Cold weather kills 18 people in 4 days in Tennessee, officials say

Eighteen people have died in Tennessee in the last four days, victims of a deadly cold snap that has caught the normally temperate region off-guard, including three people who died in a fire early Thursday morning.

The three victims – identified as James Ralph Overton, 73, Edith Nell Overton, 64, and James "Derek" Overton, 47 – were added on Friday to the tally of fatalities due to the cold because they were using an open flame to heat their homes after a weather-related power failure cut off their usual source of heat, according to an official with the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA).

The Knox County Sheriff's office, where the three deaths occurred, says the investigation is ongoing. 

Since Feb. 16, when Tennessee declared a state of emergency due to the cold, average temperatures, which usually hover just above freezing this time of year, have plunged into the teens and low twenties.

In addition to the three deaths on Friday, nine people have died of hypothermia, including Douglas King, 64, whose body was found outside near a railroad track in Chattanooga, according to local news channel WRCB. Five people, including a 10-year-old boy, were killed in traffic accidents that officials blamed on ice patches; and one person died because he was not able to get to his dialysis treatment due to road conditions, according to TEMA.

Homeless people are among those most vulnerable to the cold. Donald Baer, chaplain and administrator at Chattanooga Rescue Mission, said education about how to protect oneself in cold temperatures was needed. “People will come here for more temperate weather and they’re not expecting extreme cold," Baer said, referring to the homeless men and women who migrate from frigid northern climates to the state each winter. 

The Chattanooga Rescue Mission distributes free hats, gloves and jackets to those in need, and instructs the homeless on how to stay warm in cold weather, Baer said. The nonprofit organization also puts those with shelter in touch with charities that can help them pay their gas or electricity bills.

“We’re going to have to provide public education for the general populace about what services are available and what to do if you find yourself in a situation like this,” he said.

TEMA warned Tennessee residents on Friday to be mindful of the cold weather and to take the threats it poses seriously.

“We all need to be prepared and dress for the weather. If that is not practical during car travel or work, we can keep warmer clothes in our cars and do our best to keep a closer eye on older friends, relatives and neighbors,” John Dreyzehner, the state’s health commissioner, said in a statement posted online.

The statement also instructed residents on how to prevent hypothermia and recognize the symptoms.