Therefore, they were enjoying quality time as the children relaxed with their parents. Crystal Taylor, 34, curled up on the living room couch with her oldest child, 11-year-old Cassidy, as they drifted off to sleep.
The two had been watching “Beat Bobby Flay,” a cooking show, while Crystal kept an eye on the weather updates on her phone. Meanwhile, her husband, Herbert Taylor, 39, was asleep in their bedroom with their two other kids, Harmony, 7, and Derrick, 4.
As midnight passed, the ferocious storm swept through the countryside, moving from Valdosta toward Augusta and crossing the area’s rivers, the Ocmulgee and Oconee.
Ultimately, the city of Sandersville, with a population of about 5,500 and located at the center of a triangle formed by Macon, Statesboro, and Augusta, found itself directly in the storm’s path.
The flooded streets near Peachtree Creek after Hurricane Helene brought in heavy rains over night in Atlanta, Georgia, on September 27, 2024 | Source: Getty Images
At around 4:00 a.m., Crystal’s mother called to check in, asking if their trees were still standing. Crystal assured her that they were, although the wind had intensified significantly. In the backyard loomed a massive oak, its trunk as wide as a tractor tire.
The tree’s expansive canopy provided shade to the entire backyard and much of the house on sunny days, and it remained upright. But as the winds began to strengthen, Herbert, a heavy equipment operator, went to peek outside and saw the cover of his truck lift into the air.