Story at a glance
- The Washington Post reports there have been 47 deaths since Sunday, all associated with the massive storms this week.
- At least 30 of the fatalities occurred in hard-hit Texas.
- Seventeen people died of hypothermia or exposure to the cold, while five others died of carbon monoxide poisoning in desperate efforts to keep warm by using gas grills indoors or running cars inside garages.
At least 47 people have died across several states as massive winter storms brought widespread power outages and frigid temperatures to the central, southern and eastern United States, according to The Washington Post.
The outlet reports 47 people have died since Sunday, with 30 of the fatalities occurring in hard-hit Texas, and the number of deaths linked to the extreme weather events is expected to rise. Seven states have confirmed at least one weather-related death. The ages of fewer than half of the victims have been confirmed, with 18 being 50 or older and five at 85 and older.
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The Washington Post’s count includes confirmed and suspected deaths linked to the weather.
Millions of homes and businesses in Texas went without electricity for days as single-digit temperatures increased the demand for heat while freezing most of the state’s energy infrastructure. Hundreds of thousands were still without power as of Friday across Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Oregon and Kentucky, according to poweroutage.us.
At least 17 people died of hypothermia or exposure to the cold, while five others died of carbon monoxide poisoning in desperate efforts to keep warm by using gas grills indoors or running cars inside garages, according to The Washington Post.
Officers in Taylor County, Texas ,who have been conducting welfare checks and delivering food and water to residents say they’ve already found three people dead.
“There’s definitely that possibility that over the next week or two we could find some more that we don’t know about right now,” Taylor County Sheriff Ricky Bishop told The Washington Post.
Others have died in car accidents, or other accidents such as slip and falls associated with the icy weather.
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