HOUSTON, Texas – Schools in the Houston area are in the process of estimating and repairing the damage caused by Hurricane Beryl. Officials from the Houston Independent School District (HISD) said 60 of its campuses were damaged in the storm.
Additionally, 200 of HISD’s 274 schools lost power on July 8 when Beryl made landfall. Seventy of those campuses were still without power four days later, reports KHOU.
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Although when the storm hit Texas, it had been downgraded to a Category 1 hurricane – down from Category 5 when it impacted the Caribbean – it still caused a lot of damage to roofs and structures in the district. Additionally, 50 trees fell down on HISD’s campuses, reports Houston Public Media.
Only two months before Hurricane Beryl struck, HISD also had to deal with many fallen trees, damaged facilities, and power outages resulting from mid-May’s derecho.
Some Campuses Might Delay Start of New School Year Due to Damage from Hurricane Beryl
The damages from Beryl are so significant that some HISD campuses might not be able to start the 2024-2025 school year on time, reports ABC13. Classes are scheduled to begin on Aug. 12, but Sinclair Elementary, Cage Elementary, Project Chrysalis Middle School, and Kelso Elementary sustained so much damage that they might not be ready to open by that date.
That said, HISD crews are working around the clock to repair the damaged campuses, reports LMT Online.
Just north of Houston, Conroe Independent School District (Conroe ISD) officials are estimating the damage from Hurricane Beryl could be more than $1 million, reports the Houston Chronicle. Some of the anti-scaling fences that were recently installed on all 76 of the district’s campuses were damaged.
Although Conroe ISD received funding from the state to help purchase and erect the fences, the district doesn’t have the funds to replace the damaged portions or for maintenance.
The fences are a new school safety requirement in the state.