Hurricanes Left Texas, Puerto Rico Teens Scrambling for Normal
"Kids are having to grow up a whole lot faster through this," one school administrator said
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Teenagers in southeastern Texas and central Puerto Rico have had their lives altered forever by the hurricanes that devastated the regions last year, NBC News reports.
Students are saying goodbye to friends who are leaving, struggling to help parents dealing with the turmoil and attending classes that aren't yet back at full capacity.
"Kids are having to grow up a whole lot faster through this because parents are dealing with wrecked homes and insurance companies and all that," said Molly Adams, director of federal programs in Aransas Independent School District in Texas, which reported that 96 percent of the student body experienced homelessness after Hurricane Harvey.
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People are rescued from a flooded neighborhood after it was flooded with remnants of Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017, in Houston, Texas.
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A child is helped off the back of a rescue truck after his family evacuated their home after it was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017, in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in Texas over the next couple of days.
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Interstate 10 is closed due to floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston.
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People wait to be bussed to a shelter after being evacuated from their homes by flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in Texas over the next couple of days.
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People wait for a ride to a shelter after being rescued from a flooded neighborhood when it was inundated with rain water, remnants of Hurricane Harvey, on Aug. 28, 2017, in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in areas of Texas over the next couple of days.
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Houston Police SWAT officer Daryl Hudeck carries Catherine Pham and her 13-month-old son Aiden after rescuing them from their home surrounded by floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey, Aug. 27, 2017, in Houston.
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Evacuees are helped to dry land after their homes were inundated with floods from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017, in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in Texas over the next couple of days.
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Texas Army National Guard members Sergio Esquivel, left, and Ernest Barmore, right, carry 81-year-old Ramona Bennett, center, after she was rescued from her Pine Forest Village neighborhood due to high water from Harvey on Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston, Texas.
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Highways around downtown Houston are empty as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey overflow from the bayous around the city Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston.
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People make their way out of a flooded neighborhood after it was inundated with remnants of Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017, in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in areas of Texas over the next couple of days.
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People push a stalled pickup through a flooded street in Houston, after Tropical Storm Harvey dumped heavy rain on parts of the city Aug. 27, 2017. The remnants of Harvey sent devastating floods pouring into Houston on Sunday as rising water chased thousands of people to rooftops or higher ground.
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HOUSTON, TX - AUGUST 27: Volunteers and officers from the neiborhood security patrol help to rescue residents in the upscale River Oaks neighborhood after it was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on August 27, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in Texas over the next couple of days. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
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Airplanes sit at a flooded airport near the Addicks Reservoir as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston.
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People walk down a flooded street as they evacuate their homes after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on August 28, 2017, in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in Texas over the next couple of days.
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People use an air mattress to float down a flooded street as they evacuate their homes after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on August 27, 2017, in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in Texas over the next couple of days.
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Ashley Ward kayaks down a flooded street that has been inundated with water from Hurricane Harvey on August 27, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in areas of Texas over the next couple of days.
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A preacher checks submerged cars for people inside on Sunday, August 27, 2017, in Houston.
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Houston Police SWAT officer Daryl Hudeck carries Catherine Pham and her 13-month-old son Aiden after rescuing them from their home surrounded by floodwaters from Harvey Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017, in Houston. Harvey sent devastating floods pouring into Houston Sunday as rising water chased thousands of people to rooftops or higher ground.
U.S. Coast Guard
AP Photo/David J. Phillip
Moses Juarez, left, and Anselmo Padilla wade through floodwaters from Harvey on Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017, in Houston, Texas.
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Residents are rescued from their homes surrounded by floodwaters from Harvey on Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017, in Houston, Texas.
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A man waves for help as he is surrounded by floodwaters from Harvey Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017, in Houston, Texas.
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A boat is partially submerged in the wake of Harvey, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017, in Rockport, Texas.
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Jennifer Bryant looks over the debris from her family business destroyed by Harvey Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017, in Katy, Texas.
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Steve Culver cries with his dog Otis as he talks about what he said was the "most terrifying event in his life" when Harvey blew in and destroyed most of his home while he and his wife took shelter there on Aug. 26, 2017, in Rockport, Texas.
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Wind from Harvey batters a Texas flag on Aug. 26, 2017, in Houston, Texas.
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A destroyed laundrymat is seen after Harvey passed through on Aug. 26, 2017, in Rockport, Texas.
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Aaron Tobias who said he lost everything stands in what is left of his home after Harvey blew in and destroyed most of the house on Aug. 26, 2017, in Rockport, Texas.
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Boats are seen tossed around after Harvey passed through on Aug. 26, 2017, in Rockport, Texas.
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An airplane is seen in a damaged hanger at the Aransas County Airport after Harvey passed through on Aug. 26, 2017, in Rockport, Texas.
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Jessica Campbell, left, hugs Jonathan Fitzgerald after riding out Harvey in an apartment on Aug. 26, 2017, in Rockport, Texas.
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Valerie Brown walks through a flooded area after leaving the apartment that she road out Harvey in on Aug. 26, 2017, in Rockport, Texas.
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A driver moves through flood waters Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017, in Aransas Pass, Texas.
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The roof of a gas station sits in flood waters in the wake of Harvey, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017, in Aransas Pass, Texas.
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In this NOAA handout image, NOAA's GOES East satellite capture of Hurricane Harvey shows the storm making landfall shortly after 10:00 p.m. CDT on August 25, 2017, on the mid-Texas coast.
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Rain is blown past palm trees as Hurricane Harvey makes landfall, Friday, Aug. 25, 2017, in Corpus Christi, Texas.
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Strong winds batter seaside houses before the approaching Harvey in Corpus Christi, Texas on Aug. 25, 2017.
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Residents fill sand bags Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017, in Corpus Christi, Texas.
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A sign reading "Be Nice Harvey" was left behind on a boarded up business, Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017, in Port Aransas, Texas.
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A sign on a business on Aug. 25, 2017, in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Hurricane Maria left the Marta Lafontaine school in Caonlillas, Puerto Rico, with only partial power and sporadic running water as late as mid-April — months after the storm — and nearly half the number of students.
AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa
A house damaged by Hurricane Maria stands in Naranjito, Puerto Rico, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017. The relief effort from Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico has so far been concentrated largely in San Juan, and many outside the capital say they've received little or no help.
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Steven Sands, left, talks with Alejandro Garcia, coping with the lack of electricity in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017.
AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa
A damaged Puerto Rican national flag spray painted with the words "Together as One" hangs from the facade of a business, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017. The relief effort from Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico has so far been concentrated largely in San Juan, and many outside the capital say they've received little or no help.
Gerald Herbert/AP
A man stands among debris outside his destroyed home as sun sets in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017.
Julie Jacobson/AP
Juan Rojas, right, of Queens, hugs his 4-year-old grandson Elias Rojas, as his daughter-in-law Cori Rojas, left, carries her 3-year-old daughter, Lilly, through the terminal at JFK airport after Cori arrived on a flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, in New York. Cori Rojas, who is a school teacher in Puerto Rico, fled Puerto Rico with her children after Hurricane Maria left the island devastated and will stay with her in-laws in Queens while her husband, who works for a global insurance firm chose to stay behind.
Gerald Herbert/AP
Downed paper lines and debris are seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017.
Gerald Herbert/AP
Nestor Serrano walks on the upstairs floor of his home, where the walls were blown off, in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. Governor Ricardo Rossello and Resident Commissioner Jennifer Gonzalez, the islandu2019s representative in Congress, said they intend to seek more than a billion in federal assistance. President Donald Trump plans to visit the island territory next week.
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Evan Mandino stands among debris outside his destroyed home as sun sets in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017.
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Evan Mandino, right, sits with neighbors on a couch outside their destroyed homes as sun sets in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017.
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Sister Gloria Flores checks in on a patient at the Hermanitas de los Ancianos Desamparados facility which cares for the elderly as they deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Maria on Sept. 26, 2017, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Sister Flores hopes aid u2014 including fuel for the facilities generators, as well as food and medicine u2014 arrive as they care for their more than 195 elderly patients after Hurricane Maria, a category 4 hurricane, devastated the island.
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Joanne Torres sits on a cot with her daughters, Eliana Heredia and Marianny Reynoso, in the Centro de Servicios Integrados de Barrio Obrero shelter that was setup for displaced people after Hurricane Maria on Sept. 26, 2017, in San Juan Puerto Rico. Ms. Torres has been at the shelter for three days after Puerto Rico experienced widespread damage, including most of the electrical, gas and water grid after Hurricane Maria, a category 4 hurricane, devastated the island.
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People wait in line to get a flight out of the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport as they try to return home or escape the conditions after Hurricane Maria on Sept. 26, 2017, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Some of the people have waited days at the airport in hopes of getting onto a plane after Hurricane Maria, a category 4 hurricane, devastated the island.
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People wait in line to get a flight out of the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport as they try to return home or escape the conditions after Hurricane Maria on Sept. 26, 2017, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Some of the people have waited days at the airport in hopes of getting onto a plane after Hurricane Maria, a category 4 hurricane, devastated the island.
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People walk across a flooded street in Juana Matos, Puerto Rico, on Sept. 21, 2017, as the country faced dangerous flooding and an island-wide power outage following Hurricane Maria.
NOAA/AP
This combination of photos released by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows Puerto Rico at night on July 24, 2017, top, before the passing of Hurricane Maria, and on Sept. 25, days after the hurricane wiped out most of the island's power. NOAA corrected the date of the bottom image to Sept. 25 on Twitter. Most of Puerto Rico has been without lights or air conditioning since the passing of Maria on Sept. 20 and is looking at many more.
Gerald Herbert/AP
People line up with gas cans to get fuel form a gas station, in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Monday, Sept. 25, 2017. The U.S. ramped up its response Monday to the humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico while the Trump administration sought to blunt criticism that its response to Hurricane Maria has fallen short of it efforts in Texas and Florida after the recent hurricanes there.
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Cars drive through a flooded road in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Sept. 21, 2017.nPuerto Rico braced for potentially calamitous flash flooding after being pummeled by Hurricane Maria which devastated the island and knocked out the entire electricity grid. The hurricane, which Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello called "the most devastating storm in a century," had battered the island of 3.4 million people after roaring ashore early Wednesday with deadly winds and heavy rain.
Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty
Residents of San Juan, Puerto Rico, deal with damages to their homes on Sept. 20, 2017, as Hurricane Maria batters the island. Maria slammed into Puerto Rico on Wednesday, cutting power on most of the US territory as terrified residents hunkered down in the face of the island's worst storm in living memory. After leaving a deadly trail of destruction on a string of smaller Caribbean islands, Maria made landfall on Puerto Rico's southeast coast around daybreak, packing winds of around 150mph (240kph).
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In this image provided by the U.S. Navy, supplies loaded onto an MV-22 Osprey aircraft attached to the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) at Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Sept. 25, 2017. Kearsarge is assisting with relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.
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Trees are toppled in a parking lot at Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Sept. 20, 2017, during the passage of the Hurricane Maria.
Ben Fox/AP
People wait in line outside a grocery store to buy food that wouldn't spoil and that they could prepare without electricity, in San Juan, Monday, Sept. 25, 2017. Most stores and restaurants remained closed Monday. Nearly all of Puerto Rico was without power or water five days after Hurricane Maria.
Carlos Giusti/AP
Damaged homes are seen in La Perla community in Old San Juan after Hurricane Maria, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Monday, Sept. 25, 2017. The island territory of more than 3 million U.S. citizens is reeling in the devastating wake of Hurricane Maria.
Carlos Giusti/AP
La Perla resident Ramon Marrero, 76, stands in his battered residence after Hurricane Maria, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Monday, Sept. 25, 2017. The island territory of more than 3 million U.S. citizens is reeling in the devastating wake of Hurricane Maria.
Carlos Giusti/AP
Rodolfo Pascual and his mother Marlisael Pearson stand in their home at La Perla community in Old San Juan after Hurricane Maria, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Monday, Sept. 25, 2017. The island territory of more than 3 million U.S. citizens is reeling in the devastating wake of Hurricane Maria.
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Jose Garcia Vicente holds a piece of plumbing he picked up, as he shows his destroyed home, in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, in Aibonito, Puerto Rico, Monday, Sept. 25, 2017. The U.S. ramped up its response Monday to the humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico while the Trump administration sought to blunt criticism that its response to Hurricane Maria has fallen short of it efforts in Texas and Florida after the recent hurricanes there.
Gerald Herbert/AP
A stuffed animal its seen in the ruins of the home of Jose Garcia Vicente, in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, in Aibonito, Puerto Rico, Monday, Sept. 25, 2017. The U.S. ramped up its response Monday to the humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico while the Trump administration sought to blunt criticism that its response to Hurricane Maria has fallen short of it efforts in Texas and Florida after the recent hurricanes there.
AP
In this image provided by the U.S. Navy, Marines attached to the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (26th MEU), embarked aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), load military field rations, known as MRE or meals, ready to eat, from an MV-22 Osprey aircraft at Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Sept. 25, 2017. Kearsarge and the 26th MEU are assisting with relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.
Gerald Herbert/AP
In this Monday, Sept. 25, 2017 photo, stranded passengers rest in the main international airport in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
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People walk by buidling that was destroyed in the community La Perla in Old San Juan during Hurricane Maria in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Monday, Sept. 25, 2017. The island territory of more than 3 million U.S. citizens is reeling in the devastating wake of Hurricane Maria.
