Obie Lee Williams, a father from Georgia, cherished his daily phone calls with his daughter, Kobe Williams. Their last conversation was filled with fear as Kobe, along with her newborn twins, hunkered down alone in their trailer home in Thomson during Hurricane Helene.
Before ending the call to check on his other children, Obie urged Kobe to take shelter in the bathroom with her month-old babies. However, minutes later, she stopped answering calls from her family.
One of Kobe’s brothers braved the storm’s aftermath to check on her, only to discover a heartbreaking scene. A large tree had crashed through the roof, tragically taking Kobe’s life and causing her to fall on her infant sons, Khyzier and Khazmir, who also did not survive.
“I’d seen pictures of them every day since they were born, but I never got the chance to meet them,” Obie lamented. “Now I’ll never have that opportunity. It’s devastating.”
The twins, born on August 20, became the youngest casualties of Hurricane Helene, which had claimed 200 lives by that Thursday. Among the other young victims were a 7-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy from Washington County.
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Back in Augusta, Obie’s hometown, the aftermath of the storm left a trail of destruction. Power lines littered the sidewalks, tree branches obstructed roads, and utility poles lay shattered. Obie found himself stranded in his neighborhood near the South Carolina border for over a day.
Kobe, a single mother to newborns, had expressed that evacuating with such young babies was not feasible, according to her father.
Many of Obie’s other children in various parts of Georgia are still without power. Some sought shelter in Atlanta, while others traveled to Augusta to be with their father during this difficult time. They are waiting for the bodies to be released by the county coroner and for roads to be cleared before arranging a funeral.
Describing his daughter as a loving, sociable, and resilient young woman who deeply cared for her extensive family, Obie shared that Kobe always wore a smile and enjoyed bringing laughter to others. She had been pursuing a career as a nursing assistant but had put her studies on hold to welcome her sons into the world.
“She was my baby,” Obie expressed. “And everyone adored her.”
By Hannah Schoenbaum
