People on breathing machines struggle without power after weather disasters
Extreme weather is making power outages longer and more frequent across the U.S. People with health conditions who depend on medical devices powered by electricity are particularly vulnerable
HOUSTON (AP) — Kimberly Rubit had one priority in mind as Hurricane Beryl ripped through Houston this summer: her severely disabled daughter.
The 63-year-old worked nonstop to prevent Mary, 42, from overheating without air conditioning, water or lights after Beryl knocked out power to their home for 10 days. At least three dozen other people suffered heat-related deaths during the extended outage.
“It was miserable,” Rubit said. “I’m sick of it.”
Electric grids have buckled more frequently and outages have become longer across the U.S. as the warming atmosphere carries more water and stirs up more destructive storms, according to an AP analysis of government data. In the Pacific Northwest this week, a “ bomb cyclone ” caused roughly half a million outages.
