ASHEVILLE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – Helene created the photo opportunity nobody wanted to see, hitting East Asheville like a weapon of mass destruction.
“Basically, looked like a bomb went off,” said Tommy Moss, who lived in their house with his wife Mary for forty years.
The flooding washed away their home away. Now, all they have left is a series of stills of the empty site, taken after their lives came to a standstill.
“It’s not about the house, or the stuff that’s in it,” Mary told Queen City News. “It’s about those little things that you can’t replace, like the photos.”
Taylor Schenker of Canton has uncovered many such priceless photos.
“Looks like the page of a scrapbook with a really cute dog,” she showed us. “There’s a girl playing a guitar.”
She created ‘Photos from Helene’ on Facebook and Instagram, posting what she finds on walks along the Swannanoa River.
The process leads to clues that sometimes reconnect the pics with the owners.
“It’s a really tough time,” Schenker said. “But it’s exciting to have these little moments and to know that they are being reconnected.”
Some show the best of times, from weddings to Christmases past. Many of them are school pictures and shots of athletic conquests.
As word spread, others started sending in contributions too, including local search and rescue crews.
“It’s just so powerful to find some of these photos and to make different connections,” says Schenker.
‘Photos from Helene’ salvaged several childhood prints of the Moss boys, Tommy and Dallas. The images wound up five miles away from where the house was.
“It’s kind of damaged, but that is my son, Tommy,” Mary explained. “That’s our oldest son who passed away when he was twelve.”
Tommy had a rare genetic disorder called Hunter Syndrome and died when he was 12.
Asheville Police also gave the Mosses some pictures back.
“Just to be able to hold the picture in our hand after we watched everything disappear, words just can’t express how we feel,” Mary said.
“When their house was taken out, it gives me chills thinking about it, but they lost all memories of their son who died,” says Schenker.
Of the 200 photographs collected, ‘Photos from Helene’ has rehomed 25.
“I wanted them to be able to be connected with the people who had them, because I know how much that small memory can mean to somebody,” says Schenker.
Suzie Pruett of Oteen also laments the loss of her home sweet home. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help her family pay off her mortgage and rebuild.
But no amount of money could replace most of her possessions.
Photos from Helene gave her some sentimental treasures.
“[Taylor Schenker] found all of these pictures of my babies when they were little that got washed away,” said Pruett.
Her daughters are still living, but seeing old photos again is like an emotional family reunion.
“I’m just happy to see her face,” she says, referring to one picture of her oldest. “You know as a parent sometimes you forget how small your children were and how incredibly beautiful, they are. So, I’m very thankful to have little mementos like this.”
‘Photos of Helene’ also helped Brittney Buckner find her father-in-law’s urn. The ashes washed away, but her family is thrilled to have the heirloom.
“When I got the notifications, I was ready to go! I was excited, I had a slew of emotions, you know, and I can’t thank you guys enough for reuniting us with that,” Buckner said to Schenker via Zoom.
Since Helene, it’s just one of a thousand ways that faith in humanity has been restored.
“Knowing that there are these small acts of kindness that are really huge for people is really important,” Pruett said.
At times like this, survivors find solace in knowing not all is lost.
“So, it’s incredible that we found these pictures of our kids,” says Tommy Moss.