Twin Babies, Who Died Alongside Their Mother, Believed to Be Youngest Victims of Hurricane Helene

Among the victims of Hurricane Helene are five-week-old twin boys, Khyzier and Khazmir Williams, believed to be the youngest lives claimed by the storm. The infants tragically perished alongside their mother, Kobe Williams, when a tree crashed into their mobile home in Thomson, Georgia.

“Nobody was taking the storm seriously,” said Mary Jones, Kobe’s mother and the twins’ grandmother, in an interview with Today.com. “Then it hit, and the wind was so loud. When the lights went out, Kobe got really scared. She was worried about the babies.”

Jones and her daughter stayed up through the night as the hurricane unleashed its fury. Around 5:15 a.m., Jones fed Khyzier so Kobe could try to rest, though fear kept her awake. Jones eventually dozed off, but less than an hour later, she awoke to an unsettling sound—a strange "shushing" noise followed by eerie silence.

Upon investigating, Jones discovered that a tree had crashed into Kobe’s bedroom.

“I started screaming, ‘Kobe! Answer me! Please answer me!’” Jones recalled. “It was so dark, I couldn’t see anything but branches.”

AUGUSTA, GEORGIA – OCTOBER 05: In this aerial view, a tree lays on top of a home as the area recovers from the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on October 05, 2024 in Augusta, Georgia. The Hurricane has left over 200 people dead across Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Neighbors rushed to help, but the wreckage was too thick to reach the family. When police arrived, they confirmed the heartbreaking news.

“I asked if they were alive, and an officer said, ‘It’s bad, don’t go in there,’” Jones remembered. “I just lost it.”

Markeya Jones, Kobe’s niece, shared a poignant detail: “She was holding the babies in her arms when the tree fell on her head. She was trying to protect them.”

Hurricane Helene has become the deadliest storm to strike the mainland U.S. since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. As residents begin the daunting task of recovery, the southeast braces for the possibility of another catastrophic event, with Hurricane Milton now threatening the Tampa Bay area.

The devastation left by Hurricane Helene is overwhelming. In mere moments, families and livelihoods have been shattered. 

Please keep everyone affected in your thoughts and prayers.