A father of 4 died after a neighbor’s tree fell on his Charlotte, North Carolina residence as Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc within the state.
On Friday, Sept. 27 at roughly 5:11 a.m. native time, the Charlotte Fireplace Division “responded to an emergency on the 4200 block of Brookway Drive, the place a tree had fallen onto a house, trapping two individuals inside,” per a submit on X (previously often known as Twitter).
“One particular person was rescued and transported to a close-by hospital. Tragically, the opposite particular person was discovered deceased. The minor kids within the residence weren’t bodily harmed,” the message added.
A GoFundMe web page has since recognized the sufferer as Tony Taylor, with family and friends paying tribute to him “within the wake” of the “devastating tragedy.” In response to The Charlotte Observer, Taylor was 62.
“My Uncle Tony tragically misplaced his life when a neighbor’s tree fell on his residence throughout Hurricane Helene. Though his spouse and 4 kids survived, the lack of such a sort and loving man has left a profound void,” a GoFundMe description written by his nephew Stephen learn.
“For a while, we had been attempting to get the tree eliminated, however because it wasn’t on our property, there was little we might do,” the outline added on the web page, which was arrange by Stephen however is now being run by Tony’s spouse, Sandy.
“We’re left not solely to mourn the lack of a person whose smile might gentle up any room but in addition to assist his grieving household via this extremely tough time,” added the outline. It additionally defined that any contributions would assist the household to restore their residence and belongings, and assist them discover a “short-term place to remain,” in addition to assist cowl funeral prices and every day bills.
“Uncle Tony was a pal to everybody and handled each particular person he met like household. We’re asking for any contribution to assist assist his spouse and youngsters as they rebuild their lives within the wake of this unimaginable loss. Your generosity means greater than phrases can categorical, and we’re deeply grateful for any assist you may supply throughout this time,” the message continued.
The GoFundMe web page has raised nearly $15,000 up to now.
By no means miss a narrative — join PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to remain up-to-date on one of the best of what PEOPLE has to supply, from movie star information to driving human curiosity tales.
Per CNN, at the least 162 individuals have died throughout six states — North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and Virginia — following Hurricane Helene, which was a Class 4 storm when it made landfall over Florida’s Massive Bend on Thursday, Sept. 26.
It had been downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone, in keeping with the National Hurricane Center, by the next day. Tons of stay lacking because the restoration efforts proceed.