Houston hospitals report increase in heat-related illnesses during widespread power outages from storms

HOUSTON — Widespread power outages caused by Hurricane Beryl have sent a wave of patients to Houston-area hospitals for treatment of heat-related illnesses and carbon monoxide poisoning from improper use of home generators, medical officials said Friday.

Hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses have been without power since Beryl made landfall Monday as a Category 1 hurricane. Although outages peaked at 2.7 million customers and CenterPoint Energy, the Houston area’s main electricity provider, said it had restored power to about 1.4 million people as of Friday morning, up to half a million more are expected to be without power next week as temperatures reach 90 degrees Fahrenheit or higher.

Houston-area hospitals reported about twice as many emergency room patients as usual. More than 320 patients suffered heat-related illnesses, about three times the norm for this time of year, according to the Houston Office of Emergency Management.

Dr. Ben Saldana, who oversees the Houston Methodist hospital system’s 18 emergency departments, said his emergency departments are treating the highest number of patients since widespread power outages during the 2021 freeze, with heat exhaustion and heat-related issues the main reasons.

“These symptoms range from cramps to heatstroke with a body temperature of 104 degrees (40 degrees Celsius),” Saldana said.

The heat also aggravates chronic problems in people with lung, heart and kidney diseases, he added. Kidney patients are also coming for dialysis because their usual centers are closed, as are patients who rely on oxygen tanks at home but have no electricity.

Beryl has been blamed for at least nine deaths in the United States and 11 more in the Caribbean. Most of the power outages in Texas were caused by fallen trees and branches that brought down power lines.

The heat and humidity that have enveloped Houston, the country’s fourth-largest city, since Monday have angered residents who are eager for a return to a sense of normalcy.

City and state officials set up community cooling centers, but many affected residents had no easy way to cool down, whether they were trying to stay home or clear debris from their property.

Rain showers briefly cooled temperatures Thursday, but the National Weather Service issued a heat advisory for Friday with potentially “dangerous” conditions for those without air conditioning. Temperatures are expected to remain around 90 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the weekend.

The Houston area has dealt with several major storms over the past two decades and the inevitable power outages that come with them. Last May, storms killed eight people and left nearly a million customers without power.

Frequent and severe storms have prompted many people to invest in home generators, but they carry the risk of causing accidental carbon monoxide poisoning if not used properly. A common mistake is to run one in an attached garage, or near an open window or air conditioning vent, which can cause odorless, toxic fumes to leak into a home unnoticed and potentially deadly.

Houston emergency officials reported about 120 patients suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning, which is rare except during extended power outages.

“This wasn’t as big a problem five or 10 years ago,” said Dr. David Persse, Houston’s chief medical officer.

Nim Kidd, head of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, urged residents to avoid what he called “preventable deaths” from accidental poisoning.

“If you use a generator, make sure it is away from the area where you live and sleep,” Kidd said.

Houston hospitals also struggled this week to evacuate patients whose homes were damaged or whose power was out. Authorities set up a center at the sports complex where the NFL’s Houston Texans play to house some of them. More than 60 were there Friday.

In some hospitals, staff have reported incidents where families have tried to camp out in a patient’s room when there is no electricity in the home. This type of overcrowding can create tension and conflict with staff, Persse said. In one case, a man threw a chair at a nurse who wanted a family to leave.

“Four or five family members come to visit Uncle Dave who just had his appendix out or something,” Persee said. “But they’re there 24 hours a day because their house doesn’t have electricity. So not only do you have to take care of the patient, you have to take care of his whole family.”

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Spencer reported from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Jim Vertuno contributed from Austin, Texas.