Mayra Beltran / Chronicle
C.J. Collins recalls hearing neighbors in his Beaumont apartment complex start a generator indoors late Sunday night: 'I didn't know they were going to leave it inside,' he said. Posted on 09/27/2005 5:48:08 AM PDT by rw4site
Sept. 27, 2005, 7:09AM
Mayra Beltran / Chronicle C.J. Collins recalls hearing neighbors in his Beaumont apartment complex start a generator indoors late Sunday night: 'I didn't know they were going to leave it inside,' he said. |
BEAUMONT - After evacuating to Mississippi to escape Hurricane Rita's wrath, Billy Coleman returned home to find the electricity out at his north Beaumont apartment.
Early Monday — more than 48 hours after Rita made landfall and long after it swept northeast — the lasting effects of the storm delivered a tragic blow to Coleman and six others staying with him. A portable generator the family used to run fans inside its stifling, sweaty apartment produced carbon monoxide, which overcame those inside. Coleman, 47, was killed, along with three children, ages 12, 10 and 7, and his girlfriend's sister, 25.
Coleman's girlfriend, Irene Bean, 29, who is the children's mother, and another child, Emery Reese, 8, were hospitalized in critical condition. Another youngster, a 12-year-old girl, was treated at a medical facility and released.
Officials at the scene said they found six to seven times the amount of the lethal dosage of carbon monoxide fumes inside the apartment. The victims may have been exposed to the deadly fumes for more than seven hours, Beaumont Fire Department Capt. Mark Clapp said.
The deaths are believed to be the first hurricane-related fatalities in Beaumont, city officials said.
The horrific scene was overwhelming for neighbors already pushed to the limit by Rita's fury.
"It's too much," said Terry Jackson, 28, who had just returned home to pick up belongings after evacuating to Houston with his wife and two children.
"This is just too much. I left (my family) in Houston this morning, and I come back to see kids die," Jackson said.
The poisonings were discovered when Coleman's daughter, Quanishia Haynes, drove past the apartment at the Pine Club complex and gave a friendly honk, only to see her 12-year-old sister stumble outside the front door, vomiting.
Haynes and her boyfriend ran inside to find her father and others unresponsive.
They frantically dragged the victims outside to the sidewalk, covered by a green carpet of pine needles.
Another resident at the complex, Kevin Dwayne Hall, said he walked outside shortly before 10 a.m. to find two children and an adult sprawled on the sidewalk and gasping for air.
Daniel Tierott, 31, said he and other neighbors helped pull the remaining family members from the apartment and tried to improvise performing CPR.
"We just tried our best, man," Tierott said as he fought back tears. "I just did what I've seen on television."
A seven-hour exposure to carbon monoxide renders the blood incapable of carrying oxygen, making revitalization efforts futile, fire department officials said.
"There's nothing anyone could have done for them," Clapp said.
Coleman, a construction worker, apparently collapsed while making his way to his apartment door, his daughter said.
She harshly criticized the government, saying the family came home when their funds ran low and no help was available.
"Government is letting all of us down," Haynes told the Associated Press.
"Ain't nobody want to live in Beaumont with no lights. Ain't nobody wanting to live in Beaumont having to boil your water and no gas. Ain't nobody helping us. Some people from Hurricane Katrina still ain't been helped," she said.
C.J. Collins, a resident of the apartment complex, said he had worried for the family's safety when he heard them start the generator.
"I should have told them. I should have told them," Collins said, as he broke down in tears.
Compiled from reporting by Houston Chronicle reporter Zeke Minaya and the Associated Press.
This story is an example of the media's ignorance that is equal to the ignorance that caused the deaths.
Slanted to blame the lack of government help.
Cause of Death: Absolute stupidity
I should add: on the part of the adults
Agreed, prayers for those who died and shame on the press. I thought the media always warned people about doing dangerous things like this. We have warning labels on things to stop this.I guess its governments fault people do dumb things. THIS is the real sad state in America. Lack of brains and common sense, not poverty. Lack of brains and common sense attack all the classes.
Carolyn
They didn't have any money but could afford a generator and gasoline?
Sorry, but Darwin does have a point.
Please,Please, Always read your safety instructions. They might just save your life.
If you're going to use a generator to power your house when the electricity is down, THERE IS A SINGLE SAFE WAY TO DO IT. Have the house wired with an external (outdoor) connection for the generator and a switch at the junction box that allows you to switch the house from generator power to regular power and back. That way the CO stays outdoors and you don't run the risk of this type of thing happening to you. Also, since the switch cuts the generator power off from the regular power, it prevents the generator power from feeding onto the grid where it's unexpected and can injure a power company employee who's repairing the system.
I know. I had my house wired just this way after a severe power failure that lasted about two days in 1993.
Darwin Award winners...?
Ignorance abounds and sometimes it's fatal.
Sorrow and prayers for the victims. But those neighbors--this is Bush's fault? How silly is this going to get?
How tragic!!
Those poor people. Yes, even the ignorance, poor people.
>>>They didn't have any money but could afford a generator and gasoline? >>>
Because these things couldn't have been purchased before the storm, right?
Darwin sure DOES have a point.
Or you could just use extension cords while the generator is outside a safe distance from the house. We ran a small window unit, 2 tv's,refrigerator and computer over the last few days with no problem.
At a party at a friend's house. 20 or so folks sitting by the (gas log) fire watching football. I'm getting stuffy and sleepy. I turn on the ceiling fan and a blast of what feels like 4000 degree air comes down.
The fool didn't know there was a flue damper in his own fireplace. Everyone went outside while the room filled back up with oxygen. Several families might've died. Stupidity is not always obvious till it's too late.
But how did we get to the point where everyone can blame this on government not doing this or that?
'little slam on government' -- that was disgusting. People die from CO poisoning all the time, in all sorts of situations. It is tragic but it's Bush's fault TOO? Disgusting.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.