Social media helps reunite owners with missing flood items

A handful of "lost and found" Facebook groups have been launched by members of flooded communities in New Brunswick in hopes of reuniting people and their property.

Cheryl Sartoris says because of "crazy" wind and waves, more items than ever are waiting to be claimed.

The Sunnyside Beach resident is the administrator of two Facebook groups, the Grand Lake (West) Flood Watch - 2018 that kept residents in the Grand Lake area informed during the flooding and another, the Lost and Found Grand Lake West page that is helping people find their lost items. 

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Sartoris left her home during the worst of the flooding, fearful that with no power she wouldn't be able to keep the flood watch group updated with important information. 

"So that is the main reason I went out is to keep our site going. It connects the people," she said. 

And while her home never lost power, Sartoris said the flood just got worse and worse. 

"It was just unreal the pictures that we have on there of the devastation." 

Lost and found

But after the floodwaters began receding and people were able to get back to their properties, many began posting about items they had lost and items they had found. 

"I'm not going to say the site was getting clogged, it's just that when you wanted to search for something there was a lot of items you had to go through to find something you saw maybe this morning or an hour ago." 

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Sartoris said she created the lost and found group to help return items to owners or for them to post what they've lost. 

"In past years, we've never had that much but as you know a cottage floated clear across the lake." 

Anything can float

Sartoris that if something that large can float then so can benches, kayaks and decks with chairs on them, along with barbecues and hot tubs.

"Everything you can imagine...is in the water and it's going and it's getting caught up in trees or in a little cove like we are here." 

Sartoris watches both groups that she administers closely and makes sure information from each one is cross-posted, especially if it's a big item. 

One of those items was a handmade table that floated across Grand Lake from Whites Cove to land on the beach owned by Sartoris' neighbour, Rick Kowalski. 

"I was doing a lot of boating, and one time I was ferrying some people across the lake here to Cypher's Cove, and I came upon this on my beach," Kowalski said.

Family memory

After his wife posted about the table on the site, Barb Craig saw the photo. 

"I saw it on Facebook and I'm like, 'That's our table!' And all my relatives who aren't here, said, 'Isn't that the table your father made?"

The Craig's family cottage was broken apart by the high waves and floodwater, so finding the table is even more special. 

"But he passed away in 2010, so it's one of our memories of dad, so that table was really special to my mom, who is 87."

This is the kind of ending Sartoris hopes for with all the items that are being posted on all the groups. 

"That might be the only thing left of someone's cottage, is that memento for them."