Two Laurens County residents killed during Hurricane Helene

Laurens County Emergency Management Director Bill Laird confirmed two people died in separate, weather-related incidents.

DUBLIN, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Two people died Friday morning in Laurens County due to trees collapsing during Hurricane Helene.

Angela Edwards, a 48-year-old woman from Eddyville, Kentucky, was riding in the passenger’s seat of a semi-truck when a tree collapsed and struck her on Ella Burch Road. Downed trees and power lines delayed the arrival of first responders. Edwards was pronounced dead at 10:16 a.m., nearly six hours after the tree collapsed.

Charles Douglas Brownlee, a 58-year-old Dublin man, was killed instantly when a tree tore through his Clairmont Drive home and struck him. He was pronounced dead at 6:30 a.m.. three hours after the pine tree collapsed.

“Unfortunately the families of these two are hurting right now,  and they’ve got a right to be,” Coroner Nathan Stanley said. “Our heart goes out to them, and we’ll keep them in our prayers.”

“Doug” Brownlee’s neighbors say it was a shock to not only learn of his death, but to pass by and see the massive trees on top of his home. Kay Donaldson says she will remember him not only as a good neighbor but an excellent friend.

“When they said it was Doug Brownlee, I just couldn’t believe it,” Donaldson said. “I could not believe it. He will be very much missed in this neighborhood.”

Donaldson recalls hearing loud popping noises just after 3 a.m. Friday, which she now knows was the sound of trees falling in her neighborhood. Donaldson says that while she’s seen pictures of the destruction Hurricane Helene caused around Dublin, she believes Clairmont Drive likely got the worst of it.

“It’s almost like right in this area, it was not just a hurricane but a tornado went off too, because there’s so much damage, at Doug’s especially,” Donaldson said.

While mourning the loss of her friend, Donaldson says she was ready to get to work helping neighbors clean up their yards. She is confident that others in the community will do the same.

“People will be out helping each other,” Donaldson said. “It’ll take a few days, but we rally around each other. That’s one of the good things about Dublin.”