Stories From Hurricane Irma: Some Escaped The Storm In Georgia, But Tragedy Still Struck

ATLANTA, GA -- The man and his wife didn't want to give their name. They were from Tampa, evacuees from the monster storm. They had found refuge in tiny Hapeville, Ga., one mile from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the busiest in the world.

At Malone's on Virginia Avenue, the couple told jokes to the waitress, gawked at visitors and butted into conversations of diners around them. But this writer, who sat right next to them trying to ply information out of the couple, couldn't tell if they were really having a good time or just trying to stay upbeat. (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

It's been a week since Hurricane Irma, the strongest storm ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean, shredded Florida and -- weak but still powerful -- mangled much of Georgia. Days removed from the emergency, stories from metro Atlanta are emerging, many of them involving Floridians who fled the storm.

Two Floridians killed in crash in East Cobb

Two men from Florida -- one from Tampa and the other from St. Augustine -- were killed when the Dodge Charger they were riding in crashed in East Cobb earlier in the week. The victims were identified as 21-year-old Joseph C. Gerace, the driver, and passengerMatthew L. Silvester, 24, Cobb police said.

The man who tried to warm his powerless home but died in a fire

In the dark due to Irma, Wendell Bailey, 74, was without power for 72 hours in his DeKalb County home when he took matters into his own hands and tried to warm himself up. His body was found Wednesday after DeKalb firefighters responded to his home, which had been engulfed in flames. Bailey had gotten trapped inside and perished in the fire. “As far as we can tell,” his daughter Franca Tweedy told the AJC. “he was trying to, I guess, create some light and heat because he had been without power for three days.”

Florida family that went to stay with relatives in Georgia struck and killed crossing the street

Kaitlin Marie Hunt, 28, was holding her 3-month-old Riley when she and other relatives tried to cross a busy Cherokee County street on Sept. 9 just hours after arriving from St. Lucie Florida. But they were struck by a Jeep on Arnold Mill Road in Woodstock. Riley died from her injuries.

Boy, 10, flees South Florida only to be struck and killed by vehicle in Stone Mountain

The family had just come in from South Florida and was enjoying themselves at a gathering in DeKalb County, but there was trouble. A confrontation turned into an altercation and a 10-year-old boy from the Fort Lauderdale area lay dead as a result. Timothy Jones tried to get in the middle of a scuffle involving his mother and a Stone Mountain woman, police said. The woman got behind the wheel and struck the mother and child, killing Timothy police said. Authorities said that the woman will likely not face charges, because, after a preliminary investigation, it seems she was trying to get away from the situation.

Florida family loses kitty during traffic accident on Atlanta interstate

As if the nerves of those fleeing Hurricane Irma's grips weren't frayed enough, imagine losing a loved pet in a foreign city. That's the predicament of one Florida family who was passing through Atlanta when they were involved in a traffic accident. Their kitty, Coco, fled during the commotion and hasn't been seen since. Coco was last seen running on Interstate 285 east near Flat Shoals Road in DeKalb County. DeKalb Animal Services has gotten involved in the matter and shared an image of the cat in hopes that someone might find the animal and return it.

Got a Hurricane Irma story? Send them to craig.johnson@patch.com for edited publication.

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