Two dead from carbon monoxide poisoning after using car for heat in Texas storm

Authored by nbcnews.com and submitted by kittykatmila

Two people, including a child, were found dead Tuesday from carbon monoxide poisoning after a car was used to generate heat in a Houston home hit by widespread power outages from a rare winter storm.

Houston officers and firefighters responded to a welfare call to find two adults and two children suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning, the police department said Tuesday morning. A woman and a girl did not survive, while a man and a boy were rushed to a hospital for treatment. The names of the victims have not been released.

"Initial indications are that car was running in the attached garage to create heat as the power is out. Cars, grills and generators should not be used in or near a building," the department said in a statement.

A deadly winter storm pummeling the country's south and mid-section has left more than 4 million people without power in Texas, as record-low temperatures overwhelmed the state's electric grid.

The areas hardest hit by power outages were around Galveston and Houston, according to poweroutage.us.

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The Houston Chronicle, meanwhile, was forced to stop producing its print edition after its plant lost power at 2 a.m. In a note to subscribers, the newspaper said that hadn't even happened when the city was battered by Hurricane Harvey in 2017.

Abilene, a city of about 170,000 residents, shut off its water services as a result of power outages at all three of its water treatment plants, officials tweeted. And in an effort to save power, the skyline in Dallas went dark.

At least 25 people have died in weather-related fatalities so far since the weekend, the majority in Texas.

Guardymcguardface on February 16th, 2021 at 18:28 UTC »

If you find yourself in this situation and you own a tent, set it up in the living room and everyone sleep in there. Your body heat will create a little micro climate inside and it's a lot easier to keep a tent sized space warm than a whole bedroom. Or make a blanket or tarp fort with a table. If it's a tent you'll want to make sure to open a vent-flap to prevent condensation after it's warmer.

If possible choose non cotton clothing for at least your base layer. Cotton doesn't insulate very well once it's damp. Wool is basically gold in these situations.

Complete_Entry on February 16th, 2021 at 14:39 UTC »

I've had perfectly good heat all my life, but several times in childhood, I or my father would have to discourage my mother from using the oven to heat the house.

People learn weird lessons from family, and sometimes it kills.

Now, neither dad or I ever turned down cookies, but just running the oven for heat always screamed danger.

nicktheking92 on February 16th, 2021 at 14:18 UTC »

It says 25 people have died this weekend due to power outages and weather.