J M Wetherington Sr

Here in Texas, we’re approaching the 6-month mark following Hurricane Harvey’s tremendous impact on the Texas coastal area and metropolitan Houston, resulting in 68 deaths directly related to the storm, and in massive property damage and destruction.

Having lived through Hurricane Charley in Florida back in 2004, I have a small idea of what survivors of Harvey have and are experiencing.

When you think of the damage inflicted your mind typically goes to residential and personal property items such as homes, appliances, furniture, clothing, and automobiles. As devastating as those losses can be, they can all be repaired and/or replaced.

But one of the most heartbreaking losses for most survivors is the loss that occurs when one-of-a-kind or single-copy family photos are damaged by wind and water, rendering them, in many cases, unfit to be re-framed or displayed as they were pre-disaster.

So I’m happy to see this feel-good story and video from AdWeek sharing how a group of high schoolers from San Antonio, Texas who are members of an Adobe (makers of Photoshop software) group known as ambassadors, spent weeks employing their Photoshop skills and talent to repair rips, tears, color and water-damaged family photos. The students then returned to those homes in December of last year to present the repaired, printed, and newly-framed photos to survivors, still struggling to recover from Hurricane Harvey.

I doubt that many people can watch the 4-minute video without their eyes at least watering up when they see the joy and tears of happiness from the survivors AND those students with the results of restoring family photos damaged by Hurricane Harvey.

Good work guys.