I attended the National Tropical Weather Conference in South Padre Island last week. One of the talks was on the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl. For those of us who lived through it, you’ll remember the pounding winds and the damage they brought, the torrential rain, and at a certain point, if you are like most people, you remember losing power.
Losing power can be a minor inconvenience, if you have a generator. But according to a new study, if you are elderly and don’t have power, the loss can be deadly.
What was discovered:
On a typical hot and humid summer day in Houston, doctors and hospitals see about 34 cases of heat-related illness. But in the week following Hurricane Beryl, that number nearly doubled, 437 visits in just seven days, averaging about 62 a day.
But here’s what really stood out: who was showing up in emergency rooms.
Most of the patients were between 60 and 79 years old. The split between men and women? Practically even, 51% men, 49% women. And unlike typical heat illness stats, race didn’t play a significant role.
That’s a major shift from what we usually see during Houston’s summer heat. Most of the time:
- The typical patient is much younger, between 20 and 39.
- And it skews heavily male: 73% men, just 27% women.
So, what changed? Power outages. No A/C. Vulnerable populations stuck in sweltering homes or facilities with no way to cool off.
This data comes from a study by the Houston office of the National Weather Service, and it drives home just how dangerous heat can be, especially when a hurricane knocks the power out.
Just to give you a sense of what that felt like: Two days after Beryl, the thermometer inside my house still read 90° at night!
It’s more dangerous after a storm passes:
What a lot of people don’t realize is that more lives are lost after a storm makes landfall than during the storm itself. We spend so much time focused on preparing for the wind and rain, but the real danger often shows up after the skies clear.
You’ve probably heard me say it before: your family needs a plan before, during, and after a hurricane. And honestly, we don’t talk about that after part nearly enough.
Take Hurricane Beryl, for example.
There were 11 direct deaths during the storm:
- 5 from falling trees
- 4 drownings
- 1 house fire caused by lightning
- 1 boating accident
But in the days that followed, there were 34 indirect deaths, and 14 of those were from heat-related illness, mostly people between 60 and 79 years old, stuck in homes or apartments with no power and no way to cool down.
And here’s the thing: that number is probably even higher. If someone has a heart attack caused by extreme heat, it may never get counted as heat related. It gets logged as a heart attack, and the real cause gets missed.
This is why we have to talk more about what happens after the storm passes. Power outages, extreme heat, limited access to medical care, it’s a dangerous combination, especially for the most vulnerable in our communities.
Understanding heat-related illness:
Our bodies have a built-in cooling system. When we get hot, we sweat, and as that sweat evaporates, it cools us down. It’s a simple but powerful process.
But as we age, that system doesn’t work as efficiently. Older adults don’t cool down as quickly or as well as they used to, which is usually not a big deal when you have air conditioning keeping you comfortable.
But when the power goes out, like after a hurricane, that changes fast.
Without A/C, the temperature inside starts climbing. And with no way to cool off, the body struggles. Over time, especially over a few hot days, it can become dangerous. The heat builds up, and without relief, the body can overheat. That’s when we see heat exhaustion, heat stroke and in too many cases, fatalities.
It’s a slow, silent threat, and it’s something we all need to plan for, especially for our older loved ones.
Thinking about our next big storm:
I truly believe we have to learn from past storms, if we want to be better prepared for the next one. But before we can change how we respond, we have to understand the problem.
Here’s the truth: the next time we get hit by a tropical system, we will lose power. That’s not a maybe, it’s a given. Some of us can prepare with generators or by evacuating, but not everyone has that option.
You’ll hear us say “Hunker down!” when a storm is coming and that might be the safest move for many. But for vulnerable groups, especially those who rely on air conditioning to stay safe, staying in place without power can be deadly.
So what can we do?
We often say, “Check on your neighbors” after a storm or during a heat wave. But let’s be honest, how many of us actually know our neighbors? Especially in apartment complexes or large neighborhoods, it’s easy to stay anonymous.
Here’s my challenge to you: get to know your neighbors, now, before the next storm. Because after something like Beryl, you might be the only person who can help them, or they might be the one who saves you.
👉 Click below to watch my interview with Jeff Evans, one of the National Weather Service authors behind the study on heat-related deaths after Hurricane Beryl.
