Weather

First weather-related death confirmed for February winter storm

Man slips on ice, strikes head on ground

By: Wesley Muller - February 15, 2021 5:53 pm

Icicles hang from a mailbox at a home in Ponchatoula Monday afternoon as a winter storm brought freezing temperatures to the Deep South on Feb. 15, 2021. (Photo by Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator).

State authorities confirmed a weather-related death Monday after a 50-year-old Lafayette man died when he slipped on ice and struck his head on the ground.

The Lafayette Parish Coroner ruled the death as weather-related, marking the first such incident of the winter storm that swept across Louisiana and a large swath of the Deep South on Monday, according to a Louisiana Department of Health press release.

The storm brought snow, sleet and frozen rain to South Louisiana and below-freezing temperatures as far south as Buras for much of the day and temperatures into the teens for areas on the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain.

Many areas are experiencing power outages due to ice accumulating on power lines and electrical equipment. Entergy of Louisiana reported an estimated 60,000 customers without electricity as of noon, with the Greater Baton Rouge and Tangipahoa Parish areas being hit the hardest.

A storm team of 1,900 people, including utility line workers, tree trimmers and support personnel, are assessing the damage and restoring power where it is safe to do so. The company said in a news release: “Road closures due to icy conditions and other accessibility challenges will hamper our ability to reach some areas and slow restoration in those communities.”

Even colder temperatures are expected to follow Monday’s storm throughout the week. Gov. John Bel Edwards said the “winter weather event” should end by Friday.

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Wesley Muller

Wes Muller traces his journalism roots back to 1997 when, at age 13, he built and launched a hyper-local news website for his New Orleans neighborhood. In the years since then, he has freelanced for the Times-Picayune in New Orleans and worked on staff at the Sun Herald in Biloxi, WAFB-9News CBS in Baton Rouge, and the Enterprise-Journal in McComb, Mississippi. He also taught English as an adjunct instructor at Baton Rouge Community College. Much of his journalism has involved reporting on First Amendment issues and coverage of municipal and state government. He has received recognitions including McClatchy's National President's Award, the Associated Press Freedom of Information Award, and the Daniel M. Phillips Freedom of Information Award from the Mississippi Press Association, among others. Muller is a New Orleans native, a Jesuit High School alumnus, a University of New Orleans alumnus and a veteran U.S. Army paratrooper. He lives in Ponchatoula, Louisiana, with his two sons and his wife, who is also a journalist.