Students worried, afraid over recent hurricanes

by Taylor P.-H.

In light of current events, students and staff of Airport High School have been affected by the recent South Carolina weather. On the morning of August 14, what was meant to be a two-hour delayed start for school for students quickly turned into no school due to the recent rain and storms caused by Hurricane Idalia.

Students were surprised to receive an email informing them that the upcoming school day had been canceled. The reason behind the pleasing shock was that, just the day prior, it was reported that the day would only be a two-hour delay with the school day starting at 10:30 a.m. rather than its usual 8:30 a.m.

On the day before the cancellation, it was rumored that the cancellation was going to happen as students and teachers alike assumed that it would be due to the hurricane and the weather in South Carolina that was being affected by it.

“It made me feel scared,” said Machi B., a junior at Airport High School, when asked how he felt about the recent weather and school day cancellation. He also gave his opinion on whether the weather would change at all during the upcoming weeks when asked, stating that “the weather will get worse.”

When Cristian S., another junior at the school, was asked if he thought the weather impacted by Idalia felt unnatural or abnormal, he stated that he felt the weather went from “rainy one day, and clear as day the next.”

The weather may cause much worry to students, especially when putting the history of hurricanes in South Carolina into consideration. According to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, from 1851 to 2021, a total of 44 hurricanes have hit the South Carolina coastline. This, and the fact that the state of South Carolina is ranked fifth when it comes to the highest number of hurricanes in the United States, make it a scary place to live.

To track hurricane activity in the Atlantic, go to the National Hurricane Center's website.