Facebook Lost-And-Found Page Created For Tornado Victims' Possessions

As deadly twisters ripped through communities in the South on Wednesday, they sucked up and scattered possessions and collected memories.

Now, members of these tornado-ravaged communities are collecting the photos, documents and other personal items dropped by the cyclones and posting them on a Facebook lost-and-found page.

Created by Patty Bullion, a northern Alabama resident, the page has become home to more than 800 photographs of found items, some of them badly scarred from the vicious storms.

"When it [the storm] went over us, it literally just started raining pictures," Bullion told CNN. "We got parts of Bibles, hymnals. ... I just started saying, 'There are parts of people's lives falling out of the sky.'"

In the page's description, Bullion encourages people to post photos and descriptions of items found among the debris, along with contact information.

Bullion told the AFP on Friday that about 40 items had been returned so far.

While the page itself has garnered over 60,000 Likes, the page has become more than a lost-and-found box. Users are connecting with one another via photo comments and leaving inspiring messages in the wall posts. Some are even coordinating relief efforts.

"Some friends and I are looking to help out families in need in the Georgia area that was affected. Anyone have any idea where we could start? Any churches that have put together volunteer groups?" one user wrote on Saturday. Within minutes, another user posted a response with several suggestions.

“I feel like I know these people,” Bullion said of the lost photographs posted to her page. “They could so easily have been us.”

Visit the "Pictures and Documents found after the April 27, 2011 Tornadoes" page to view some of the photos people have posted so far.

Comments

[FLBeachside]

10:26 PM on 04/30/2011

My heart goes out to these unfortunate people and families, I'm contributing to every legitimate place I can. This is so sad. :(

[thetxsndn]

10:03 PM on 04/30/2011

God bless you Patty ! What an awesome idea !

[merrybethhms]

09:38 PM on 04/30/2011

We are in the next town past Fultondale, Al., which also took a direct hit. We are 75 miles from Tuscaloosa, and we are finding in our yards pictures, prescriptions, and even returned torn checks and this kind of thing from a long time ago with Tuscaloosa addresses.
The devestation even in the lesser hit areas is jaw-dropping, and the scenes coming out of Tuscalooa are in places almost beyond description. Some neighborhoods are completely wiped out. The people could have gone to their "safe place,", but that did not help because the tornado simply ripped off the entire house from the base. The houses are gone.
My heart is breaking, but as the song goes, "My home's in Alabama."
Please help these people in whatever way possible and pray for us.

[harleydesigns]

08:46 PM on 04/30/2011

Finally, there's a useful purpose to Facebook. I think this is a great idea. I'm glad someone thought of it. A house is just a house, and apartment the same, but it's the little things, pics of family as children, little toys they used to hold onto for dear life, etc, that really matter.
I hope everyone gets back thier memories.

[mossypond]

08:22 PM on 04/30/2011

After yesterdays article about all the damn looters, its great to read that there are still some decent, caring people left in America!!! More power to the volunteers, rescue workers, and honest people who are all trying to help the victims out!!!

[rockhound34x]

07:55 PM on 04/30/2011

People are posting pictures of water bills, etc! How funny. I do not think they want those back. I wonder if they still have to pay those bills if the house is gone?

[L1A1H1]

07:11 PM on 04/30/2011

Now this, even I can't find a flaw in. No bitches from this peanut gallery. You go girl!

[BROKE6STRING]

07:07 PM on 04/30/2011

.

[Thomas Sheridan]

07:52 PM on 04/30/2011

you need to leave a comment, good or bad!

[BROKE6STRING]

09:35 PM on 04/30/2011

Sorry.....I was actually doing a test to see if any of my comments would post. To date my mostly benign, middle of the road, non-antagonistic comments were censored by AOL/HuffPost. Seems that a simple . would post without delay.

[BROKE6STRING]

09:36 PM on 04/30/2011

Happened again......wouldn't post my original reply