Woman helps return cherished family photos to Hurricane Helene survivors: “The river couldn’t take my memories”

CBS News — Six months ago, Hurricane Helene made landfall in Perry, Florida, before barrelling through the southeastern U.S. The Category 3 hurricane caused catastrophic rainfall, devastating flooding and billions in damage to parts of western North Carolina.

The deadly storm — which killed more than 100 people according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services — also washed away homes and people’s cherished belongings.

Among the debris is treasured family photos. Taylor Schenker first spotted some photos during a walk along a river bank. She began collecting them and later started searching for more.

“For me, that’s one thing that I could do to help, was to go and walk these river banks and see if I could find any more photos and then share them online,” Schenker said.

Determined to return them, Schenker said she cleaned what she could and posted the pictures on social media on a profile she called “Photos from Helene” so people could claim them.

Reuniting photos with families

The mudcaked photos are of babies, weddings, birthday parties, pets and school portraits.

Schenker said she’s found more than 600 photos and has reunited almost 80 with their owners, including about 40 photos that belong to Mary Moss. Floodwaters swept away Moss’ family home of 40 years and everything inside.

“That’s my baby Dallas,” Moss said as she pointed to one of the photos Schenker returned.

Like thousands of other people in western North Carolina, life looks nothing like it did before the storm for Moss.

“You sit there and watch everything you own go down the river, but the only thought is those memories and those things that you can’t replace,” she said.

Recovery after Helene

Moss and her family are one of the more than 150,000 receiving help from FEMA. The historic storm caused nearly $60 billion worth of damage, according to the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management. Officials say it’ll take years to fully recover.

Moss described the road to recovery since Helene as “unreal,” adding, “we’re trying to take it one day at a time.

But she said she’s grateful for the photos Schenker has found.

“The river couldn’t take my memories, but it sure as heck took all the things that I treasure the most,” Moss said.

With hundreds of photographs still unclaimed, Schenker said she’s continuing the project.

“I feel like it’s such a privilege to be able to give people back these memories and so, to be able to sit with them in their grief and just like, say, ‘I’m so glad that you made it,’ has been really special to have that moment with people,” Schenker said.