With the snow clearing in Texas after days of unusually cold temperatures, bodies of people who probably died are being found
frozen as they struggled to stay warm after power was cut off in millions of homes.
Of the estimated 70 deaths attributed to snow, ice and icy temperatures across the country, more than a dozen were people who died in homes that had lost heat, and most of them were in the state.
Among them are an 11-year-old boy who died in his bed in Conroe, near Houston, and two elderly men found dead at his home in Buffalo Gap, West Texas, Taylor County.
Taylor County Sheriff Ricky Bishop said his office has received many calls in recent days asking for checks on friends or family who may be suffering due to power outages.
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“I can think of probably a point in an hour when we probably get 10 of those calls,” he said, adding that some of the county’s roads were covered by 120-centimeter-deep snow accumulations.
Matt Zavadsky, a spokesman for the MedStar ambulance provider in the Fort Worth area, said most of the hypothermia calls they received were from people in their own homes, where temperatures had dropped to 50 degrees. or less.
MedStar peaked Wednesday with 77 calls for hypothermia, Zavadsky said. Some people reported numbness of their hands and feet, while others had more severe symptoms.
“There were people who had been so cold for so long that they were shaking uncontrollably, they might have a decreased level of consciousness, which is not uncommon when you’re in hypothermia for an extended period of time,” he said.
Photo: AFP
Some of those who were transported to hospitals had reached the point where they no longer trembled, “which is a very bad sign,” Zavadsky said.
At first, the body will try to generate trembling heat and increase its heart rate. But if internal temperatures continue to drop, “these things are starting to slow down,” said Dr. Jeff Pothof, a doctor at UW Health’s emergency room in Madison, Wisconsin. The body will restrict blood circulation to the extremities to keep the blood in the center and keep the internal organs warm.
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If left untreated, hypothermia begins to affect the brain, making it difficult to think clearly or move easily.
“You may not understand exactly what’s going on,” Potfhof said. “And this is a vicious circle because you can’t take the action you need.”
Some of the elderly people who died in Texas were found outside their homes. It was not immediately clear what prompted them to leave.
Poor circulation eventually impedes the functioning of the heart, brain and other vital organs, leading to death. Approximately 32 people
they die annually due to the cold in the United States, according to the National Weather Service.
Prolonged single-digit minimum temperatures, such as those experienced by jeans this week, can be especially dangerous, said Dr. Robert Glatter, an emergency physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. He mentioned that body temperature drops naturally overnight.
“It can drag-,” he said, especially if the confusion has begun to set in. “His ability to think clearly isn’t that good, so it’s likely that people won’t notice these signs and symptoms.”
Babies, children and the elderly are at the highest risk of hypothermia due to poor circulation and temperature regulation. People with heart problems, asthma, emphysema, chronic lung disease, diabetes and smoking are also vulnerable.
Some strategies for staying covered can be more dangerous than useful.
Wrapping too much under blankets or layers of clothing can be dangerous if it causes excessive sweating, which can turn away heat from the body.
And during climate-related power outages, people can use propane heaters, run generators, or burn coal or wood indoors, which can lead to dangerous fires or deadly carbon monoxide poisoning.
“All of these are configurations for disasters,” Glatte said.
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