*This story was originally published in the first quarter issue of the Eagle Eye*

Students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School experienced the effects of Hurricane Irma in different ways—some more severe than others. Senior Nicole Smith went without power for a full seven days. Like many locals, her power went out Sunday, Sept. 10, the day the storm hit Parkland. However, her street lost power for a more extensive period of time compared to the rest of her neighborhood.

“It was weird; our street was the only street that had power out for that long, and the other street got its power back quickly,” Smith said.

Smith, like others in the community, attempted to report the power outage in order to regain electricity quickly.

“They tried to get the man who fixed the other streets to fix ours,” Smith said. “But, he was so busy that they couldn’t even get a hold of him.”

After residing in a powerless house for two days, Smith and her family resorted to staying at her grandparents’ house for the remainder of the outage. While still at home, she utilized a portable generator to power her main refrigerator and fan. However, she had no access to hot water during the power outage.

“We just filled water containers up,” Smith said. “Showering with cold water wasn’t that bad… we didn’t stay for a long time.”

While Smith had to endure an uncomfortable situation longer than most students at MSD, she now has her electricity back up and running.