The blackouts in February shined a light on the fragile infrastructure that supports modern life. More and more, every task in life requires electricity, and no one is in charge of making sure Texans have enough.
The bodies kept coming to the morgue, but none were leaving.
Frozen to death from hypothermia. Poisoned by carbon monoxide. Trapped in home fires. Dead from crashes on icy roads.
The Dallas County medical examiner’s Office was close to capacity and funeral homes couldn’t pick up bodies as the winter storm made roads icy and caused millions of power outages across Texas.
More bodies came last week as families, unable to check on loved ones during the storm, discovered relatives died in their homes and the bodies of the homeless were found. Dr. Jeffrey Barnard, Dallas County medical examiner, asked hospitals to hold onto bodies a few extra days. Morgue doctors stored others in the cooling trucks that are used only in emergencies.
The Dallas County medical examiner’s office said Tuesday that it is investigating whether 17 deaths are linked to the winter storm. The agency said it.
2 Garland men, along with gas generator found dead inside home wfaa.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wfaa.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Two Garland men likely died from carbon monoxide poisoning inside apartment, police say
Garland residents Arnulfo Escalante Lopez, 41, and Jose Anguiano Torres, 28, were found dead after police were asked to check on the men.
Two Garland men found dead inside an apartment Friday likely died from carbon monoxide poisoning, police said.
Garland police responded around 10 a.m. to an apartment in the 200 block of South Barnes Drive after someone called and said two men inside were unresponsive.
The victims, identified as 41-year-old Arnulfo Escalante Lopez and 28-year-old Jose Anguiano Torres, were both pronounced dead at the apartment.
Officers found a gas-powered generator inside, near where the men were found, police said. The generator was turned on and connected to extension cords, but it seemed to be out of gas, police said.