As the South continues to clean up after Hurricane Helene, devastating stories are emerging about people who lost their lives during the worst of the storm. According to recent tallies, at least 160 people died as a result of the storm. Their families all have different and truly harrowing stories of loss.
One Georgia family is trying to pick up the pieces, literally and figuratively, after losing their two young children to a falling tree during the storm. The grief they are dealing with is unimaginable to those who have never experienced it. Still, the family hopes it can move forward.
More from CafeMom: Dad Treks 30 Miles Through Storm Wreckage on Foot To Walk His Daughter Down the Aisle
The two young children were very close.
Parents Crystal and Herbert Taylor spoke with local newspaper The Atlanta Journal-Constitution about their children: 7-year-old daughter Harmony, and 4-year-old son Derrick.
“They had a special bond,” Herbert said, with Crystal adding, “they were made for each other.” The couple are also parents to 11-year-old daughter Cassidy.
The family woke up as the tree fell.
Around 4 a.m. on September 27, Crystal was woken up by her mother asking if the trees around them were still standing. The wind began picking up, and Herbert was on his way to check on Harmony and Derrick when a massive oak tree fell through the house, landing on the bed where they slept.
“My babies!” Herbert recalls screaming. Crystal and Cassidy ran to a neighbor’s home, where they called 911. The tree falling also started an electrical fire.
It took responders several hours to move the large tree.
When responders arrived at the house, they quickly put out the fire, but struggled to move the tree, AJC reported. Crystal remembered calling out, “I can’t get to my babies!”
It took responders five hours to saw through the tree and get to Harmony and Derrick.
More from CafeMom: Single Mom Rescued a Stranger Trapped in His Car by a Tree — Now He’s Giving Back
The family is thankful for the time they had with their children.
The Taylor family shared obituaries for both Harmony and Derrick ahead of their funerals. Both obituaries shared the same message, referencing their children’s “brief time on earth,” and “all the joy” they brought to their family.
“As a family, we are thankful for the happiness we’ve known and forever grateful for,” the time they had with their children. “When your angels came for [them] much sooner than we planned, we’ll brave the grief that comes and try to understand.”
A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family rebuild.
Two of Crystal Taylor’s co-workers set up a GoFundMe to help the family recover after the devastating loss. In addition to losing their two youngest children, the family also lost their house and most of their belongings, the fundraiser notes.
As of October 3, the fundraiser had raised over half of its $100,000 goal. The fund will help the family with “funeral expenses as well as finding new housing and everyday expenses.”
