Coastal to send aid to Houston

On Aug. 29, the Coastal Carolina Department of Athletics announced they will be conducting a relief drive in an effort to assist those in Houston who have been affected by Hurricane Harvey and the historic flooding the storm has caused.

Cari Rosiek, associate athletic director at Coastal Carolina University, talked about what it meant to once again step up to the plate.

“I was not sure if we were going to be able to accomplish this due to the fact that we didn’t have a truck,” said Rosiek. “On Tuesday morning, I was getting a lot of requests and I was able to talk one-on-one with Tyler

Anthony of Lewis Truck Lines and he jumped on board.”

Coastal Carolina ran a donation drive last year in an effort to aid fellow Sun Belt institution, Louisiana-Lafayette, after torrential rain caused horrendous flooding in the area.

“As a community that felt the effects of a hurricane last fall, we can certainly empathize with the people of Houston and their current situation,” said Rosiek.

Harvey developed from a tropical wave to the east of the Lesser Antilles, reaching tropical storm status on

Aug. 17. Harvey began to decrease in strength as it passed through the Caribbean but then began to rapidly intensify on Aug. 24 and regain its Tropical Storm status, ultimately becoming a hurricane that same day.

On Aug. 25, Harvey was labeled as Category 4 hurricane and made landfall at peak intensity in Rockport, Texas.

The worst of Hurricane Harvey was the catastrophic inland flooding that has affected deep east Texas, especially in Houston, Texas.

The Greater Houston area observed at least 50 inches of rain, making Harvey the wettest tropical cyclone on record for Texas and the contiguous United States. It is also estimated that 25 to 30 percent of Harris County, which is nearly 450 square miles in area, was submerged. It is estimated that there is going to at least $10 billion to $160 billion in damages.

Coastal Carolina Department of Athletics will be sending student-athletes to Texas, much like last year when Coastal aided Lafayette, Louisiana.

“We will be taking student-athletes down to Houston once it has been deemed safe,” said Rosiek. “There, our student-athletes will be helping unload the truck and distribute supplies. That way, we know that the people who desperately need [help] will get it in their hands.”

The drive will last two weeks and people are encouraged to bring cleaning supplies, toiletry items and cases of water.

Monetary donations can be made here.