Rain and floods are no joke; they can cause serious damage to people’s homes, cars, and their lives. A couple months ago in January, California experienced heavy rain floods, with the Bay Area getting around 14-16 inches so far in 2023. This puts California on track to break the record for the wettest year ever, which is currently held by the year 1982-1983, which saw over 42 inches of water. Though the record has not been broken yet, the rain this year has impacted many Liberty High School students.
Sophomore Honi Haskins explained her situation: “My roof leaked badly, causing the plywood behind the walls to mold.”
Haskins ended up having to cut a hole in her wall so the mold could dry out. Along with that, the water flooded up to her fence where a tree fell and caused her power to go out.
Another LHS student, Lacy Parsons, stated that, "My barn flooded inside, it ruined the feed bags, and caused the wood to float, the water was up to our knees."
Parsons had to evacuate all her animals to higher ground in new pens so they wouldn't get sick. Due to the barn flooding, the wood has started to rot and would take some time to repair.
"We do not have any flood insurance," Parsons explained.
Flood insurance in California, which costs, on average, about $850 per year, is not very common. It's not required like other forms of insurance; it's an add-on for people who want to be extra safe, because people never expect true rain storms in the sunny parts of California. This rain came as a shock for lots of people and is going to take some time for everyone to fix their homes. The rain not only impacted people outside of this county, but it also impacted many LHS students.
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Cover photo courtesy of Honi Haskins
Colette McMeans is a staff writer for The Lion's Roar. You can learn more information about the writer by clicking here.
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