Post Hurricane Sandy, this non-profit organization is heading to NY to restore damaged photos

Many New Yorkers have made their way back to normalcy since Hurricane Sandy first struck three months ago, but while some residents were lucky enough to simply lose power, some found themselves in life-threatening situations and later dealt with extreme property damage.

Of course, buildings can be repaired over time, but damage to personal and highly sentimental belongings cannot. Family photographs in particular have been irreparably damaged — that is, unless you have access to digital restoration services.

Luckily, Operation Photo Rescue, an organization founded by photojournalists Dave Ellis and Becky Sell after Hurricane Katrina, is making its way to New York to digitize, restore and reprint photographs on February 2nd-3rd. The non-profit organization has teamed up with Chase and The School of Visual Arts (SVA) for imaging stations, software and volunteers; DigMyPics for printing/shipping restored photos; PhotoShelter for online storage; and Imagingetc and Ken Allen Studios for photographic restoration.

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Operation Photo Rescue is inviting “anyone with photos damaged from Hurricane Sandy” to bring in a maximum of 20 photos “to be evaluated and potentially restored.” These photos will then be reprinted and shipped for free, while the original copies are retained by the owner.

This organization joins countless initiatives to help repair areas damaged by Sandy, including Apple’s $2.5 million donation to the Red Cross, Airbnb’s partnership with NY to provide shelter, Foursquare and Snoball’s move to let users donate via check-ins and more.

There’s nothing more important than coming together and helping those in need in the wake of a tragedy, and from what we can see, Operation Photo Rescue truly encapsulates this. You can make an appointment to come in and have your photos restored, but walk-ins are also welcome.

Image credit: Brian Birke