But, even in the darkness of this tragedy, a small glimmer of hope developed in Alabama.
After the storm passed over Patty Bullion’s home, she saw photos and documents blowing around on her front lawn. Bullion got on Facebook and saw that a neighbor that lived down the street had posted, “...that it was raining pictures -- falling out of the sky."
Immediately, Bullion got the idea to set up a Facebook page where any found photos, documents, or any personal items could be posted on her newly created page and hopefully reunited with their owner.
When Bullion’s page went up, the response became overwhelming. Almost immediately, her page got hits from people that were able to identifying some of the lost items that Bullion had collected from her yard.
Within two days of being posted, Bullion’s page received over 50,000 hits, and over 500 pictures or documents that have been found by people had been uploaded to her page. Many items posted have been identified and connected with their owner, but many more remain unclaimed.
There were even items collected in her neighborhood that appeared to come from a town that was over 100 miles away.
Bullion said that many of the items she has collected and posted are deeply personal. One such item is a pregnant woman’s ultrasound. "If this was the only baby picture they had, I wanted to make sure that they were returned," she said.
Even with the reality that Bullion’s surrounding neighborhood and community has been crushed by Mother Nature, she remains determined to push forward until ever photo and item is returned to their rightful owner.
Bullion’s Facebook page may be a small gesture in the grand scope of such a tragedy. But, with over 94,000 likes, her page may be the glimmer of hope her town needs while trying to rebuild. (Source: Woman Makes Tornado Victims' Lost-and-Found, by Jacob Beckman, abcnews.go.com)
