South Carolina Couple Killed During Hurricane Helene Found Hugging Each Other in Bedroom

Mar. 15, 2025

A couple in South Carolina has died after a tree fell on top of their bedroom duringHurricane Helene.

According toCBS NewsandSky News, Jerry Savage, 78, and his wife Marcia Savage, 74, were found hugging each other in bed after a loud noise was heard in their Beech Island home.

Due to sheltering with family members, the couple’s grandson John Savage, 22, had checked on them earlier after hearing branches snap.

“We heard one snap and I remember going back there and checking on them,” John said of his grandparents, who were lying in bed at the time. “They were both fine, the dog was fine.”

Jerry and Marcia Savage.GoFundMe

As many of you may know, Jerry and Marcia Savage were taken too soon during Hurricane Helene

GoFundMe

“All you could see was ceiling and tree,” John explained. “I was just going through sheer panic at that point.”

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Flooded streets near Peachtree Creek in Atlanta.Megan Varner/Getty

The streets are flooded near Peachtree Creek after hurricane Helene brought in heavy rains over night on September 27, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. Hurricane Helene made landfall late Thursday night as a category 4 hurricane in the pan handle of Florida and is working its way north,

Megan Varner/Getty

“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 added.

Marcia and Jerry’s family believed it was “God’s plan” for them to die together, instead of one having to live without the other.

Damage from Hurricane Helene in Forest Acres, South Carolina.Joshua Boucher/The State/Tribune News Service via Getty

Two trees rest on a car on Trenholm Road near the intersection with Churchill Circle after Hurricane Helene hits Forest Acres, South Carolina

Joshua Boucher/The State/Tribune News Service via Getty

Jerry and Marcia had been married for over 50 years and were teenage sweethearts. He worked as an electrician and carpenter, and she was a retired bank teller. Marcia was also active in her church.

Per Sky News, the late couple’s daughter Tammy Estep described her parents’ love as “immediate, and it was everlasting.”

According to theAssociated Pressas of Wednesday, Oct. 2, at least 180 people in the southeastern portion of the U.S. have been killed as a result of Hurricane Helene.

To learn more about how to help with relief, recovery and rebuilding efforts from Hurricane Helene,click here.

source: people.com

South Carolina Couple Killed During Hurricane Helene Found Hugging Each Other in Bedroom

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