 10 October 29, 2019
Tornadoes hit home • Resources for local victims:
Pg. 3
• Neighborhood storm aftermath: Pg. 4 • Richland community’s stories:
Pg. 5
• Dallas ISD relocates students:
Pg. 7
RichlandStudentMedia.com
Richland Student Media
@RLCStudentMedia
Richland Student Media
2 CAMPUS
UNIVERSITY OF
TEXAS ARLINGTON
October 29, 2019
SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK
BACHELOR OF SOCIAL WORK OBTAIN 2 DEGREES IN AS LITTLE AS 3 YEARS! THE BSW DEGREE PROVIDES CREDITS TOWARD OUR MSW DEGREE YOU COULD GRADUATE IN 3 YEARS WITH BOTH BSW AND MSW DEGREES
Staff Photo Jonathan Lin
A fallen street light at Walnut Street and Richland East Drive was damaged by the twister.
Richland rallies resources
Useful information for tornado victims On campus locations in Arlington and Fort Worth. Online classes available.
A CAREER IN SOCIAL WORK CAN TAKE YOU FAR: • MENTAL HEALTH • SUBSTANCE USE TREATMENT
JOIN ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING CAREER FIELDS
• EDUCATION / SCHOOLS • MILITARY / VETERAN CARE • DISABILITY ADVOCACY • FAMILY & CHILDREN • AGING & GERONTOLOGY
RichlandStudentMedia.com
• HUMAN SERVICES • COMMUNITY & PUBLIC HEALTH • ADOPTION & FOSTER CARE
16
According to U.S. Department of Labor, the Social Work career field is expected to grow 16% between 2016 and 2026. Faster than the average career field.
• HOMELESSNESS • HOSPITAL / HEALTHCARE • EQUAL OPPORTUNITY / DIVERSITY • PRIVATE PRACTICE • SUICIDE PREVENTION • POLICE AND VICTIM SERVICES
VISIT US AT WWW.UTA.EDU/SSW OR CALL US AT 817-272-1044 817-272-1475
Jack Ramirez Bernal Managing Editor
Saying that Richland officials are “keenly aware” that many students and families were affected by the Oct. 20 tornadoes that hit North Texas, Richland College President Dr. Kay Eggleston said the college is offering relief to the community. “We are keenly aware that the lives of many of our students and their families have been directly impacted by the devastating storms and we are deeply concerned for their well-being,” said Eggleston. “Our Richland College CARE Team members remain available to provide counseling and referral advice directed at connecting students with recovery resources to enable them to continue to attend classes and successfully complete the semester.” Richland escaped damage. The tornado cut through Abrams Road and Walnut Street barely missing the northwest corner of campus. The college was shut down Oct. 21 due to a power outage. Classes resumed Oct. 22 when electrical power was restored. Eggleston encouraged those in the Richland community who are in need of help to consult with the Campus Assessment Response and Evaluation (CARE) Team. Located at Lakeside Resource Center in El Paso Hall (E082), the CARE Team refers students to resources on and off campus via organizations that can assist with food, housing, vehicular damage, power outages and even volunteer opportunities. “There are a lot of resources out in the community that we are trying to connect students with,” said Carol Castillo, a member of the CARE Team. “Here on campus, we actually have our counselors that are able to talk to students if they are needing counseling.” Eggleston added that emergency assistance
funding is also available for students in financial need. While there is a limited amount of funding available, Eggleston assured that measures will be taken to ensure everyone is assisted. “Students are encouraged to access the My Community Services online directory of resources and we will continue to provide assistance through our mobile food pantry and campus food pantry,” Eggleston said. “Students may apply for emergency assistance funds in the Financial Aid Office. Request forms are also available in the Lakeside Resource Center, Office of Student Life and online.” Additionally, students who receive financial aid are eligible for work-study positions to help with expenses. Positions are available through financial aid. Students can apply for positions in the Multicultural Center, Business Services, Continuing Education, Education Corner, MSHP/Biology Lab and the Honors Department. x If a work-study position is not an option, Career Services, located in El Paso Hall (E090), has job listings for full and part-time jobs throughout the Metroplex. n Eggleston shared additional resources in a campus email. In it, she mentioned that Richland, in partnership with DCCCD Chancellor, Dr. Joe May, other college presidents and the DCCCD Foundation, created a website for contributions at https://www. justgiving.com/campaign/2019tornado. n The mobile food pantry will be on campus on Oct. 29 at the east breezeway. Fresh fruits, vegetables and perishables will be available for those who need them. The Richland food pantry located in El Paso (E030) will be restocked by the North Texas Food Bank. The food pantry is also requesting donations of can openers, reusable bags, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, shampoo, conditioners, razors and other hygiene products.
October 29, 2019
LOCAL 3
Tornado relief contact information for victims Donations: Richland Community College District https://www.justgiving.com/ campaign/2019tornado DISD Dallas Education Foundation (972) 925-3053 and (972) 925-5440 Donation Pickup: Dallas: (214) 630-5611 Tarrant County: (817) 834-6271 Voluteer Work: Dallas Independent School District (972) 925-5440 https://dallasisd.voly.org volunteer@dallasisd.org ‘Volunteer Now’ Relief Effort: (214) 826-6767 Crisis Cleanup: https://www.crisiscleanup.org/ North Texas Red Cross: (214) 330-1396 Dispatch: (866) 505-4801 2055 Kendal Dr., Dallas, Texas 75235 Salvation Army of North Texas: Carr P. Collins Social Service Center
Salvation Army (continued) (214) 424-7050 8787 N. Stemmons Freeway, Suite 800 Dallas, Texas 75247 https://www.salvationarmydfw.org/p/services Accepting donations White Rock Center of Hope: http://www.whiterockcenterofhope.org/ ourprograms.html (Offers assistance to the zip codes: 75128, 75228, 75238, 75214 and 75223) Atmos Energy: (866) 322-8667 For Non-Life-Threatening Damage: - Dallas: 3-1-1 (downed trees, power lines and flooding) - Garland: Garland Police Department’s non-emergency line: (972) 485-4840 (Nonlife threatening damages) - Richardson: (972) 744-4111 (Downed trees and other damage) - University Park: (214) 363-3000 - Highland Park: (214) 521-5000 - Rowlett: (972) 412-6200 (Press 1 for more options) - Mesquite: (972) 285-6336 Oncor: (888) 313-4747 https://stormcenter.oncor.com/.html
Garland Power and Light: Call (972) 205-3000 or text OUT to (972) 205-4000 Outage map: https://www.gpltexas.org/ outage-center/gp-l-power-outage-map
U-Haul (continued): near affected areas off Central Expressway. U-Haul recommends contacting the nearest North Texas U-Haul facility for more information.
North Texas Food Bank Food pantries near affected residents can be found on the North Texas Food Bank’s website. You can also follow the food bank on Twitter and Facebook for updates. Call (214) 330-1396 or visit 3677 Maple shade Ln., Plano, Texas 75075
On the Road Lending: Dallas-based nonprofit ‘On the Road Lending’ is offering its Disaster Mobility Program services to Dallas residents who are without transportation. On the Road is a resource for people who have lost vehicles to natural disasters or other crises. The nonprofit can help displaced workers with down payments, loan approval and other steps in buying vehicles.
Alamo Drafthouse: Dine-in movie theater chain Alamo Draft house is offering free PG-rated movies at its Las Colinas, Lake Highlands and Richardson locations for residents affected by the storms. The theater also offered to allow people without power to charge their phones at its locations. U-Haul: Six U-Haul companies are offering 30 days of free storage and the use of mobile storage units to Dallas residents. Fifty-two locations across North Texas are available for 30-day free disaster relief assistance, including locations
Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas: A nonprofit organization that provides free assistance to low-income North Texans, is extending its business hours to provide services. The nonprofit offers legal services, including “housing matters affecting both homeowners and renters, or lost or damaged documents.” The law offices can be reached at (855) 548-8457.
Why Transfer to Texas Woman’s University •
Easy transfer process, and we help maximize transfer credits
•
Variety of online and face-to-face programs
•
Open to women and men
•
Financial Aid & Scholarships available for transfer students Family housing available or live off campus if you’ve earned more than 60 credit hours
•
We know transfer students — nearly half of TWU’s undergraduate students are transfers
Learn more at TWU.edu/transfer or attend a recruiting event
RichlandStudentMedia.com
•
4 LOCAL
October 29, 2019
Richland professor affected by tornado Rovenia Bartee Staff Writer
A Richland music professor was among the tens of thousands of North Texans whose homes were damaged or destroyed Oct. 20 when an EF3 tornado tore through Richardson.
“As soon as we heard the sirens go off, we went to the area that we felt was the safest part of the house...” - Dr. Abel Rodriguez
RichlandStudentMedia.com
Dr. Abel Rodriguez and his family were in their one-story home in Richland Park, just north of the campus, when the tornado struck. The family had developed a safety plan and put it into action when the storm hit. “As soon we heard the sirens go off, we went to the area that we felt was the safest part of the house, which was basically an inner hallway of the house that was surrounded by bedrooms, a bathroom and multiple closets,” Rodriguez said. Once the tornado had passed, Rodriguez and his family safely emerged with no injuries, but their home was a mess. Furniture was moved around, windows were broken, one
of the doors to an office was blown off the hinges. The family had two cats but only one could be located. “Our garage door had been blown in and so it was on top of the car - which prevented us from getting out, or at least that’s what we thought because, even if the garage door hadn’t been there, there was no way to get out of the alleys. They were completely blocked, but we did not know that at the time,” Rodriguez said. Although some rooms appeared to be safer than others, the entire house was determined to be structurally unsafe in the wake of the storm. This is the second time Rodriguez has experienced a tornado. He and his family were living in the Riverdale neighborhood of New York while completing his Ph.D. at Columbia University. The tornado that hit their home in New York was less powerful than the EF-3 twister that struck their home in North Texas. The family was living on the 5th floor of an apartment building at the time. They didn’t lose power or have broken windows and didn’t know how bad the storm was until they went outside. When they saw that trees had been blown down, they realized the severity of the storm. As of now, Rodriguez said he and his family are doing well and handling things to the best of their ability with all the help they are getting from their insurance company and friends. The series of 10 tornadoes struck North Texas on a Sunday night, causing an estimated $2 billion in damages. The EF-3 twister that plowed through the North Dallas area destroyed homes and businesses and left tens of thousands without power.
Staff Photo Glen Pierre
A Richardson cleanup crew picks up bent and fallen street signs near Rodriguez’s house.
Richland student, Ivan Vazquez, left, works with a crew to repair a roof in a nearby Richland sub
Tornado spares Richland, Jonathan Lin Photo Editor Patrice Kreutz was seeking shelter inside her bathroom when an EF-3 tornado hit her apartment at the corner of Royal and the Dallas North Tollway. “It was like a freight train hit and the windows were all busted out,” she said. Crouched between her vanity and her toilet, Kreutz prayed in the midst of uncertainty, worried about her apartment taking off as it was battered by winds estimated at 140 mph. The tornado “lasted about three full minutes and then it kind of stopped and then all of the residents came out and there was still a lot of lightning in the sky but not so much rain, and it was pitch black and it was just debris everywhere,” Kreutz said. “Everyone was going to people’s houses just to make sure everyone was ok and trying to get people out.” The EF-3 tornado that hit near Richland was one of 10 that touched down in the Metroplex, according to the National Weather Service in Fort Worth. It was a late Sunday
evening, on Oct. 20, when many Texans were watching the Dallas Cowboys game on TV. Kreutz, a resident of Royal Lane Condominiums of Villager Road, was among many Dallas-area residents caught in the path of the EF-3 tornado. “You heard the whirling sound of the wind, which was really different than just a normal storm, and then you heard the whistle. And like they say, ‘It’s like a freight train.’ The impact, I mean, it was literally like a freight train and then you could see the busted windows,” Kreutz said. When she left her building, she said it was “like a war zone. It’s like everything is matchsticks.” A few hours later, her roof caved in from the weight of the rain. “My roof is in my kitchen and also in my living room,” Kreutz said. Just beyond Kreutz’s apartment complex is Dallas Fire Station 41, which was directly in the path of the EF-3 tornado. The roof of the fire station peeled off like a sardine can and was deposited in the parking area behind the building. The four firefighters on duty inside the station at the time escaped injury. One fire
LOCAL 5
October 29, 2019
Students recount their twister experiences
bdivision damaged by the Oct. 20 tornado outbreak in North Dallas.
Staff Photo Jonathan Lin
, hits surrounding areas engine was caught in the debris but was able to drive out under its own power. The other engine was out on call and was not damaged, according to a firefighter at the station. Firemen on the scene were unsure if Station 41 could be put back into service. According to the Insurance Council of Texas, the tornadoes caused an estimated $2 billion in damage, making the Oct 20 event the costliest in Texas history. Thousands of homes, cars and businesses were damaged. No deaths were reported. Richland was spared major damage. The college was shut down for a day while power was restored, but officials said no facilities sustained damage. The Home Depot at 11682 Forest Central Drive sustained heavy damage to the central portion of the store. The store was unoccupied at the time. A manager closed the store early due to concerns about the weather. The tornado hit 30 minutes later. Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson was on the scene the following day surveying the damage. Much of the damage occurred in neighborhoods flanking Richland College.
The Richland Meadows neighborhood northeast of campus sustained major damage. Ivan Vazquez, a Richland student working for a family-owned roofing business, was seen on the roof of 600 Olympic applying temporary “patches before the actual work being performed.” He said he’d already worked on four other houses that day. “We’ve got to wait for insurance claims and once insurance gives the money to the homeowners, the homeowners give us a call,” Vazquez said. “It looks like here we’re going to have to put a brand new roof because everything is loose now. We can’t come back and try to guess where all the nails are, I mean, this roof has thousands of nails.” Two houses down, the roof of 600 Killarney was carried away when the tornado struck. While the house sustained severe damage, the residents remained unharmed. Given the amount of damage the tornadoes inflicted on the Dallas area, it is a “miraculous thing” that there were no deaths reported as of yet, Kreutz said. “That’s the miraculous thing… out of all of this devastation.”
An untold number of Richland students found themselves caught up in one of the worst tornadoes to ever strike North Texas. For Arfia Kazi, a student worker at the Office of Student Life (OSL), the tornado was a frightening experience. “This was my first tornado and it was horrible and scary,” she said. “I was in Red Lobster and I was working at that time. The power went out and all of us were told to go into the walk-in freezer. When we got out, I saw that the entire roof of our building was destroyed, like there was no roof, and it was raining inside the restaurant. Then when I looked outside I saw that the cars that were parked outside the restaurant were destroyed by the roof falling on them.” Kazi said. Kazi said one of the car windshields was totally shattered due to a tree falling on top of a car. Two nearby restaurants, Olive Garden and Outback Steakhouse near the intersection of Hwy. 635 and Greenville Avenue, sustained major damage. “It was all just so horrible,” she said. “I live near Greenville [Avenue] and I had a power outage for four days, three nights straight. My water supply was also cut off for two days.” Kazi said she had to purchase prepared food because she did not have access to a kitchen. “The most important thing was charging my phone. I had to charge it in my car and I charged it whenever I could on campus,” she said. Since the storm hit on a Sunday night, many people were at home and were able to quickly seek shelter. “In terms of the tornado, me and my family followed the protocol and we were in this little cupboard under our stairs,” said Kimberly Le, vice president of the Student Government Association. “My whole family and the dog were all, thankfully, safe.”
“It was all just so horrible.”
- Arfia Kazi
Le said she didn’t think they had sustained damage until they looked outside. They were surprised to see the majority of their backyard fence had been knocked down and a gazebo had also sustained damage. “I didn’t experience a power outage, but I have a couple of friends who live a little bit north from me in Plano and a little south of us in South Garland and I heard that their power was out,” Le said. Toni Baker, a junior at Richland Collegiate High School (RCHS), faced two tornadoes
that Sunday night. “The first one was right in front of my apartment complex and it ripped out the power lines, so we didn’t have power for like two days. I had to go sleep over at my stepmom’s
“I had to go sleep over at my stepmom’s house, but people who didn’t have anywhere to go had to sleep there in the dark.” - Toni Baker house, but people who didn’t have anywhere else to go had to sleep there in the dark,” Baker said. “The second was at my stepmom’s house. I basically saw the tornado picking up water and picking up debris as well. We didn’t have any power for two days.” The Richland campus sustained minor damage, including fallen trees. Campus was closed Oct. 21 due to a power outage. It was restored the next day. Richland students Clarence Akagu and Hyeomgin Goo both live near close to campus. They were at home the night of the storm. “It was really stormy and windy. After the tornado was gone, I saw that my car was damaged. A tree branch had fallen on the rear windshield and had cracked it. Nothing else really happened,” said Akagu. Goo, on the other hand, didn’t experience the tornado until he left his house. He didn’t hear anything from inside the apartment. “When I went outside I saw how the streets were totally messed up. There were broken trees and damaged roofs everywhere. My apartment complex had a power outage and even the traffic light on the road was out. I wasn’t too affected by it, but my apartment complex was a little bit damaged that’s all,” Goo said. Richland’s Lakeside Resource Center is there to guide students to the necessary resources. The Richland food pantry and food truck are available to help those in need. A list of 2019 Tornado Recovery resources are available on the campus website at https://www.dcccd.edu/au/chancellor/media/ pages/tornado.aspx?utm_source=Adestra&utm_ medium=email&utm_content=dcccd. edu%2F2019tornado&utm_campaign=2019%20 Tornado%20Updates&utm_id=2664.
RichlandStudentMedia.com
Nabeela Iqbal Staff Writer
6 LOCAL
October 29, 2019
Ten tornadoes in NWS tally Alex Ortuno
Staff Writer A total of 10 tornadoes ripped through the Metroplex the night of Oct. 20, causing some $2 billion in damage according to early estimates from the Insurance Council of Texas. No fatalities were reported. In the early morning hours of Oct. 20, the Storm Prediction Center of the National Weather Service in Fort Worth placed parts of North Central Texas under both an “enhanced” and “slight” risks for severe storms. The original prediction was for scattered severe storms. By evening, the first line of storms approached the Metroplex. At 8:58 p.m., a tornado formed in Las Colinas, causing minor damage to rooftops and trees. Minutes later, a tornado warning was issued for northern Dallas county. The National Weather Service stated, “This is a life threatening situation. Seek shelter now!” as it approached a heavily populated area. The tornado moved east-northeast and intensified, damaging homes and businesses. It
passed Dallas Love Field, barely missing the airport, then it barreled down on Richardson. “We did see a radar-confirmed tornado. We saw debris on the radar. We were also receiving reports and it was going into a very populated area so we wanted to communicate with as many people, take it very seriously and take shelter immediately,” said Sarah Barners with the National Weather Service. Barners said the North Dallas tornado was confirmed to be an EF-3, which have wind speeds of 136 to 160 mph. The North Dallas tornado recorded wind speeds of 140 mph. The storm caused major damage to businesses and residential areas including the Richland Park, Richland Meadows and College Park subdivisions. The storm skirted the Richland campus, which only sustained minor damage. The tornado dissipated at 9:30 p.m., leaving a 15.76-mile path of damage in its wake. Another strong tornado went through Garland that night, damaging homes and businesses. In addition to the tornado outbreak, strong winds and hail threated the area
as well. “Unfortunately we had a lot of straight line wind damage, quite a bit of hail,” Barners said. Winds reaching above 60 mph and hail were reported in counties across North Central Texas, according to the Storm Prediction Center. It’s rare for tornadoes to hit a major metropolitan area but Dallas has a history of dealing with such storms. “It has happened in the past, but not as frequent, because EF-3 tornadoes don’t happen as frequently as EF-0’s,” said Barners. Other less powerful tornadoes surfaced throughout the night. “We had quite extensive damage in Dallas County, Rockwall County, Kaufman County, Ellis County and Van Zandt County,” said Barners. Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 16 counties including Dallas and Tarrant. According to The Associated Press, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said Dallas was fortunate to have no fatalities or serious injuries during the storm.
CHRONICLE Richland
STUDENT MEDIA LEADERS
Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Design Editor Copy Editor Entertainment Editor Layout Editor Photo Editor Sports Photo Editor Online/Special Projects Online/Special Projects Social Media Editor
Adrienne Aguilar Jack Ramirez Bernal Barbara Gandica Martinez Joyce Jackson Ricky Miller Dara Jones Jonathan Lin M. Daniel Mbega Ndoumou Damon Craig Ryan Bingham Duff André Duncan
ON THE COVER
A damaged vehicle and condominium located in the block of 5800 Royal Lane after the North Dallas tornado. Staff Photo Jonathan Lin
COVER AND FONTS Certain cover fonts are provided by the following www.nymfont.com – www.bvfonts.com
STUDENT MEDIA STAFF Rovenia Bartee Hevar Barzenji Andrew Castillo Bernard Cheatham Bobby Crawford Nabeela Iqbal Kohbloh-Obase Kammonke Thinh Pham
Obase-Wotta Kammonke Muyideen Ogunbunmi Alex Ortuno Glenn Pierre Lloyd Roberts Aiden Biddle Pete Shannon Ola Sawalhi Mubeena Wahaj Jerry Weiss
STUDENT MEDIA ADVISERS Erica Edwards Jack Fletcher Meg Fullwood James Ragland
Tim Jones Larry Ratliff Karin Matz
ISSUE DATES October 29 November 12 November 19
November 26 December 3 December 10
STUDENT MEDIA AWARDS Student Organization Community Service Award, 2019 Student Organization of the Year, 2019 CMA Pinnacle Two-Year TV Station Award, 2018 CMA Two-Year Radio Station Award, 2018 ACP Newspaper Pacemaker Winner Award, 2016 ACP Best of Show Award, 2015 ACP Photo Excellence Award, 2015 CMA Newspaper of the Year Finalist, 2014 1st Place – TCCJA Overall General Excellence, 2014 2nd Place – Pinnacle College Media Award, 2014 1st Place – TIPA Sweepstakes, 2005 3rd Place – TIPA Online, 2005 & 2006 ACP Pacemaker Winner, 2000, 2001, 2007 ACP Pacemaker Finalist, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2007 ACP Online Pacemaker finalist, 2007, 2008 Over 270 Texas college journalism awards since 2000
RichlandStudentMedia.com
CONTACT INFORMATION El Paso Hall, Room E020, 12800 Abrams Rd., Dallas 75243 Newsroom: 972-238-6079; richlandchronicle@gmail.com Advertising: 972-238-6068 Email: Advertise@dcccd.edu
Staff Illustration Alex Ortuno
Staff meetings: Monday and Wednesday at 2 p.m. in E020 Letter Policy Letters to the editor may be edited for space. They will be edited for spelling, grammar and malicious or libelous statements. Letters must be the work of the writer and must be signed. For identification and verification purposes, letters also must include the writer’s classification (grade level), full name, address and telephone number, although address and telephone number will not be published. Editorial Policy The Chronicle is the official student-produced newspaper of Richland College. Editorials, cartoons, columns and letters are the opinions of individual students and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of other individual student writers, editors, advisers or the college administration. © Richland Chronicle 2019
October 29, 2019
LOCAL 7
UPCOMING EVENTS All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise indicated.
Oct. 29 - Nov. 1 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. i
Early voting through Nov. 1 Guadalupe Hall
October 29 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. i
Free food – food truck, bring bag East Breezeway 7:30 - 9 p.m.
i
Fall Symphonic Instrumental Concert 1: “Symphonic Fantasy” Fannin Hall, F102
October 30 3 - 5 p.m. International Film Series: “Un Cuento Chino” (“Tall Tale”) (NR) Spanish, Comedy/drama Sabine Hall, SH117
October 31 Noon - 1 p.m. i
Richland jazz combos Cafeteria stage, El Paso Hall 12:15 - 1 p.m.
i
Halloween costume contest Cafeteria stage, El Paso Hall
November 5 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. i
Richland instrumental faculty Arena Theater, F108
November 6 11 a.m. - noon i
Richland Steel Sound Steel Band Cafeteria stage, El Paso Hall 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
i
Town Hall Meeting: “An Open Dialogue on Gun Violence in America” El Paso Hall, Student lounge
Photo The Associated Press
A gym at Cary Middle School in Dallas lies in ruins, structurally compromised due to the Oct. 20 tornado, forcing it to close.
Damage to DISD forces student relocation Joyce Jackson Copy Editor
Several thousand DISD students were relocated after a series of tornadoes ripped through Dallas on Oct. 20. Six schools sustained severe damage. Two were expected to be declared a total loss. “The initial inspection showed that Walnut Hill Elementary and Cary Middle Schools suffered total losses,” said Stephanie Elizalde, DISD chief of school leadership. “Cary Middle School will be divided. Approximately 280 students went to [Ben] Franklin Middle School and the remaining students, approximately 310 or so will go to Medrano Middle School.” Walnut Hill students were moved to Tom Field Elementary School, which was vacant. Elizalde said two other DISD schools, Cigarroa Elementary School and Burnet Elementary, had significant damage but will be repaired in a few months. Students will remain at that school while building repairs are made. “The classrooms were fine for students to use,” Elizalde said. “Students are in those buildings as we speak.” Students from Thomas Jefferson High School, which has the largest number of displaced students (1,876), will be moved to Thomas A. Edison Middle Learning Center due to extensive damage. Elizalde said that repairs, if made, could take a year or longer. DISD is rerouting bus transportation to meet student needs. “We created 38 new additional routes overnight so students would be able to have transportation,” Elizalde said. “There is a
shortage of drivers, not necessarily a shortage of buses.” Elizalde said the district is running as many routes as possible. “I think we’ve done everything we can to minimize the burden on students,” Elizalde said. “We’re even using charter busses for the next two weeks so that [we] don’t have issues with not having drivers. The biggest inconvenience for teachers is all of their hard work in the classes in the locations where they’re not going to be able to get back into.” Some schools lost athletic equipment while others lost technology. Elizalde said due to structural damage at Cary Middle School and Walnut Hill Elementary, no one will be allowed to reenter the schools to recover personal belongings, including laptops. “We’re not going to risk anyone. Those are the inconveniences,” she said. “Our group, [meaning the DISD staff] will overcome that. They are exceptional.” Since the storm hit on a Sunday night, students and teachers were away from campus. Elizalde said students, faculty and staff may be in need of resources as a result of the storm. “We’re asking folks, if they want to give resources such as clothing, please use the United Way and other nonprofits,” she said. “They may want to go to their church and things of that nature.” People are just dropping off paper, pencils, dry erase markers and books,” Elizalde said. “There’s a way to give a monetary donation on our website.” Elizade said there may be future needs after the initial media coverage of the storms wanes.
RichlandStudentMedia.com
i
8
October 29, 2019
DESPITE ALL THE HARDSHIP
mythology, spooky stories and folk lore
DALLAS STAYS STRONG
RichlandStudentMedia.com
RICHLAND STANDS WITH OUR COMMUNITY
RichlandStudentMedia.com
eclectically themed events
Richland Student Media
@RLCStudentMedia
Richland Student Media