Harris County saw more than 300 cases of carbon monoxide poisoning when temperatures reached their lowest point on Monday in Houston and the state’s power grid failed, causing people to struggle over sources of heat. This includes 90 calls for carbon monoxide poisoning to the Houston Fire Department and 100 cases in the emergency rooms at Memorial Hermann.
Many of the cases are caused by people who use barbecue grills and indoor generators to keep warm, said Drew Munhausen, a spokeswoman for Memorial Hermann. Doctors are treating 60 of these cases at the Texas Medical Center hospital.
“With that number of patients coming in, it is turning into a small mass casualty event,” said Dr. Samuel Prater, an emergency doctor at UTHealth who works with Memorial Hermann. More than half of the patients were children, said Prater.
More than 1 million people lost energy in the Houston area as demand for electricity skyrocketed during the coldest night in 32 years.
Other hospitals are also treating people who have become ill due to unsafe heating practices. Ben Taub Hospital has treated four cases of carbon monoxide poisoning, while Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital has treated 10 cases since Monday afternoon. Baylor-St. Luke’s Medical Center saw five cases of carbon monoxide poisoning in the last day, according to the hospital.
Several people have died in search of heat. An 8-year-old woman and girl died of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning in Sharpstown, while a 7-year-old man and boy were taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition. Three children and their grandmother died in a fire in a house in Sugar Land after using the fireplace to heat their home.
To avoid carbon monoxide poisoning, experts say people should avoid driving their cars to keep themselves warm in garages, use generators and grills inside or turn on ovens to heat homes. If using a fireplace, keep an eye on the flames, make sure the chimney flue is open and stay awake while the fire is burning.
- Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include:
- Headache
- Nausea and vomiting
- Fatigue
- Muscle aches
- Confusion
- Vision changes
- Ringing in the ears
- Loss of consciousness
The Harris County firefighter’s office is trying to provide advice on how to prevent hypothermia, but many of the people who need the tips are without power and internet, which makes it difficult to get the message across, spokeswoman Rachel Neutzler said.
“They have been unheated for more than 30 hours and are trying to protect their families in the best way they know how,” said Neutzler. “Unfortunately, all of these carbon monoxide poisonings are preventable.”
As of midday on Tuesday, the first respondents were taking at least 10 people from a home in Klein to hospitals for treatment.
The fire marshal’s office expects the numbers to increase as more local EMS services report cases and freezing rain and more dangerously cold temperatures from another winter storm hit Texas this week. Many people are recognizing the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning and driving to hospitals for treatment.
Chimneys, candles and overloaded heating devices are also causing an increase in domestic fires, according to public health officials.
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