Flood death toll at 9

By Rhonda Cook, Marcus K. Garner, Mike Morris and Megan Matteucci

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Seydi Burciaga, 39, was frantic after her Nissan Quest plunged into a pool of water on Desiree Drive in Lawrenceville. She called 911 at 5 a.m. Monday. She said she was trapped inside her minivan and feared she was going to drown.

“You’ve got to calm down. If I’m going to help you, you have to work with me,” said the dispatcher, who stayed on the line with Burciaga until her cellphone went out at 
5:16 a.m.

Rescuers were on the scene within minutes of the call, but the water was moving too quickly for them to reach her. They found her minivan 2 1/2 hours later, nearly 300 yards off the road — and only three-tenths of a mile from her home. Her body was inside.

Burciaga, who worked the overnight shift at Sam’s Club in Duluth, left behind a husband, Pedro Burciaga; a 9-year-old son; and a 3-year-old daughter. She was buried Thursday.

Richard Butler, 27, of Dallas, died last week in Douglas County. His body was found Tuesday in the woods off Ragan Road near Town Creek. According to his obituary, Butler was a pipe cutter in metal fabrication and an apprentice wood cutter. His funeral was Friday.

Preston Slade Crawford, 2, died early Monday as his family’s mobile home was swept away by Snake Creek in Carroll County.

The waters, which had risen from 2 to 3 feet deep to 20 feet, began swirling around the home about 1 a.m. Bridgett Crawford fled with her 1-year-old son, Cooper. Her husband, Craig Crawford, grabbed Preston and followed. As the currents grew stronger, he lost his grip on the toddler.

When firefighters and deputies arrived nearly six hours later, they found Bridgett Crawford holding Cooper and clinging to a tree. Craig Crawford also clutched a tree downstream. Rescue crews found Preston’s body about a mile away from the trailer park. His funeral was Friday.

“I’m just glad I got to tell him I loved him before he left,” Craig Crawford said. “I just don’t know how I am going to live through it. It is going to be rough just not seeing his face every day.”

Kevin Michael Hodges, 29, of Douglasville, was driving in Douglas County early Monday when his red Honda Civic was caught in rushing water. He phoned his girlfriend and told her: “I gotta call 911.”

Hodges, who had just celebrated his birthday Sunday, died near Pool Mill and Banks Mill roads.

A cabinet maker for Cabinets and Décor, Hodges had a passion for University of Alabama football. “He was so young and had so much going for him,” said his mother, Kathleen Gardner Brown.

His funeral is set for Monday at Jones-Wynn Funeral Home in Douglasville.

Emeteria “Norma” Howe, 49, was at her Douglasville home when she got a call from her boss at 2 a.m. Monday. Storms were flooding the nursing home where she worked, and she was needed. “She never told her job no,” said her son, Devlin Howe.

Norma Howe left about 30 minutes later but never made it to work. Rescuers found her empty car Tuesday morning. Family members formed their own search party, and found her body hidden by debris about 30 feet away from the vehicle.

The Howes said the mother and grandmother was generous and kind. “You will never meet anyone who won’t say she is the sweetest woman in the world,” said Robert Howe, her husband of 27 years. “We could not have two nickels to rub together and she would invite someone else over here for a meal if they needed it.”

A memorial service will be held Monday at Hightower’s Memorial Chapel in Douglasville.

Nick Osley, 14, of Summerville, drowned Monday after he and a friend jumped into rushing waters to investigate a Jeep on a flooded Trion road. The boys, who thought someone might be trapped in the vehicle, were swept away by the Chattooga River, officials said.

Rescue workers were able to save Nick’s friend, 15-year-old Tyler Gordy, but couldn’t get to Nick. They found his body Tuesday morning about 60 feet from where he had left the road.

According to his obituary, Nick was a student at Summerville Middle School, where he was a member of the wrestling and football teams. His funeral was Saturday.

“Material things, you can replace those, but you can’t replace a life,” said Trion resident Tammy Ford, who fled her apartment with her grandsons Monday. “My heart goes out to that family.” His funeral was Saturday.

Kelli Nicole Smith, 29, of Winston died last week while driving on flooded Douglas County roads. Rescue crews found her body Monday.

According to her obituary, Smith graduated from the University of West Georgia in 2008 and was a sales associate for Toys “R” Us. She also was a member of Central Baptist Church in Douglasville.

Her funeral was Friday.

Donald Warlow, 55, left his Villa Rica home at 2:30 a.m. Monday to head to work in Gwinnett County. He had driven trucks for VISTAR, a vending distribution company, for 30 years.

At 7 a.m., a co-worker called the house and said Warlow hadn’t made it to work. Officials later found his body and Ford Ranger in West Billy Creek in Douglas County.

“You never expect your husband to leave for work and not come home,” said Warlow’s sister-in-law, Lisa Parr. “It was rain. You don’t think about the rain.”

Warlow had one son and three grandchildren, according to his obituary. He and his wife, Terry Warlow, were married for 35 years. “We are just holding our own right now,” Parr said.

Warlow’s funeral was Friday.

Delena Weathers, 26, of Carrollton, died last week when her vehicle was caught in flood waters in Douglas County. She had just left a sales convention in Nashville on Sunday night and was on her way home, said her sister, Tiffani Mitchell. Crews found Weathers’ body Monday.

Weathers, a mother of two, was a real estate agent for GMAC/Metro Brokers and a bookkeeper for Cabinets and Décor, a family business.

“She was a great daughter, mother, wife, sister, friend,” Mitchell said. “Everyone who crossed paths with her was touched by her and loved her.”

Her funeral was Saturday.

Compiled by Michelle Ewing from staff reports