DAMASCUS, Va. –
The devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Helene has been felt all over the Appalachian regions of North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia. Many people were left without food, power, and some without homes. These losses come with families being separated from irreplaceable items, mementos of happier times. There is nothing more irreplaceable than photos of loved ones who are no longer with us.
One Virginia Army National Guard Soldier recognized this, as she was helping with cleanup efforts in the town of Damascus, one of the hardest hit areas in western Virginia.
Among a massive pile of storm debris that had been swept up by the high water, she uncovered a battered and soggy photo album.
Spc. Gabrielle Edens, a mother of two and an officer candidate assigned to the Gate City-based 1032nd Transportation Company, 1030th Transportation Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group, was working with a team of Soldiers to clear Orchard Hill Road Oct. 4, 2024, which experienced severe flooding during the storm.
“When I opened the album and saw the photos, I knew I had to try and save what I could,” Edens said. “These were someone's memories, someone's family.”
Edens took a few minutes away from clean up to salvage photos from the album which were not completely destroyed by water damage. She laid the photographs out to dry and at the end of the work detail collected them all up and took them with her.
She posted some of the photos on Facebook asking for any assistance in finding who they may belong to.
“I shared it on my page, asking for people to help,” she said. “The post I made was shared seven times when a coworker of one of the family members identified the photos.”
The photos belonged to Michael French, a resident of Orchard Hill Road in Damascus, who lost his home in the flooding. The album contained photographs of his mother, Elizabeth Taylor, who lost her battle with cancer at 54 years-old. Edens was able to contact French when his daughter reached out after seeing the post on social media.
French came to the Abingdon Readiness Center to meet Edens and retrieve his lost photographs.
Edens had taken the time to place the photos in a new album that she purchased. She also collected items from the Abingdon Recruiting and Retention team to present to French, including backpacks, hats, shirts and water bottles.
French was extremely grateful to receive the recovered photos.
“It’s a true blessing,” French said. “I never thought that I would see the first one, I thought everything was gone.”
French and Edens flipped through the album and talked about some of the photographs.
“I feel like I’m part of your family now,” Edens said, as the two shared a touching moment.
“These are the only photos we have of her (French’s mother),” he said. “No negatives or digital copies of these photos exist. It’s truly amazing to have them back.”
Edens, who recently re-joined the military after a five-year break in service, volunteered for the emergency response mission in support of the response to impacts of Hurricane Helene.
“The whole purpose of volunteering for this mission was to make an impact directly with the communities,” she said. “There is nothing that can replace something with so much sentimental value to someone. It was important for me to take the time to save these photographs. I know if it was me, I would want them back.”