Officials confirm fourth weather-related death

GALVESTON

The Galveston County Medical Examiner’s Office on Tuesday attributed another death to last week’s extreme cold.

A 51-year-old man was found dead Monday inside his Galveston apartment, assistant medical examiner John “D.J.” Florence said.

The man was found by a friend who hadn’t heard from him since the Saturday before the storm and subsequent power outage, Florence said.

The man, whose name wasn’t released, is the fourth confirmed local death connected to the disaster.

Last week, the medical examiner’s office confirmed two other fatalities connected to the cold and a third connected to carbon monoxide poisoning. The medical examiner’s office also is investigating four deaths suspected of being related to the cold but yet to be confirmed, Florence said.

There have been as many as 30 storm-related deaths in the greater Houston area, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Officials believe deaths reported through the medical examiner’s office might be an undercount of storm-related deaths because of the decentralized system of death reporting in Texas.

Galveston city officials have asked people to check on their neighbors and friends who’ve been out of contact because the city lacks the resources to do door-to-door welfare checks.