Texas couple dies in their home after air conditioning breaks during intense heat wave
Associated Press
- A Texas woman says her parents were found dead after their air conditioner broke during a heat wave.
- Roxana Floods said air conditioning companies should let people know they're "staying inside an oven" when their AC breaks.
- In June, the Houston area had its first excessive heat warning since 2016.
The daughter of a Texas couple that died from extreme heat says air conditioning companies should warn people about the dangers of staying inside a hot house.
Ramona and Monway Ison were found dead inside their mobile home in the Houston suburb of Baytown, Texas, on June 16, according to KTRK. Houston also had its first excessive heat warning since 2016 on June 16, as the heat wave crossing the southeastern U.S. descended, according to Houston Public Media.
The Houston region is currently under an excessive heat warning from the National Weather Service. The agency is warning residents temperatures could get as high as 105 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday.
The NWS warned that the "extreme heat and humidity will significantly increase the potential for heat-related illnesses."
At least seven people have died in Harris County, Texas, since June 2023 due to heat related illness, according to KRTK.
Roxana Floods, the couple's daughter, told the outlet that her parents' air conditioner broke on June 12, but they didn't have the money to fix it, and spent the week securing a loan.
Floods said her parents — who grew up without air conditioning — scheduled the repair for June 16 and purchased fans, thinking that "it would be OK."
"I would love for something to be set up with these large (air conditioning) companies to warn people about how lethal this heat is," she told the outlet. "If they don't have the money to get their air conditioner fixed, to let them know that they're literally staying inside an oven."
A county medical examiner declared the couple dead inside the home as a repair technician pulled into the driveway on June 16, according to KTRK.
"They were gathering their things to leave," Floods told the outlet. "The way that they were found, I think they decided that it was too hot and it was time to go and it was just too late."