Nearly two weeks after Hurricane Beryl devastated southeast Texas, the death toll has increased notably. Local authorities report that the storm, which led to extensive power outages and significant damage, has caused nearly two dozen fatalities.
As of Sunday, at least 23 people have perished due to various storm-related reasons, including heat-related illnesses, drowning, and injuries sustained during and after the storm. Hurricane Beryl struck the Texas Gulf Coast as a Category 1 hurricane on July 8, bringing with it powerful winds, heavy rainfall, extensive flooding, and widespread power outages.
During the peak of the storm, almost 3 million residences, schools, and businesses lost electricity. Even a week post-storm, hundreds of thousands remained without power, with heat index levels hitting triple digits in some areas. The prolonged power outages exacerbated the storm's impact, prompting many residents to seek shelter in hotels, with relatives, or at cooling centers. When shelters reached capacity, some residents resorted to sleeping in their cars, despite warnings from officials about the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning.
In Houston and Harris County, seven of the 14 storm-related deaths were attributed to "environmental heat exposure" due to the loss of electricity, as reported by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. Additionally, officials in Galveston, Matagorda, and Montgomery counties reported at least nine other storm-related deaths, with six linked directly to the extended power outages.
The updated death toll makes Hurricane Beryl more deadly than Hurricane Ike in terms of fatalities in the Houston area. According to the Houston Chronicle, Hurricane Ike, which made landfall at Galveston Island as a Category 2 hurricane in September 2008, resulted in 11 deaths in Harris County.
Hurricane Beryl's impact on southeast Texas highlights the severe consequences of prolonged power outages and extreme weather conditions. The storm has exposed vulnerabilities in the region's infrastructure, emphasizing the need for more robust disaster response and recovery strategies to mitigate future losses.