Over 500 miles away from Starkville, Hurricane Harvey dumped a record-breaking amount of rain on parts of Texas, leaving devastation and heartache in its wake.
As of Wednesday, Aug. 30, the death toll stood at 23.
The Associated Press reports more than 1,000 homes were destroyed and close to 50,000 damaged. As a result, the disaster forced 32,000 people to seek safety in shelters across the state of Texas.
Once the storm made landfall, Harvey ripped apart home after home. For Mississippi residents, it was a tragic spectacle to watch unfold, but for several MSU students, it became their reality.
Countless videos showed water lapping the sides of buildings and residents riding on rescue boats. Amid the chaos, senior communications major Claire Bonham saw her neighbors, her elementary school and other places she grew up.
“That’s my home,” Bonham said. “All of my memories are sitting underwater.”
For Bonham, the severity of the disaster didn’t occur to her until she received numerous phone calls and messages from friends asking if her family was safe and after she saw the news of widespread flooding as it developed.
“When you wake up to that, it’s hard,” Bonham said. “I literally started crying.”
While Bonham handled her class and work schedule, her parents were stranded in the second floor of their home. As the water rose, they were evacuated by boat to a safe location.
“Last I heard we had a little over five feet in our house and it was still rising,” Bonham said. “They were stuck upstairs and my mom was wearing a swimsuit around our house.”
Overwhelmed, Bonham notes her memories from Katrina, but she had never experienced something quite like this disaster which directly affected her family.
“I guess it’s just the fact that my home is destroyed,” Bonham said. “You don’t really realize it until it happens to your home.”
Bonham said her heart drops every time she receives a phone call from her parents because she doesn’t know what could be happening next.
“I’ve called them more in one day than I probably have called them ever before,” Bonham said.
Bonham stressed the importance of donating because it not only helps people in Houston but also members within the Starkville community affected by the storm.
“If you find an opportunity to donate, please do,” Bonham said.
MSU senior Hannah Stewart, from Katy, Texas - which sits about 40 miles from the Houston area - said her family did not evacuate because of their previous experience with other hurricanes where there was no damage.
Last time Stewart’s family evacuated from Houston to Dallas, they were in a car for over 24 hours.
Stewart’s home and family are safe, but her family has limited food and resources.
Stewart said the hardest part in dealing with the disaster is not knowing when she will be able to go back home to see her family.
“It’s really frustrating not knowing when the next time you’ll be able to go home,” Stewart said. “I haven’t really slept the last few days.”
Voice tight, and eyes swelling, Stewart said she looks at the photos shown on the news and imagines the sunny Houston days of people enjoying the city. But now, the storm has taken the liveliness away from her home.
“It’s nothing like I’ve ever seen before,” Stewart said. “Now it’s pitch-black and there is water everywhere and people on rafts. I don’t even know how to put it into words."