Texas schools that became flood relief hubs' welcome students back: It's OK to not be OK'

Hunt school in central Kerr County transformed into a relief hub during devastating flash floods, providing food, showers, and safe housing for more than 150 people while serving as an operations center for relief organizations. The floods began over Fourth of July weekend, killed at least 135 people including many children, and left more than 100 people missing. Volunteers from groups like Team Rubicon stocked and distributed search and recovery supplies and provided fuel for first responders. Several other area schools likewise opened early to support relief and recovery. Classes have since resumed as communities continue recovery efforts.

Schools in parts of Texas reopened their doors two months earlier than planned this summer. But the reason was tragic. They were transformed into relief hubs to welcome volunteers whose efforts were instrumental in responding to devastating floods in the state. Now, as lessons have mostly resumed in Texas, the classrooms have been turned back from temporary emergency centres into places of learning, but that's not to say the memories of what was lost will linger with the community indefinitely.

In the days ahead, we will continue to stand united, working hand in hand to support our neighbors and help our community heal in the aftermath of this event, said Sarah Nichols, the principal of Hunt school in central Kerr county, Texas. Our school stood as a beacon of hope, service, and resilience. Hunt school, which serves both elementary and middle school students, joined several others in affected areas of Texas in becoming a hub for relief and recovery in the earliest days of the flash floods.

The floods, which started over Fourth of July weekend, killed at least 135 people, including many children. Authorities are still continuing to search for more than 100 missing people. By the third day of the flooding, the Hunt campus was recast as a functioning shelter, offering food, showers and safe housing for more than 150 people at a time. It also became an operations center for several organizations such as Reach Global, Team Rubicon and Aerial Recovery. Volunteers worked to stock and distribute search and recovery supplies and provide fuel for first responders.

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