Breaking News: Hurricane Helene’s Victims Include First Responders Spanning Multiple States

Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia— October 3, 2024 — According to Eyewitness News 7, falling trees and raging floods from Hurricane Helene killed more than 150 people throughout the Southeast United States during one of the deadliest storms in U.S. history.

Among them were first responders who perished in wind-ravaged and rain-soaked communities, often while trying to help others. Not all were human: An eastern Tennessee police department lost a K-9 named Scotty to the rapidly rising floodwaters.

Here are some of the stories of the victims:

• Two South Carolina firefighters killed by fallen tree

A veteran South Carolina fire chief and a young firefighter who was just starting his career died when their engine was struck by a falling tree, officials said.

A convoy on Tuesday led the bodies of Chad Satcher, 53, a 35-year-veteran, and Landon Bodie, 18, from a hospital to a funeral home in Saluda, a town of around 3,100 located about 80 miles southeast of Greenville.

Satcher and Bodie were responding to a building fire when the tree fell hit their truck.

• North Carolina deputy who ran jail caught in floodwaters

Sheriff’s Capt. Michelle Quintero, who ran Madison County jail, died while driving to work Sunday when a dam broke and she was caught in the floodwaters.

Quintero, 48, knew when she took the oath of office that she might one day “have to give it all,” said Sheriff’s Deputy Chief Coy Phillips, her brother.

• North Carolina deputy swept away while on lunch break

A North Carolina deputy’s truck was carried off by an overflowing river while he was on lunch break from his job as a courthouse security officer, according the Macon County Sheriff’s Office, located about 140 miles east of Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The office received a call shortly before noon Friday about a truck sinking in the river with someone trapped inside, officials said. Around the same time, officials realized that Deputy Jim Lau had not returned from lunch, and his truck matched description of the one in the river.

Rescue workers began searching that afternoon on foot and with drones, and several swift-water teams were called in. The search was suspended at sunset, but Lau’s body was found shortly after it resumed Saturday morning.

•  Assistant fire chief in southern Georgia killed by tree that fell on truck

Vernon “Leon” Davis, a veteran firefighter of 30 years, died in Blackshear when a tree fell on his vehicle, officials said. He was 69.

Davis worked for years at the Ware State Prison before retiring as chief in charge of the facility’s inmate firefighting team. He then was hired as assistant chief for the department in Blackshear, about 80 miles northwest of Jacksonville, Florida.

• Great-grandfather and great-grandson die in a home in Georgia

Besides first responders, Helene also took the lives of members of the same family, as in the case of Stephen Donehoo, 72, and and Izaac Donehoo, his 10-year-old great-grandson. They were pronounced dead after a tree fell on a home in Augusta, according to Richmond County Coroner Mark Bowen.

Help people affected by Hurricane Helene. Your donation enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from this disaster. Donate now at redcross.org/abc.

Our thoughts are with the friends, family, and loved ones of those who lost their lives in service of others.

The Ramsay Law Firm has attorneys who are Board Certified in Workers’ Compensation claims to help individuals with severe injuries and death claims.

A Voice For The Injured. Here Every Step of The Way. Call 704-376-1616 or contact us online.

Notes: Our team created this post using secondary sources and has not independently verified all the facts surrounding the accident. If you find any incorrect details, please contact the Ramsay Law Firm so we can update the post with the most accurate information. This post will be removed if requested.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this post is not intended to be legal or medical advice and is not a solicitation for business. The photograph used in this post is not representative of this accident. If you are injured in an accident, seek medical attention immediately, then speak to a North Carolina personal injury lawyer as soon as possible.