Beryl death toll: Official tally pending as power and heat outages continue to cause more deaths

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — It may be weeks before we have a complete picture of the deaths caused by Hurricane Beryl.

At least 13 people in the Houston area are estimated to have died from the dangerous hurricane, and many fear more will die in the coming days as residents continue to struggle with power outages and damage.

Several agencies track storm deaths, but the final figure will come from the medical examiner, who will examine several factors.

The Shaw family has been without power since Beryl struck last Monday.

ABC13 was there Saturday as family surrounded 89-year-old Mary Shaw.

Even under the care of a nurse, Mary died the next morning.

“Her body was so hot. I started putting wet towels, ice, putting it on her, putting it around her,” said her daughter, Monica Shaw.

“We asked for her to be transferred to a care facility,” added her other daughter, Lisa Shaw. “The facilities were full, we couldn’t even take her anywhere.”

Mary had suffered from dementia and heart disease for years.

His family may never know what impact, if any, the heat had on his health.

All they know for sure is that she died in discomfort, from heat and panic.

“My mother is gone, but I will continue to live with the strength she instilled in her children,” Lisa said. “It reminds me of the old lady and the shoe. She had six children of her own, she raised six across the street, she has another adopted son on the same street and an adopted daughter who has been a part of our lives for almost 45 years.”

The close-knit family is now concerned about the health of their other family members and neighbours as they all enter their second week without power.

“They forgot about us, but they don’t forget to get paid every month,” said her niece Kimberly Rubit. “I never forgot to pay my bill, so yeah, I’m mad at them.”

READ MORE: 89-year-old woman unconscious for days due to heat in northeast Houston, family says

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