“I was born in Houston, Texas. I live in New York City now, but I still have family who lives there. My aunt and uncle used to live in a low area on the bayou. In the middle of the night, their house started filling quickly with water. My aunt and uncle took their kids and moved to a neighbor’s house which then also became flooded. They were eventually rescued by boat and brought to safety. While they and most Houston residents were able to make it out of their homes safe and sound, they left their whole lives behind when they stepped onto those boats.”

This is the story of John Aidan Feighery ’19, whose family has been personally affected by Hurricane Harvey. While Texas may seem distant, the destruction caused by Harvey is a reality for many relatives of Bronx Science students. Feighery is only one of many students with familial ties to the areas afflicted by the hurricanes.
Hurricane Harvey hit Southeast Texas and Louisiana on September 29, 2017. The effects were devastating; according to Ryan Maue, a meteorologist with WeatherBell, an estimated 27 trillion gallons of rain devastated the region bordering the Gulf of Mexico. In fact, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts that the water and wind damage caused by this massive storm will cost the United States upwards of $160 billion. The true cost of this disaster is even more horrific, as the NOAA estimates that the death toll could be as high as 1,833 people.

Since then, Hurricanes Irma and Maria have left Florida and Puerto Rico in shambles. Puerto Rico will be without power for months, and infrastructure in Florida is in disrepair due to the impact of severe winds.

Sabrina Raouf ’18 described the uncertainty that she is faced with knowing that her relatives in Puerto Rico are currently left without sufficient help. “I have family in Puerto Rico, but I haven’t had any communication with them. So I have no idea how they’re doing. My uncle actually just flew down there to try and help out in the places that FEMA and the other government agencies wouldn’t dare to go. All of Puerto Rico is my family! As long as my island is suffering, I will be too.”

“All of Puerto Rico is my family! As long as my island is suffering, I will be too.”

While the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) helps to cover the cost of flood insurance and hurricane relief by issuing grants based on the assessed damage, civilians are still lacking basic necessities such as food, clothing, and shelter.there are simply not enough resources for the government to distribute without the agency going further into debt. Thus, many citizens are now solely reliant on contributions given to them by those more fortunate.

This issue is of the utmost importance. Bronx Science, with an army of 3,000 individuals, can do so much to gather resources and contribute to hurricane relief. Therefore, Chiefs of Staff Maya Orantes ’18 and Swara Kalva ’18 spearheaded the creation of a fundraiser that allowed Bronx Science students to do just that.

The true difficulties of such fundraisers are logistical, as the Department of Education prohibits the collection of money without an exchange of a commodity. Therefore, the Parent Association coordinated with the S.O. to host a bake sale. The bake sale was during periods 9 and 10 from October 16th to October 23rd. Due to the generous contributions and enthusiasm of the student body, the S.O. has raised approximately $4,108.60, exceeding its goal of three grand. All profits from the bake sale will be sent to One America Appeal, a joint appeal, which unites multiple charities under a common cause.

One America Appeal is launched by former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Jimmy Carter to encourage citizens to support recovery efforts from Hurricane Harvey. Since its launch, it has branched out to support disaster relief charities in Florida and Puerto Rico. The organization acts as a middleman, collecting donations and distributing them to reliable charities that aim to help hurricane victims.

Using One America Appeal’s networking system, one third of the profits from the bake sale will go directly to the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund and the Rebuild Texas Fund. Another third will be granted to the Florida Disaster Fund, which acts as the state’s official private fund that specializes in especially destructive storms. The remaining third will be distributed to both Unidos Por Puerto Rico and Fund for the Virgin Islands.

Unidos Por Puerto Rico, launched by Puerto Rican First Lady Beatriz Rosselló, uses both government funding and private sector contributions to distribute aid to families affected by Hurricane Maria. The Fund for the Virgin Islands, which is established 25 years ago, acts as the primary disaster relief fund for the USVI.
Kalva emphasized the bake sale’s importance. “We are so lucky to have all the resources we have, and I am so proud that we were able to do something to help those who deserve the same opportunities as us.”

Kalva, too, has family in Texas, so this issue is especially important to her. She hopes that the money raised will allow those those affected by the hurricanes to finally return to normalcy.