You heard about the death toll from Hurricane Irma – 17 in Florida alone.
It turns out some of those people did not die in the storm, but of their own mistakes.
In Orange County, three people died and four others went to hospital. They were overcome by carbon monoxide from running a generator inside their home when the power was out.
A man died the same way in another house. Another man died after running a generator inside a mobile home. He had just one window cracked open a bit for ventilation.
A man died in a Florida car crash after Irma knocked traffic lights out. The intersection should have been treated as a four way stop.
Another man died trying to clear trees torn out by Irma, when his chain saw kicked back and cut his carotid artery.
A couple made it through Irma but then their house burned down when the power came back on and they were out for a swim. The stove was left on and they had left objects on the stove’s cooking surface.
Just because you are safe from a hurricane does not mean you are safe from yourself.
What safety tips did you learn coming back after the wildfires?
Bob Layton is the news manager of the Corus Edmonton group of radio stations and a commentator for Global News.
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