KERR COUNTY, Texas – When floodwaters swept through the Texas Hill Country earlier this month, they left behind not only destroyed homes and debris but also irreplaceable memories for countless families.
Now, a Houston company is working to bring some of those memories back to life.
Cotton Holdings — through its nonprofit arm, the Cotton Foundation — launched a “Restoration Station” in Kerr County. The mobile unit offers free services to families hoping to salvage water-damaged keepsakes, including photographs.
“We wanted to do something where we could really not only impact the community, but we could actually impact individuals,” said Stewart Geldersma of the Cotton Foundation. “Any way we can possibly relieve some stress and anxiety for people who, unfortunately, paid a huge price.”
Inside the foundation’s Restoration Station, workers carefully remove soaked photographs from albums, sanitize them and dry them out — a meticulous process aimed at stopping further decay.
“Even if it’s not restorable, what we want to do is at least stop the process from getting worse,” Geldersma said.
For many people impacted by flooding, these photographs are more than just pictures.
“These are memories,” Geldersma said. “It’s real emotional sometimes for not only our crews, but obviously, our people that we’re trying to help.”
Leticia Carmona, a Houston native and Cotton Foundation worker, said the work has brought back memories of her own experience during Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
“It is devastating, seeing everything,” Carmona said. “You could feel the intensity, the grief, everything. But it’s great to see people smile after the disaster.”
The Cotton Foundation plans to continue operating the Restoration Station as long as families need its assistance.
“We’re gonna keep it going as long as people need us,” Geldersma said. “There’s no end to this.”
Families can make free restoration appointments through the Cotton Foundation’s website.
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