Jan Wesner Childs
Propane tanks are placed in a line as people wait for the power to turn on to fill their tanks in Houston, Texas, on Feb. 17, 2021.Franklin Peña felt helpless as he watched his 3-year-old son shiver for days inside their Austin, Texas, home after the power went out during severe winter weather in February.
"My desperation was such that I lost all fear or my head," Peña said in an interview for an investigation produced by ProPublica, the Texas Tribune and NBC News. "The only thing I could think of doing was to bring the grill in."
Soon, Peña's wife and two children were vomiting. Peña's legs began to shake. He called 911.
Charcoal grills, like Peña's, can cause carbon monoxide poisoning when used indoors. An incident report later noted "extreme levels" of the silent, odorless gas in the family's apartment, according to the Pro Publica/Texas Tribune/NBC News story.
All four of the Peñas survived, but others weren't so lucky. At least 11 people died from carbon monoxide poisoning during days-long power outages that affected millions of people as a winter storm, record cold, snow and ice gripped Texas around Valentine's Day. More than 1,400 people were treated in hospitals or urgent care facilities.
At the time, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, who oversees emergency management in the Houston area, called it a "disaster within a disaster."
Experts say many such deaths could be avoided if the state had laws requiring carbon monoxide detectors in homes.
(MORE: Our Recap of a Frenetic Stretch of Record-Breaking Winter Weather)
In all, 151 deaths were attributed to the winter weather in Texas between Feb. 11 and March 5, according to the state health department. The statistics don't break down the numbers by cause of death, but the department cites hypothermia as the primary factor.
But it's the carbon monoxide deaths that have garnered much of the attention.
The Pro Publica/Texas Tribune/NBC News investigation singled out entire families affected by the disaster, and ways it could have been prevented.
"You don’t know if you’re going to be exposed until it’s too late and you’re sick or dead from it," John Riddle, president of the Texas State Association of Fire Fighters, which represents first responders, told the journalists. "A statewide law or requirement would absolutely make things easier."
Forty-three states and the District of Columbia all have some type of law that mandates carbon monoxide detectors, according to Safety.com. Texas isn't one of them.
State laws vary, but in many cases, they only apply to homes with gas appliances or attached garages, or only to residences built after the rules went into effect.
Many cities and counties also have their own regulations. Austin, where Peña lives, enacted a law in 2018 that requires carbon monoxide alarms in any residential structure that uses gas or fuel-burning appliances, or has an attached garage. Peña's apartment home was exempt because it didn't meet that criteria, according to Pro Publica/Texas Tribune/NBC News.
(MORE: Power Outage Checklist)
Basic carbon monoxide detectors cost less than $20 and can be found at most big box stores or online retailers. They're similar to smoke detectors, but work best when placed on a wall about 5 feet above the floor, guidelines from the Environmental Protection Agency say. That's because carbon monoxide is slightly lighter than air and is often found with warm, rising air.
In multi-level homes, each floor should have at least one detector. At a minimum, a detector should be placed near each sleeping area and have an alarm loud enough to wake the occupants.
Some carbon monoxide detectors are powered by electricity with battery backup, while others work off batteries alone. Just like smoke detectors, batteries should be checked and changed regularly.
Surrounded by tarp and bedsheets, Evelyn Hernandez, 15, and her sister, Daeslyn Hernandez, 1, keep warm by the glow of a camping stove on their family's front porch following an unprecedented winter storm in Houston, Texas, on Feb. 18, 2021.Several lawsuits related to the February outages have been filed against power companies and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, known as ERCOT, which manages the state's power grid.
The Pro Publica/Texas Tribune/NBC News investigation found that Black, Hispanic and Asian Texans were disproportionately affected by the February poisonings. Those three groups make up 57% of the state's population, but accounted for about 72% of the victims.
Peña spoke in Spanish during his interview. Shalemu Bekele, who came to Houston 10 years ago from Ethiopia, said he'd never heard of carbon monoxide poisoning until a doctor told him his wife and daughter were dead and his son in intensive care after his wife sat in a running car in the garage of their home to warm up and charge her phone while the power was out on Feb. 15.
"I’ve never been told about carbon monoxide before," Bekele told Pro Publica/Texas Tribune/NBC News, speaking through an interpreter in his native Amharic.
But carbon monoxide can hit anyone at any time, and not just while trying to stay warm in winter weather. Of 25 deaths related to Hurricane Laura in Louisiana last year, the state health department said more than a third were due to carbon monoxide poisoning from generators.
Nationwide, more than 430 people die of carbon monoxide poisoning each year, according to the CDC.
The most common symptoms are headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, chest pain and confusion. Unconsciousness can come quickly, rendering victims unable to call for aid.
Gas-powered generators, grills, running cars and similar sources should never be used inside or adjacent to any buildings.
In the aftermath of Laura, Lake Charles Police Chief Shawn Caldwell cautioned that generators should be placed at least 20 feet from any door or window.
"Chain it to a tree if there's one left out in the yard," Caldwell told NPR, "but don't let a generator cost your life."
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
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