Just as Temi Alaka was celebrating his first touchdown with the USF football team, his hometown got hit with flooding like never before.
“It feels pretty helpless. My mom, my family back in Houston. So I try and talk to them every day. They give me updates. Send me pictures," Alaka said.
Alaka just transferred to USF from Rice University in Houston. So along with family, many of his friends and former teammates are dealing with the dangerous conditions too.
“It’s unbelievable to me. When I see the pictures. These are all places that every time I go home...these are places that I drive through.”
Alaka said his neighborhood, northwest of downtown Houston hasn’t been as affected as other places. But he’s still worried for the safety of his loved ones.
“Sometimes I’d just rather be with them and do what I can. It’s just a helpless feeling. But we pray about it a lot,” Alaka said. “There’s a lot going on in the city. But I try to make sure my family is good, and that kind of helps me get through the day.”
A handful of Buccaneers are also from the devastated part of Texas. Wide receiver Josh Huff still has a home and family in Houston.
“Got some water in some places. But everybody is good,” Huff said.
He just wants the rain to stop.
“Just seeing all my classmates that I went to school with and seeing their families struggle, going through what they are going through. It’s definitely tough.”
While the Bucs are getting ready for the regular season and the Bulls are underway for what could be a huge year, football is on their mind but so is home.
