An 11-year-old Texas boy died of suspected hypothermia in his family's mobile home hours before Ted Cruz abandoned his state and jette...
An 11-year-old Texas boy died of suspected hypothermia in his family's mobile home hours before Ted Cruz abandoned his state and jetted off on a holiday to Cancun at the height of the power crisis that left millions of people without heat and water for days.
Cristian Pavon's mother found him unresponsive, huddled under a pile of blankets, on Tuesday - after his home in Conroe lost power at the weekend and temperatures plunged to single digits. His stepfather had checked on him in the night.
The boy, who had no pre-existing conditions, was pronounced dead that afternoon. Just hours earlier, he'd been excited to see snow for the first time after moving to the US from Honduras in 2019 to live with his mom. Home video footage taken by family on Monday shows him playing in the snow.
Cristian is one of at least 30 people to have died in Texas since the storms struck, causing rolling power blackouts that left 4.4 million people without heat. Nationwide, 47 people have died.
Among the dead in Texas are a man who reportedly froze to death in his recliner chair with his 'nearly dead' wife by his side; three children who perished in a fire as they huddled in a fireplace for warmth; and a mother and daughter died who from carbon monoxide poisoning as they bundled in their car in a garage.
Meanwhile, Texas Senator Ted Cruz and his family were packing their suitcases to fly to the $309-a-night Ritz-Carlton in Cancun where temperatures were 85 F.
The Republican's actions disgusted Texans left struggling to survive with no help from the man they elected to Congress and, amid the backlash, Cruz turned around and headed back to the ravaged Lone Star State Thursday - less than 24 hours after he arrived.
He has since said he was trying to be a 'good dad' and blamed his children for the decision because they begged him to go on vacation after their power was cut and admitted he made a 'mistake'. His wife's texts have since revealed the family plotted to flee the state to escape the 'freezing' temperatures.
An 11-year-old Texas boy who was excited at seeing snow for the first time died of suspected hypothermia in his family's mobile home just hours before Ted Cruz abandoned his state at the height of the storm crisis and jetted off on a luxury holiday to Cancun. Cristian Pavon pictured
Cristian Pavon, 11, died Tuesday after his home in Conroe lost power at the weekend and temperatures plunged to single digits. Cristian had been excited to see snow for the first time Monday (pictured) after he moved to Texas from Honduras in 2019 to live with his mom
His devastated mother Maria Elisa Pineda told the Washington Post she went to check on him as he was huddled under a pile of blankets in bed and found him unresponsive. Pictured the trailer
While the Americans he represents perished in the icy temperatures with no power, Cruz packed his suitcases to head to the $309-a-night Ritz-Carlton in the popular resort of Cancun where the sun was blaring and temperatures stood at a glorious 85 F. Cruz at the airport
In Harris County, at least 10 people have died of hypothermia and there has been more than 600 cases of carbon monoxide poisoning, tweeted Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo Friday.
The victims include 84-year-old Mary Gee whose family said she froze to death in her home in Houston before a burglar robbed items from her apartment.
Over in Abilene, a man was found frozen to death Wednesday in his recliner chair and his wife was taken to hospital where she remains 'in peril' after suffering without power for several days.
Another man died at a health care facility in the city when a lack of water pressure made medical treatment impossible.
The three children who perished in a house fire in Sugar Land when they huddled in a fireplace to stay warm during power outages have now been named as Olivia, Edison and Colette Nguyen.
The siblings and their grandmother Le Loan died in the early hours of Tuesday morning during the blackouts.
The three children who perished in a house fire in Sugar Land Tuesday morning when they huddled in a fireplace to stay warm during power outages have now been named as Olivia, Edison and Colette Nguyen
The siblings and their grandmother Le Loan died in the early hours of Tuesday morning during the blackouts
In Houston, Etenesh Mersha and her 7-year-old daughter Rakeb Shelemu died from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning Monday after they huddled in their car in the garage for warmth amid a blackout in their Houston home
Rakeb Shelemu, 7, (above) and her mom were found Monday morning after their relatives called 911 concerned for their safety
Etenesh's husband Ato Shalemu Bekele and their 8-year-old son Beimnet Shalemu were rushed to hospital where the little boy was still in ICU two days later. Rakeb and her 8-year-old brother Beimnet Shalemu (left) and Etenesh and her husband Ato Shalemu Bekele (right)
The victims included 84-year-old Mary Gee (pictured) whose family said she froze to death in her home in Houston before a burglar robbed items from her apartment
Wesley Crow, 57, (pictured) collapsed and died in his old farmhouse just outside Santa Fe after he and his sister Laura were left for almost two days without power
Investigators believe the family was using a fireplace to stay warm when a fire broke out.
Firefighters were called out around 2 am and tackled the blaze but the four victims were confirmed dead. The children's mom Jackie Nguyen and a friend were also injured and taken to hospital.
In Houston, Etenesh Mersha and her 7-year-old daughter Rakeb Shelemu died from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning Monday after they huddled in their car in the garage for warmth amid a blackout in their home.
Etenesh's husband Ato Shalemu Bekele and their 8-year-old son Beimnet Shalemu were also rushed to hospital where the little boy was still in ICU two days later.
Wesley Crow, 57, collapsed and died in his old farmhouse just outside Santa Fe after he and his sister Laura were left for almost two days without power.
'He just collapsed, his eyes rolled up into his head and just stopped breathing,' Crow told ABC13.
The crisis in the energy independent state entered its sixth day Friday, with 180,000 waking up to yet another day of no power and 14 million faced with the reality of no access to safe drinking water.
Texas had been just 'seconds and minutes' away from 'months-long' blackouts, the embattled CEO of the state's energy grid ERCOT said Thursday as he tried to defend the company's actions that sparked the greatest forced blackout in US history.
While the power has been restored for most after four million were impacted by power outages earlier in the week, the perilous situation continues for millions as Texas is now running out of food and water.
The food supply chain is in tatters all the way from farm to the table with supermarket shelves bare and an unconscionable amount of produce spoiled in the blackouts, while some unscrupulous businesses ramp up the prices to take advantage of people in their time of need.
More than 14.6 million residents remained under boil water notices Friday afternoon, according to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, as water treatment facilities were knocked offline and the critical supply available was wasted as freezing temperatures burst water mains and pipes.
Over 1,225 of the state's 7,000 water supply systems and residents in 63 percent of all Texas counties have been impacted.
Statewide, Texans are resorting to increasingly desperate measures with many left with no choice but to boil snow to stay hydrated while people are collecting water from the San Antonio River and swimming pools to flush their toilets.
Residents who have finally been able to return home as power was restored after days on end sleeping in warming shelters and furniture stores have found their homes and worldly possessions destroyed as burst water pipes caused flooding and collapsed ceilings.
Along with the families who must now face life without those lost to the storm, the long-term impacts of the catastrophic failure in ERCOT's handling of the energy crisis are not fully clear.
However insurance experts are warning this is likely to be the costliest weather event in state history - even greater than the $19 billion cost of Hurricane Harvey.
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