HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A closer look at the fatalities caused by Hurricane Beryl reveals that at least six deaths in Harris County have been attributed to heat, according to the medical examiner.
As of Tuesday, the death toll in southeast Texas due to the Category 1 hurricane stands at 18, with causes ranging from drowning to heat-related illnesses amid widespread power outages. This number is expected to rise as more families share their stories with about their loved ones’ deaths.
In Matagorda County, officials confirmed that a man died from heat exposure during the power outages that followed the storm. Charles Yañez’s family spoke publicly for the first time on Tuesday.
“I didn’t really worry about the heat until I saw it take my dad. It’s a pretty serious thing,” said Robert Yañez, Charles’ son. “My dad said, ‘If it’s only going to be until 5 o’clock, I’ll hang in there and just wait.'”
However, on that same day, Tuesday, July 9, Charles Yañez succumbed to the heat in his Bay City home.
“I put wet towels on him to cool him off, gave him ice packs, and used little fans to keep him cool,” Robert Yañez recalled. “It’s hard to believe he passed away because people keep saying it was his time. But he was only 61, had so much life left, and I don’t agree. It wasn’t his time. He didn’t have to die like that.”
Robert Yañez believes his father’s death was preventable and is part of a growing list of fatalities across multiple counties due to Hurricane Beryl.
“He always believed in being kind to everybody,” Robert Yañez said. “If you can do something for somebody, just do it.”
Elsewhere, Johnnie Courtney, a 77-year-old veteran, was remembered by his family as a kind man. He drowned in North Side Village when his car was submerged in a flooded roadway during the storm, possibly while on his way to the VA Medical Center.
In the Houston area, the medical examiner’s office confirmed that 78-year-old Oscar Rodriguez died from heat exposure last week while his power was out.
