Death toll from Texas cold snap in February rises to 210

AUSTIN, Texas — The death toll from the Feb. 14 cold snap in Texas and the ensuing collapse of the state’s electric power grid has risen to 210, officials said.

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The Texas Department of State Health Services added 59 storm-related fatalities to its totals Tuesday. It was the first update of the data from the cold wave since late April, The Dallas Morning News reported.

Harris County had the highest death toll, with 43 deaths occurring in the Houston area, KTRK reported. Travis County, where the state capital of Austin is located, had 28 deaths, while Dallas County reported 20 deaths, the television station reported.

The winter storm knocked out power, water and heat to millions of Texas residents, the Morning News reported. The death toll is more than the 103 people killed by Hurricane Harvey in 2017, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The deaths occurred from Feb. 11 to March 5, and most of them were the result of hypothermia, according to State Health Services. Other causes included carbon-monoxide poisoning, chronic illness, falls, fire and traffic accidents, the agency said.

The cold weather led to the collapse of the power grid managed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas.

On March 15, state officials reported 57 deaths, The Associated Press reported. The toll jumped to 111 on March 25, 125 on April 26 and 151 on April 28, according to the AP.

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