AS the devastating effects of Hurricane Helene continue to be felt across the southeast, the two youngest victims of its horror have been identified as new𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 twins.
Mother Kobe Williams, 27, and her two twin boys, Khyzier and Khazmir, were found dead inside her trailer home after a tree crashed through the roof.
New𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 twin brothers Khazmir Williams and Khyzier Williams are the youngest known victims 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed by Hurricane Helene’s deadly windsCredit: AP
Kobe Williams, 27, was crushed by a tree while shielding her babies in GeorgiaCredit: AP
Flood damage caused by Helene is seen in Bat Cave, North Carolina, after the storm tore through the southeastCredit: Getty
As the storm blew over the city of Thomson, Georgia, about two hours east of Atlanta, Kobe’s father, Obie Williams, called to see how she was.
The worried grandfather immediately heard the babies crying and urged his daughter to take cover in her bathroom until Helene’s deadly winds passed.
Minutes later, Obie and other family members tried to contact the new mom, but she didn’t answer the calls.
On Friday, Kobe’s concerned brother drove over to her home, dodging fallen trees and downed power lines to check on his sibling.
He was horrified by what he found and was heartbroken to tell Obie the news.
A massive tree had fallen onto Kobe’s trailer, crushing her and knocking her over onto her 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren, 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ing all three.
“I’d seen pictures when they were 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 and pictures every day since, but I hadn’t had it out there to meet them,” Obie told the Associated Press days after the storm passed.
“Now I’ll never get to meet my grandsons. It’s devastating.”
At least 215 people have been 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed by the deadliest American hurricane since Katrina in 2005.
Khazmir and Khyzier, the youngest known victims of Helene, were 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 on August 20.
Two other victims, a grandmother and grandfather, were found clutching each other in bed after a tree instantly 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed them both.
BABIES MOURNED
Obie lives in Augusta, about 30 minutes from his daughter, but couldn’t drive to Thomson until a day after her death due to fallen trees and downed power lines.
Kobe was a single mom who was in school to be a nursing assistant.
She had taken a break from classes to focus on taking care of her 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren.
I’ll never get to meet my grandsons. It’s devastating.
Obie Williams
According to Obie, she didn’t evacuate her home because, as a mother still nursing, she felt it was too early to travel.
Obie is the father of 14 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren, and he said many of his kids are still without power.
Some fled to Atlanta for safety, and others joined him in mourning their indescribable loss.
“That was my 𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑦,” Obie said. “And everybody loved her.”
HELENE’S PATH OF DESTRUCTION
Helene strengthened into a Category 4 storm with 140-mile-per-hour winds before eviscerating southeastern states like Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
Rescue crews are still looking for survivors one week after the hurricane made landfall in Florida and brought sheets of rain that left towns like Asheville, North Carolina, completely underwater.
Landslides, days-long power outages, and flooding were all brought on by the unprecedented storm surge.
Some Appalachian towns have relied on mule deliveries and hand-written notes to hand out supplies to now-homeless residents.
The devastation has left some small-town residents feeling lucky to be alive.
“I didn’t know where I was going, didn’t know what was going to happen next. But I got out and I’m alive,” Asheville resident Robin Wynn said after the storm.
Vice President Kamala Harris is seen visiting those affected by Helene in Augusta, GeorgiaCredit: AFP
Downed power lines left some residents without power for daysCredit: Reuters
Towns in North Carolina were unrecognizable after sheets of rain descended onCredit: Getty
A damaged property is seen by an overturned trailer in North CarolinaCredit: Getty
