Navigating College after a Disaster: Understanding the Impact and Institutional Support for Community College Students after Hurricane Harvey

ABSTRACT

Hurricane Harvey devastated the state of Texas in August 2017, with the city of Houston and surrounding areas being heavily impacted. Over 30,000 people were displaced from their homes as flooding ravaged the Gulf Coast during this natural disaster. This qualitative study examined the impact of Hurricane Harvey through the voices of 15 community college students. We highlight the ways they were impacted by the hurricane, how they persisted in college after experiencing a major natural disaster, and the support they received from the institution. Some participants also shared about their challenges navigating access to institutional resources after the hurricane. Findings revealed that participants relied on campus resources as well as institutional agents, such as faculty and advisors, to navigate their academics post-Harvey. We conclude with a discussion of implications for community college stakeholders to consider when supporting students before, during, and after natural disasters or other types of crises.

Notes

1. Although we planned to conduct only focus groups, some were only attended by one participant, thus becoming individual interviews.