Brothers Aged 4 And 7 Die When Tree Falls During Hurricane Helene

Derrick and Hamony Taylor, two brothers aged 4 and 7 respectively, died in their sleep after an oak tree fell on their house in Georgia, United States, following Hurricane Helene. 

 

In an interview with the local daily newspaper, The Atlanta-Journal Constitution, the children's parents, Crystal and Herbert Taylor, said that on the night of September 26, they were all asleep at home, including their eldest daughter, Cassidy, 11. At around 4am, the mother woke up to see if the trees were still standing. Before going back to bed, she was about to pass Derrick and Hamony's room when a huge oak tree fell right on top of the children's bed.

Panicked, the father remembers shouting: “My babies!”.

Immediately after the tree fell, they went to a neighbor's house, where the mother called 112 and reported that the falling tree had also caused a fire.

When they arrived at the scene, the firefighters quickly put out the fire, but had difficulty moving the heavy oak tree to reach the two children.

“I can't get to my babies!” cried Crystal Taylor at the time.

Only after more than five hours did rescuers finally manage to saw down the tree and free the children's bodies.

The parents also remembered the two brothers as being very close.

“They had a special bond. They were made for each other,” they said in the same interview.

In recent days, the storm has blazed a trail of death and destruction across the southeastern United States after hitting the coast on Thursday in Florida. Almost half of the deaths occurred in North Carolina, while dozens more occurred in South Carolina and Georgia.

Rescue teams with dogs trudged through mud and debris up to their knees searching the mountains of western North Carolina for victims of Hurricane Helene, days after the storm devastated the region.

Many of those who survived what was one of the deadliest storms in US history were left without electricity or any way to call for help. Some cooked food on charcoal grills or walked to high ground in the hope of finding a signal to call their loved ones.