The start of 2017’s hurricane season has been a rocky one. Two major hurricanes, Harvey and Irma have shaken the southern states of the nation. These storms have affected many, and Pentucket students can feel the impacts.

According to the United States Census Bureau, about 49 million Americans were impacted in some way by Hurricane Irma. The Miami Herald reports that Hurricane Irma has claimed nine lives, and the Washington Post reports that the Hurricane Harvey death toll is at 82.

Matt Curtis, a sophomore at Pentucket High School, has relatives that faced Irma head on. “My cousins live in Florida,” Curtis reported. Irma sent its worst to the Sunshine State as a Category 4 hurricane when it first made landfall. As of Sept. 13, Curtis says “We have not heard from them yet.”

Another Pentucket sophomore, Tyler Pfifferling, also has been impacted by Irma. “My grandmother’s house in Port Charlotte, Florida is on a canal. The flooding from the storm caused the canal to overflow six inches to one foot of water onto her back lawn.” Pfifferling also stated that the power has not yet been restored.

In response to the tragedies, President Trump and the First Lady Melania Trump visited Texas on Sept. 2 to lend a hand in the clean up and revival efforts. The President also donated one million dollars to Hurricane Harvey relief. “As tough as this was, it’s been a wonderful thing,” Trump said to reporters at a shelter for victims. “I- I think even for the country to watch and for the world to watch. It’s been beautiful.”

The President and First Lady also visited Hurricane Irma victims in Florida on Sept. 14. “We love the people of Florida and they went through something the likes of which nobody has ever seen before,” Trump said. “We love these people, and we’re going to be back and we’re going to help them.”

The tropics have stirred up another storm that is projected to bring even more devastating conditions. Hurricane Maria is lingering along the eastern seaboard as a category 1 hurricane, and is expected to become a tropical storm at 8AM on Wednesday, September 27. Puerto Rico was the hardest hit in the wake of Maria thus far, and the New York Daily News reports that the death toll has risen to over 30.

With three hurricanes that have brought extreme amounts of destruction to the United States and its outlying islands, many believe the country must come together to help one another in restoration acts. Although there were three major hurricanes so far this year, the official end of Hurricane season is November 30.