At the beginning of September, news spread that a hurricane as powerful as Hurricane Katrina would hit parts of Texas. Prisha Goyal was forced to deal with the effects of the hurricane, as it struck people close to her in Houston.

 “We are extremely close with a family that was impacted by Hurricane Harvey,” Goyal said. “My dad’s college friend and his family were the ones affected. We’ve known them for many years.”

 As paranoia ensued the family was forced to take measures to hopefully keep them safe from Hurricane Harvey and maybe even save their lives. No one knew what would happen to them.

 “The family was initially very scared and didn’t know what to expect,” Goyal said. “They had to readjust everything in their house and put everything at a higher altitude. They also had to make food ahead of time and keep jugs of water just in case evacuation was needed.”

 Fortunately, this family did not lose their house like thousands of others did. They were lucky, but others weren’t.

 “I did not hear anything from them before but once the storm hit but once the news came out I realized they would be involved in a really tragic dilemma,” Goyal said. “The family wasn’t as impacted as other surrounding areas were because they did not have to evacuate.”

Goyal had to deal with all the paranoia spreading across Texas and even America as a whole. Especially with the added urgency from the news.

 “Since I am very close to the family, it was hard to deal with the fact that they had been affected by such a tragedy,” Goyal said. “I was worried something bad would happen to them or their house.”

 Even though this family only lost some possessions, there are many that lost everything in this disaster.

 “You can donate cash or gift cards or volunteer with local areas that are aiding Houston,” Goyal said. “Donating food, toiletries, and water are the most impactful things to do. Also you can set up donation drives online or in schools to help.”