CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Some of the many family photos damaged in the June flood in West Virginia will get a second chance when representatives with Operation Photo Rescue come to Kanawha County and Nicholas County later this month.
Formed by two photojournalists, Dave Ellis and Becky Sell, after Hurricane Katrina, Operation Photo Rescue is a nonprofit organization that utilizes the skills of volunteer photo editors across the U.S. to provide free photo restoration services in disaster areas, like the 12 Mountain State counties hit with historic flooding six weeks ago.
“People have lost their homes, but one of the things you always hear is, ‘And I lost the pictures. All those memories are lost,'” said Elizabeth Frazer, head of reference services for the Kanawha County Public Library.
Operation Photo Rescue will be set up on Friday, Aug. 26 and Saturday, Aug. 27 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Kanawha County at the Kanawha County Main Library, 123 Capitol Street, Charleston.
On Sunday, Aug. 28 from 12 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on Monday, Aug. 29 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the organization will be set up in Nicholas County at the Richwood Public Library, 8 White Ave., Richwood.
Residents can submit up to 20 flood-damaged photos to Operation Photo Rescue for the free restoration service. Digital copies will be made at the above locations, so the original photos will remain with their owners.
With the copies, “They do the best they can and they fix everything they can and then you will get mailed back, at no charge, the photos that they’ve been able to restore,” Fraser said.
The photos should be dry and, if possible, removed from photo frames and albums.
Ahead of the West Virginia site visits, Operation Photo Rescue is offering some tips for salvaging flood-damaged photos.
