By outreach@cw.ua.edu (Matthew Speakman)
As images of Hurricane Harvey continue to surface, the safety of those living in Houston and its surround continues to be in question. The second-largest city in America in terms of area size has been hit with as much as 50 inches of rain. Nearly 30,000 people have been forced into shelters due to the massive amounts of rain and flooding, according to the Washington Post.
Jalen Hurts, a Houston native, said he has been in contact with his family and that them and their house have been unaffected.
“Yeah, it’s crazy,” Hurts said. “It’s a blessing for me because my house hasn’t really been damaged, my street hasn’t really had a lot of flooding, but everything around it is pretty bad. Woodforest and Beltway Eight and all that, just a lot going on. But my family is good and that’s a blessing.”
As families across the Houston area continue to be affected by the flooding, Hurts said he is blessed to have his family safe from the effects of the hurricane. Hurts said he’s continuing to keep them on his mind.
“A lot of stuff going on down there, but I’m praying for them and keeping them in my prayers,” Hurts said. “I’ll definitely be playing for them Saturday.”
Images have surfaced of many freeways and highways being completely underwater due to flooding. Hurts reaffirmed this, saying that many people are using boats due to the roads being unusable.
As far as his family goes, he said he is unsure if his family will be able to attend Alabama’s game against Florida State on Saturday.
“We’ll see,” he said. “I’d rather them be safe than come to my game. They can watch it on TV, they have electricity.”
Nick Saban also provided a few updates on Alabama players who are from the Houston area and its surrounding cities. Saban said none of the player’s families have been significantly affected as of now.
“We want our players to feel comfortable that their families are not in any danger or in harm’s way,” Saban said. “To this point, we don’t have any significant issues that we have to report.”
As far as the upcoming game goes, both Saban and Hurts are completely focused on the Crimson Tide’s matchup with Florida State. Hurts said he is not letting the situation affect his preparation.
“Nah, it’s Florida State week,” he said. “Opening week this week. Like I said, they’re in my prayers back home, but we’re focused. As a team, we know what we have in front of us and we have to get ready.”
Source:: The Crimson White Sports
