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Opinion
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Jul 21, 2023Harris County heat
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HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — Seven people in Harris County have died from the heat in the last 40 days, according to the medical examiner.
All of them were listed as accidental with the cause being hyperthermia. Hyperthermia occurs when the body's temperature rises rapidly and is unable to cool down, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Those who died range in age from 67 to 89. According to the report, three victims died inside a camper or trailer home. In fact, two of the deaths, Ramona Ison, 71, and Monway Ison, 72, happened at the same trailer home in Baytown.
The Isons were having A/C issues, according to neighbors. Those neighbors said the couple never asked for help and they're heartbroken that they're now gone.
"Like a kick in the gut. I mean, it struck me because nobody deserves to die like that. This heat is nothing to mess with," neighbor Eddie Phillips said. "Couldn't ask for better neighbors, you know?"
Phillips was a close friend to the Isons. He said he knocked on their door the day they were found dead in June because he hadn't heard from them in a while.
"No answer, so that's when I decided to call police to have a welfare check," he said.
Phillips said he and other neighbors found out the couple's A/C had stopped working a few days before that. He said that if they would have known sooner, they would have helped.
"Get the help you need. You know, it's not worth losing your life over. This terrible heat is a terrible way to go. You know, I wouldn't want this on anybody," he said.
The other victims were:
A 46-year-old construction worker and a 6-year-old boy found in a car also died from heat-related causes in Fort Bend County.
Remember, the City of Houston has opened several cooling centers for people needing to escape the heat.
If you're outside, remember to stay hydrated, apply sunscreen regularly and wear light-colored, loose-fitting clothes.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that high body temperatures from heat stroke can lead to organs shutting down, brain damage, or even death.
Sources: CDC, UT Health
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