A couple killed when Hurricane Helene hit the US last week were found hugging each other in bed, their grandson has said.
Jerry Savage, 78, and his wife Marcia, 74, were sheltering with family members at their home in Beech Island, South Carolina, while winds of up to 140mph (225kmh) roared outside.
One of their grandchildren, 22-year-old John Savage, heard branches snap and went to the couple’s bedroom to ensure they were okay.
Debris being cleared from a badly damaged bridge in Barnardsville, North Carolina. Pic: Reuters
“They were both fine, the dog was fine,” he said of the couple, who were lying in bed.
But Mr Savage and his father heard a “boom” a short time later when one of the biggest trees on their property crashed on top of his grandparents’ bedroom and killed them.
“All you could see was ceiling and tree. I was just going through sheer panic at that point,” he said.
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Aftermath of deadly Hurricane Helene
Mr Savage said the family believed it was “God’s plan” for them to die together, rather than one suffer without the other.
“When they pulled them out of there, my grandpa apparently heard the tree snap beforehand and rolled over to try and protect my grandmother,” he said.
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Described as a “doer”, Jerry was an electrician and a carpenter, while Marcia was a retired bank teller who was active in her church.
The two were teenage sweethearts and married for over 50 years. Their daughter Tammy Estep said their love was “immediate, and it was everlasting”.
A large oak lies on a home in South Carolina after Hurricane Helene. Pic: Reuters
Flood damage along the Pigeon River left by Hurricane Helene, in Tennessee. Pic: AP
“They loved each other to their dying day,” Mr Savage said.
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Jerry and Marcia are among more than 150 victims confirmed to have died in Hurricane Helene – one of the deadliest storms in US history.
Dozens died when trees fell on their homes or cars, including two South Carolina firefighters killed when a tree fell on their truck.
The hurricane hit multiple states, flooding homes, causing mudslides and wiping out phone networks.
