Last weekend, we all experienced the baffling flooding which was unexpected for our valley and got an extra day off because of it. The rain on Sunday ranged from 2 inches in central Lancaster to 4.2 and above at the poppy fields. This large amount of rainfall is exciting for our dry valley, but not for everyone living in it. Royals around campus told me their thoughts about last weekend, and here are some of the responses.
From fellow freshman Joseph Petito, “The storm allowed me to procrastinate my homework and gave me another day to relax.” Many of you may have felt happy about our three-day weekend, by being able to stay at home and enjoying the cooler temperature. But others felt it was a burden.
Alyssa Olson claims, “Having an extra day off certainly added to my workload.” One of the biggest things I heard from my interviews was the annoyance of students dealing with a packed four-day week. Not only are the students struggling, the teachers are, too.
Many teachers have struggled to change their lesson plans since they lost a day they prepped to teach. Teachers on Tuesday and Wednesday were stressed and overwhelmed just as much as the students were with the amount of schoolwork that had to be adapted into our shortened four-day week.
Most classes, like english and math, were affected when it came to the amount of work the students and teachers were doing upon return. However, the harsh weather also harmed staff and student’s homes. Royals in Lancaster and Palmdale dealt with flooding that left them stranded inside their homes on Sunday. People in the more rural areas of the valley, such as Neenach or Phelan, also dealt with extreme mud build-up from the hurricane, which left their homes wet and leaky.
Film and TV Academy coordinator Mr. Hall stated, “Water soak[ed] through the foundation into the carpet of the house…for us to get out of our home took an additional day, Monday, and I was also gone Tuesday.”
Unfortunately, it has been like this for many. Leaky roofs, soaked carpets, and even entirely washed-out roads meant travel and living have been difficult after the hurricane. Luckily, no casualties have been reported in the Antelope Valley from the hurricane, but severe water-damaged homes have been. Last weekend’s storm hit many homes, but most were safe inside, just not from the homework overload.
