NW Valley Times

Crystal Taylor, a paraprofessional from Sandersville, Georgia, is facing unimaginable loss after her two young children died during Hurricane Helene. The storm, which struck on September 26 in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane, has been blamed for at least 177 deaths across the southeastern United States.

Taylor's children, Derrick, aged four, and Harmony, aged seven, lost their lives when an oak tree fell on their home while they were sleeping. Crystal was attending Grand Canyon University to earn a bachelor's degree in educational studies when the tragedy occurred.

Her university counselor Melissa Murray described her as "a lovely person" and praised her strength and faithfulness despite the tragedy. “She’s such a strong, faithful, hard-working mother that didn’t deserve this,” Murray said.

The night of the incident found Derrick and Harmony asleep while their parents and older sister Cassidy were elsewhere in the house. Crystal was awakened by her mother around 4 a.m., who asked about the condition of trees outside. Herbert Taylor was heading to check on Derrick and Harmony when the tree fell onto their bedroom, sparking an electrical fire. Emergency responders extinguished the blaze but were unable to recover the children until hours later.

In response to this tragic event, friends of the family established a GoFundMe campaign to assist with funeral costs and recovery from losing their home and belongings. By this morning at 9:30 a.m., contributions had reached $83,496.

Crystal shared with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that her children "were made for each other," reflecting on a song they frequently sang together—Muni Long's "Made for Me." Harmony had passions for dancing, wearing dresses and tutus, enjoying McDonald's Chicken McNuggets with sweet tea, and chewing Orbit gum.