Woman found 200 photos after a deadly hurricane—she undertook a massive effort to get them back to the families

A photo captures a thousand feelings and memories. Sometimes, it’s the only remnant of a priceless moment, a dear relationship and more. Taylor Schenker, from Canton, North Carolina, knew how much a picture can mean to a person. So, when she chanced upon pictures of various strangers after Hurricane Helene, she was determined to give them back, as reported by CBS News. However, she found around 200 pictures — different people, different places, different memories. The woman understood that each picture meant something to a person and knew she had to do something big to ensure as many people were reunited with their prized possessions. 

The hurricane had brutal effects on thousands of people. With over 220 people dead, many others lost their homes and precious belongings. Though Schenker’s home made it through, her friend’s house in Asheville was destroyed. After the storm was over, the duo made their way to the house to see if there was anything they could salvage. "We spent about four hours digging through the mud, looking for any belongings of hers," Schenker recalled. It was then that she stumbled upon a few photographs.

"During that process, I found about four or five individual photographs and we laid out the photos – along with some clothes and we found an American flag – along the bank, hoping they would be reunited with people,” the woman said. She had initially found just those few items, but couldn’t stop thinking about what a great loss it might have been to its owners. "Just thinking, 'Here are these little photographs that miraculously made it through all of this and now are sitting here and what if it rains or what if the wind blows and they aren't able to be reunited with their family,'" she thought. 

That’s when Schenker decided to return to the site and retrieve as many photographs as she could. Vivid memories of pets, occasions, victories, moments of love and so much more were found and deserved to be retrieved. "You take photos because you have a moment you want to remember and they all seem special,” she remarked. She collected the pictures and started an Instagram page titled “Photos from Helene" (@photosfromhelene). She began posting the pictures online in hopes that the internet would work its magic and help find its owner. 

Eventually, many others, who found pictures, including rescue teams, decided to hand them over to the woman so she could locate the owners. Throughout the months, she kept posting, segregating and hoping. People shared the posts, commented, and tagged others in their effort to find the people. Many even recalled finding their younger selves while scrolling and being shocked. One of the posts had a picture of an ongoing match between the players. A woman discovered it and commented, “Belongs to my dad!” Another picture captured a little girl in a poncho. To this one, a young woman commented, “That one is me!” 

By the end of October last year, the woman had successfully helped retrieve 15% of the pictures to their rightful holders — and the feeling was inspiring. "Being able to have that moment where you hand something so special to somebody and then also just give them a hug – because they've lost likely their entire home in this situation – it's such a privilege to have an insight into this moment in their lives through these photographs and be able to give them back to them," she said. "The process is definitely fulfilling," she added.

You can follow Photos from Helene (@photosfromhelene) on Instagram if you have any lost pictures or to help locate photographs.