Poisonings, days after a storm, shock community (5 Dead)

HoustonChronicle.com ^ | Sept. 27, 2005, 7:09AM | Zeke Minaya and the Associated Press

[rw4site]

Prayers for the victims and curses for the media slant.

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.

[2banana]

CO poisoning is no joke. It kills 100's of people a year. I remember one year two soldiers were killed when they left their small Coleman stove on in their tent. You get sleepy, go to sleep and never wake up.

[JustRight]

Cause of Death: Absolute stupidity

[JustRight]

I should add: on the part of the adults

[PeteB570]

I noticed that little slam on government at the end of the story.

Just how stupid can a group of adults get? A generator is a bit quicker than a gas or charcoal grill in the winter for committing suicide.

I go in some homes around here running kerosene heaters in the winter. I'm inside for less than 30 minutes but my eyes are watering and I'm starting to get a headache.

[satchmodog9]

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.

[CDHart]

What in heaven's name does this have to do with government failure? The parents in this case must have been idiots. All generators have big signs on them telling people to not run them indoors.

Carolyn

[Bob Buchholz]

They didn't have any money but could afford a generator and gasoline?

Sorry, but Darwin does have a point.

[wolfcreek]

Please,Please, Always read your safety instructions. They might just save your life.

[libstripper]

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.

[cripplecreek]

This sort of thing happens all the time but this one makes national news because of the hurricane. One of my friends lost his father along with 4 others due to a furnace malfunction that caused asphyxiation a few years ago.

Here in the north we run into the problem because we seal our homes against the cold. When I use the kerosene heater I open a couple of windows a bit for ventilation.

[astounded]

Darwin Award winners...?

[Graybeard58]

Ignorance abounds and sometimes it's fatal.

[ariamne]

Sorrow and prayers for the victims. But those neighbors--this is Bush's fault? How silly is this going to get?

[sandbar]

How tragic!!

Those poor people. Yes, even the ignorance, poor people.

[PeteB570]

How big is your generator?

I've got a 5Kw that I chain to the back deck and run extension cords into the house for the fridge, a window heat pump unit, a couple of lights and the entertainment center.

If it's winter time we have plenty of wood for the fire place.

And for you others - Yes, there are big warnings in the instruction books and on the generator. The warnings even include not to place the generator in a place outside where the exhaust can be sucked or blown into the home.

[sandbar]

>>>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.

[eastforker]

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.

[sam_paine]

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?

[bboop]

'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.