(Washington) Abigail Miller’s parents lost virtually everything in the wake of tornadoes that devastated the central and southeastern United States last weekend.
But with the help of strangers, the Kentucky couple tracked down photographs of their daughter’s graduation ceremony, thanks to a Facebook group where thousands of people are trying to track down the owners of objects blown by them. tornadoes sometimes hundreds of miles away.
The Millers, who were able to find shelter before the tornado arrived, were luckier than their belongings, carefully stored for a move to a furniture repository in Dawson Springs, one of the cities almost destroyed by the storm.
“We didn’t think we could find anything,” said 19-year-old Abigail Miller, who no longer lives in Kentucky.
So what was her surprise when a former classmate posted a photo of a snapshot of her on a Facebook group devoted to items found in the Friday tornadoes.
Then a second photo appeared on this group, that of the graduation ceremony.
” Thank you so much ! Exclaimed Abigail Miller in the comments.
The pictures had flown to Philpot, another town in Kentucky, a hundred miles away.
Other people eventually found new photos belonging to the Millers, still in Philpot, and each offered to mail them back to their owners.
“Some even asked what our family needed for Christmas”, the young woman is moved.
“She’s my grandma!” ”
The Facebook group in question now has 68,000 members and continues to grow.
Those who join him use it to track down pet owners, paperwork, and hundreds of family photos.
One shows a father in the hospital, holding a newborn baby in his arms. Another in black and white shows young men in uniform during World War II.
Homeowners are often tagged within minutes, with family or friends tagging loved ones in comments.
“She’s my grandma!” I’m sending you a message ! », Comments a user under a torn photo of her grandmother holding a Christmas present.
Other messages reveal tragedies. “It was my uncle who was killed by the tornado”, one can read under another image.
“The strength of our community”
Some were even able to find their pets.
Laura Pratt’s husband, a teacher in western Kentucky, discovered a dog while helping clean up debris after the storm.
“It’s like a member of the family. If my dog had disappeared, I would like us to do the same, ”she says.
Three days after posting pictures of the blind female dachshund with a brown mark on her head online, she finally received a message.
” It is my dog ! My house and everything else was destroyed! Where can I find it? Wrote a resident of Benton, another Kentucky town hit by tornadoes.
“As soon as the lady hugged her, she relaxed – it was obvious she belonged to her,” says Laura Pratt.
These outbursts of solidarity on the internet made this teacher proud: “It shows the strength of our community. ”