Houston heat death toll rises after Beryl knocks out power to millions

Nearly two weeks after Hurricane Beryl struck southeast Texas and knocked out power to millions, the death toll from the storm has risen across the region, with local officials reporting nearly two dozen fatalities.

At least 23 people died Sunday from a variety of storm-related causes, including heat illness, drowning and injuries sustained during the storm and cleanup operations, according to local authorities. The storm brought high winds, heavy rain, widespread flooding and power outages to southeast Texas.

Nearly 3 million homes, schools and businesses were without power at the height of Beryl, which struck the Texas Gulf Coast as a Category 1 hurricane on July 8. Hundreds of thousands of residents were without power for more than a week after the storm, as heat index levels reached triple digits in some areas.

Many residents sought shelter from the storm by sleeping in hotels, cramming into relatives’ homes and taking shelter in cooling centers. As hotels and shelters reached capacity, some residents were forced to sleep in their cars, but officials warned of risks, including carbon monoxide exposure and poisoning.

Since then, seven of the 14 storm-related deaths in Houston and Harris County have been caused by “exposure to environmental heat due to loss of power during and after Hurricane Beryl,” according to the latest information released by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.

At least nine other storm-related deaths have been reported by officials in Galveston, Matagorda and Montgomery counties. Six of those deaths are linked to the extended power outage.

The updated death toll puts Beryl ahead of Hurricane Ike in terms of total deaths in the Houston area, the Houston Chronicle reported Friday.

According to the Harris County Flood Control District, Ike made landfall on Galveston Island, about 55 miles (88 kilometers) southeast of Houston, as a Category 2 hurricane in September 2008. The storm killed 11 people in Harris County.

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Many Houston-area victims exposed to heat during power outage

Fourteen people ages 50 to 78 died between July 8 and July 14 in Harris County, the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences said in an update Thursday.

Seven of those deaths were due to hyperthermia after victims were exposed to heat during the power outage, according to the update. Other victims died from injuries caused by storm damage and drowning.

In Galveston County, five people ages 62 to 77 died between July 8 and 12, according to the medical examiner’s office. All of the victims died of complications related to the power outage, including heat exposure.

Three other people were killed by falling trees in Montgomery County and another died in Matagorda County from heatstroke, authorities said.

Texas utility company criticized for power outages

Local and state officials, including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, have scrutinized the utility for the extended power outages in the Houston area. Last week, Abbott gave CenterPoint Energy a deadline to develop a plan to minimize future outages or face unspecified executive orders to address its shortcomings.

The state was hit by heat waves during the summer season, with temperatures exceeding 100 degrees in some areas. After Beryl, millions of residents were placed under heat advisories and thousands were left without lights, refrigerators and air conditioning for more than a week.

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