BEAUMONT, Texas — A winter storm is coming, and officials across Texas are preparing for the impacts from heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain from DFW to Beaumont.
The storm could mean widespread power outages and officials are issuing a warning about an increase in carbon monoxide deaths as people fire up generators to try and stay warm.
Carbon Monoxide poisoning is already a concern during cold weather because people are more like to use gas furnaces and heaters, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Many across Southeast Texas already have generators on hand from hurricane season. During Hurricane Laura in 2020, at least a dozen deaths were caused by carbon monoxide poisoning in Texas and Louisiana , including at least five in the Beaumont area. The Medical Center of Southeast Texas reported more than 20 hospitalizations from carbon monoxide poisoning in a 24 hour period following the storm.
Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas, which can cause sudden illness and death, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Many of the poisonings were from people improperly using generators in garages and other closed spaces.
"We recommend having a battery-operated carbon monoxide detector in the home to alert residents of dangerous levels of carbon monoxide," Allison Stock, a toxicologist said in a CDC report. "But carbon monoxide detectors are not the primary way to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.”
Tips if you use a generator during the winter storm:
- Never use a generator inside a home, garage or enclosed area
- Keep generators outdoors, away from vents, doors and windows
- Turn off generator and let it cool before refueling
"Be careful with the generators," Kedric Gant told 12News after losing his father to CO poisoning following Hurricane Laura. "If this is not a sign to be careful with them, then i don't know what will be."
