Volunteers return heirlooms lost in Ottawa tornadoes
When a tornado flattened Kalie Cain's parents' Dunrobin home in September, the family thought they'd lost everything — including photos of the 12-year-old as a baby and a young child.
Unbeknownst to them, Cain's photos had ended up scattered across a farmer's field, a swamp, and the bush.
Now, thanks to a group of volunteers who've been out collecting precious items strewn across Ottawa-Gatineau following the devastating tornado strikes, the photos are back in the family's hands.
"I feel really good," Cain said Sunday. "Because someone decided to take care of them, and decided not to throw them out."
'We lost everything'
Cain was at her grandma's house when the tornado hit, but her parents and two brothers were at home.
As parts of their house collapsed on them, Jessica Woods and her husband sheltered the kids with their bodies.
"I thought we were going to die … it was so fast," said Woods, Cain's mom.
"We lost everything. We had just gotten married in January. All of our gift cards, all of our wedding cards were all gone. ... We just spent $40,000 on renovations."
Moved 4 times
Since losing the home, the family has moved four times, but plans to return to Dunrobin as soon as they can.
Volunteers have since recovered their documents, chairs, pieces of their roof, and even their bathtub.
One person made a photo album for Cain with all the photos they found, and the family's been given a free photo shoot so they can replace any others.
"It's been amazing. It always makes me cry. They found my grandpa's wedding photo, which no one else has a copy of that one," said Woods. "It makes a heart warm."
Dozens of volunteers
About 50 to 60 people have been involved in the search for lost items. It's not a walk in the park — they trek through bushy, swampy areas and often get wet.
"The stress levels for people are really, really high right now," said Ruth Sirman, who's been organizing the volunteers and briefing them on how to stay safe.
"The look on people's faces when we are able to actually find, you know, a photo of their grandfather, maybe the only picture they have now ... it's something that people are actually really appreciative of."
The volunteers have learned where to go by following the damage and paying attention to drone footage and media coverage.
The group brings any items they've found to community update meetings hosted by the West Carleton Disaster Relief Association.
Sirman said the reaction when they're able reunite tornado victims with their keepsakes makes the hard work worth it.
"It's watching a little girl who looks at a photo in a box and goes 'That's me!' and gets all excited," she said.
Time is getting short for the volunteers, however, as the days get shorter and leaves and snow start to cover the ground.
They plan to keep going as long as they can, and they ask people to email westcarletonrelief@gmail.com if they find items or if they're looking for something specific.
