Hurricane Beryl death toll in Texas climbs to at least 36: Reports
The number of people who have died as a result of Hurricane Beryl rose to at least 36 on Thursday, according to reporting from the Associated Press, as officials confirmed more people who died in homes that were left without power and air conditioning during a heat wave.
The medical examiner's office in Fort Bend County confirmed nine more deaths, according to the AP, including four that were at least partially attributed to hyperthermia.
According to the National Institutes of Health, hyperthermia is "an abnormally high body temperature caused by a failure of the heat-regulating mechanisms of the body to deal with the heat coming from the environment."
As of last Sunday, the death toll was at 23 people and included deaths from various storm-related causes, including heat illness, drowning and injuries sustained during the storm and storm cleanup, according to local officials.
The storm brought damaging winds, heavy rain, widespread flooding, and power outages across southeast Texas. Nearly 3 million homes, schools, and businesses lost power at the peak of Beryl — which slammed along the Texas Gulf Coast as a Category 1 hurricane on July 8. Hundreds of thousands of residents remained without power for over a week after the storm as heat index levels reached triple digits in some areas.
Many residents attempted to seek refuge after the storm by sleeping in hotels, packing into relatives' homes, and finding shelter at cooling centers. As hotels and shelters reached capacity, some residents were forced to sleep in their cars ,but officials had warned of the risks, such as carbon monoxide exposure and poisoning.
The Texas Department of State Health Services told USA TODAY in an emailed statement Friday that it uses death certificate data to confirm storm-related deaths, and since it usually takes a few weeks after a death occurs for a certificate to be filed, the department does not have a preliminary count for deaths related to Hurricane Beryl yet.
The DSHS said it will likely be "a few more weeks" before they have a preliminary count.
State, local officials put pressure on CenterPoint Energy
State and local officials, including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, have scrutinized the utility company for the prolonged power outages in the Houston area. Last week, Abbott gave CenterPoint Energy a deadline to develop a plan to minimize future outages or face unspecified executive orders to address its shortcomings.
The state has been swept by heat waves during the summer season, with temperatures reaching above 100 degrees in some areas. After Beryl, millions of residents were under heat advisories and thousands were left without lights, refrigeration, and air conditioning for more than a week.
"The lack of power (from) CenterPoint continues to compromise lives here in the Greater Houston-Harris County area," Abbott said at a news conference Monday in Houston. "If you are without power in the extreme heat that we are facing, that alone can cause challenges."
CenterPoint CEO Jason Wells apologized to customers Thursday for the company's response after Beryl and told state regulators the company was working to better prepare for the next storm, according to the Associated Press.
Contributing: Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY
Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at [email protected].