Volunteers Working Hard To Restore Photos Found After OK Tornadoes

The Oklahoma Photo Rescue Project has been working since the day after the May 20 tornado and are getting close to reuniting lost photos with their owners.

Tuesday, October 1st 2013, 6:00 pm

By: News 9


Thousands of lost photographs from the May tornadoes across the state are in the process of being cleaned and returned to their owners.

The Oklahoma Photo Rescue Project has been working since the day after the May 20 tornado and are getting close to reuniting lost photos with their owners.

Carole Adams and her husband's house was completely destroyed near Briarwood Elementary School. They were able to find some of their most important photographs in the debris.

"My son got in there and dug and found this out. It was in a big antique frame," said Adams. "It's unexplainable because after you lose everything."

Carol Adams knows she's lucky to be alive. She and her husband escaped the path of the May 20th tornado by only a few minutes.

The couple took their salvaged pictures to the Oklahoma School of Photography in Moore. Kristi Brummal and volunteers worked to clean Adams' photographs then restore them. They have received thousands of damaged photographs found in the tornado debris and have been worked for months to clean them and catalogue them. In about a month, the owners of these lost photos will be able to get them back.

"Having that one small bit of something back can make all the difference. The one photo to hang back on the wall, even if it's a new wall. The one thing that links your past to your future, a memory, it's irreplaceable," Brummal said.

Brummal said the on November 9, the owners will be able to pick up the photos they have claimed at the Suburban Baptist Church in Moore. She encouraged anyone who lost photos during the tornado to look for the photos on the website and begin the process of claiming them.

Brummal explained that they would be adding new photos online every couple of days so people should keep an eye on the website if they do not see their photo online right away.

Once the owner of the picture has it back in their possession, they can begin the process of restoration, where Brummal and other volunteers will work to repair any damage for free.

The first reunification event for the Oklahoma Photo Rescue Project will happen on November 9th at the Suburban Baptist Church in Moore.

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