Death toll from Hurricane Beryl in the greater Houston area rises to at least 18, including 6 confirmed heat-related deaths in Harris County

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) – A look at the number of deaths caused by Hurricane Beryl shows that the coroner attributed at least six deaths in Harris County to the heat.

As of Tuesday, 18 people in southeast Texas have lost their lives to the Category 1 storm, resulting in drownings, heat illness and power outages. That number is expected to rise in the coming days as families in our area continue to tell ABC13 about the deaths of their loved ones.

In Matagorda County, authorities confirmed that a man died from heat during power outages following the storm. Charles Yañez’s family spoke to ABC13 for the first time Tuesday.

“I wasn’t too worried about the heat until I saw it take my father. So it’s a pretty serious thing,” said Robert Yañez, Charles’ son. “My dad said, ‘If it only takes until 5 o’clock, I’ll hold on and just wait.'”

SEE ALSO: 3 deaths in Montgomery County among 5 in Houston area attributed to fallen trees during Beryl storm

However, on the same day, Tuesday, July 9, Charles Yañez died of heat in his Bay City home.

“I put some wet towels down to cool him down. I gave him some ice packs and little fans to keep him a little cool,” Robert Yañez recalls. “It was hard to believe he died because people always say his time had come, but he was only 61 and had so much life left, and I don’t agree with that. His time hadn’t come yet. He didn’t have to die like that.”

Robert Yañez called his father’s death preventable. His father is one of a growing number of people in several counties who lost their lives to Hurricane Beryl.

SEE ALSO: HPD employee drowned on way to work during Beryl storms, says Mayor John Whitmire

“He just believed in being nice to everybody,” Robert Yañez said. “Just anything you can do. If you can do something for somebody, just do it.”

Johnnie Courtney, a 77-year-old veteran whose family remembered him as a kind man, drowned in North Side Village when his car sank on the flooded street the day of the storm. His family believes it happened during a trip to the VA Medical Center.

In the Houston area, the medical examiner’s office confirmed that 78-year-old Oscar Rodriguez died last week due to the heat when his power went out.

For updates on this story, follow Daniela Hurtado on Facebook, X and Instagram.

SEE PREVIOUS STORY: Death toll from Hurricane Beryl in Houston rises, official numbers pending