Grandparents Jerry and Marcia Savage were found hugging after being killed by a fallen tree in their South Carolina home. "We heard one snap and I remember going back there and checking on them," 22-year-old John Savage said of his grandparents, Marcia, 74, and Jerry, 78. The couple was lying in bed while Hurricane Helene roared outside.
Initially, the older couple were OK. But not long after, John and his dad heard a loud "boom" on the property, which was the sound of one of the biggest trees falling into his grandparents' bedroom and killing them.
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"All you could see was ceiling and tree," the grandson said, reported the Associated Press. "I was just going through sheer panic at that point."
When rescuers went into their room, they found the grandparents hugging each other in the bed. "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.
"My daddy was on top of my mama hugging her trying to protect her," the couple's daughter, Tammy Estep, said, reported USA Today. "The coroner had to pull them apart." She went on to add that the home is a "total loss" and that the family has no plans to rebuild it.
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A GoFundMe was created to help with the funeral expenses. "Jerry and Marcia Savage were taken too soon during Hurricane Helene," it read in part, adding that they "were two of the kindest and most generous people."
The couple is among more than 200 people confirmed to have been killed by Hurricane Helene.
The couple had been married for over 50 years. "They loved each other to their dying day," John said, with their daughter adding that their love was "immediate, and it was everlasting."
