The Texas Floods Washed Away Their Possessions. Volunteers Are Helping Reunite Them.

Matthew Rafferty was scouring nan flooded riverbanks of Texas Hill Country past play erstwhile he stumbled connected a mud-soaked babe quilt. Rafferty, a Virginia firefighter who was deployed to hard-hit Kerr County to thief pinch hunt and betterment efforts, folded it up and took it backmost to his hotel. He rinsed it disconnected successful nan bathtub. He worried nan drain mightiness clog because of each nan filth, character roots and rocks that came out.

But nan tub survived and, aft a travel to nan laundromat, nan quilt was virtually bully arsenic new. He posted a photograph of nan broad connected a Facebook group wherever group crossed cardinal Texas are keeping way of things they’ve recovered from nan devastation: waterlogged clothes, stuffed animals, Barbie dolls, matrimony licenses, family photograph albums. Rafferty yet connected pinch nan quilt’s proprietor and hand-delivered it to her.

Matthew Rafferty and members of his swift-water rescue squad returned a babe quilt to nan blanket's owner.

“I’m a begetter of 3-year-old copy boys. I cognize if I’d gone done thing for illustration these quilts, I’d want it back,” said Rafferty, 34.

Rafferty is portion of a loose web of first responders, volunteers and bully Samaritans who person fanned retired crossed nan region to thief reunite Texans pinch nan cherished belongings, family heirlooms and mundane family knickknacks that were swept distant erstwhile floods ripped done Kerr County complete Fourth of July weekend, sidesplitting much than 130 group and leaving astatine slightest 100 missing.

This week, NBC News said pinch group successful nan region astir nan objects that person turned up successful nan floods’ aftermath — and why they matter. In immoderate cases, seemingly trivial items person taken connected acold greater affectional value successful nan aftermath of nan deadly floods. These are immoderate of their stories.

The jewelry

Patty Hyatt was wrong her mobile location pinch her 8-year-old grandson and her caller beagle puppy early July 4 erstwhile her boy called. The floodwaters were rising accelerated and they needed to get to higher crushed arsenic soon arsenic possible, he told her. Hyatt, a 67-year-old retired teacher, loaded everyone into her Toyota Tacoma and headed to her son’s house, leaving astir of her things behind.

When she returned to nan Old River Road RV Resort nan pursuing morning, her 42-foot Forest River location was gone, washed distant by nan floods. She was heartbroken. “I conscionable mislaid stuff, not loved ones,” she said — but astir objects successful her location were associated pinch typical “memories” and she was sorry to spot them go.