Photos for Headline Surfer / Above, Jose Angel Barios, 9 is shown within the larger image showing the residence where he apparently died of carbon monoxide poisoning inside his family's home. Additional images show the packing tape affixed to windows in advance of Friday's Hurricane Matthew and the yellow police tape stretched across the front yard on Monday in response to the child's death. A Daytona Beach cop stands watch in front of the residence.DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- How ironic that the parents of 9-year-old Jose Angel Barrios would learn well after the fact that thick grey-colored packing tape affixed to keep windows from breaking during Friday's crush of Hurricane Matthew -- would continue to hold the glass in place three days later as he lay lifeless on his bed in the family's home at 113 Mason Park Drive, the result of acute carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator in another room being used because the electricity had not yet been restored, Daytona Beach cops said.
Even more ironic was the presence of the long stretch of plastic yellow police tape affixed to two vehicles in front of the family residence at 113 Mason Park Drive.
And in the ultimate cruelty of the thin line between life and death, it was the strength of that packing tape on the windows that not only held up from Mathew's 90 mph winds and driving rainfall, but because the glass had not shattered or even cracked, the odorless and colorless carbon monoxide poisoning choked out the oxygen, sending other family members to the hospital when a concerned neighbor discovered the finality of a little boy's life amid the suffering of loved ones.
Ironic still were countless people rejoicing in social media postings as the day wore on Monday that their electrical power had finally been restored, seemingly oblivious to the fact that the Sunshine State's death toll has mounted in Matthew's wake with two others killed Monday in addition to the child -- an elderly DeLeon Springs man electrocuted by a downed power line behind his home that he apparently touched and a tree trimmer crushed to death by a large log that lay on top of him.
These tragic circumstances in addition to the five Floridians who perished during the actual hurricane bely the ferociousness of Mother Nature, even after county and municipal leaders were breathing a sigh of relief over the weekend that Central Florida had dodged a bullet from the initial fears of calamity from a monster of a hurricane that claimed more than 500 lives in Haiti alone as it barreled up the Atlantic Coast packing winds of 14o mph, before it loss some of its brute force near Melbourne, and as a result being downgraded from a Category 4 to a Category 3.
Still, five people along Florida's Atlantic Coast died during the height of the hurricane's outer bands, including Susan Mathes of DeLand, crushed by a tree as she ventured outside to feed her animals.
But the carnage in its wake was all too devastatingly real nearly three full days later.
In addition to the 9-year-old Daytona Beach boy's life being cut short, on the other end of the age spectrum, an 89-year-old DeLeon Springs man was electrocuted when he came in contact with a downed power line in his back yard earlier in the morning.
Marshall Bailey was found dead in his back yard, having apparently touched the live wire, with sparks shooting and causing a fire on the ground with a small fire on the ground behind the elderly man's home in the 6000 block of State Road 11.
And a third victim, 47-year-old Steven Barna, a tree trimmer, succumbed to his death in Ormond Beach by a large log that had him pinned underneath.
Neighbor and Daytona Beach cops deal with carbon monoxide death
Here is a summary of the incident as described by Daytona Beach Police in a press release: Units responded to 112 Mason Park at 10:37 a.m. following a 9-1-1 by a neighbor regarding a 9-year old boy not breathing.The investigation revealed that the 9-year-old, along with his parents and his 5 year-old brother, were inside the residence and all appeared to be overcome by fumes. The mother was incoherent, but was able to go next door and asked a neighbor to call for help. There was a generator in another room with the door closed and towels placed under the door. The generator was not on as it appeared to have run out of gas.
The DBPD release continued: Three family members were transported for medical care: The father, Pedro Hernandez, 47, was listed in critical condition at Halifax Health Medical Center. The mom, Matilda Barrios, 45, was in fair condition at the hospital. And the younger boy, Luis Hernandez, 5, was treated and released to a relative. The deceased boy was identified as Jose Barrios, DOB Dec. 11, 2006. One DBPD officer who went into the house was checked at the scene and he is fine.
At left are highlights of the DBPD incident report and what follows here is a summary as described by Daytona Beach Police in a press release:
Units responded to 112 Mason Park at 10:37 a.m. following a 9-1-1 by a neighbor regarding a 9-year old boy not breathing.
The investigation revealed that the 9-year-old, along with his parents and his 5 year-old brother, were inside the residence and all appeared to be overcome by fumes. The mother was incoherent, but was able to go next door and asked a neighbor to call for help.
There was a generator in another room with the door closed and towels placed under the door. The generator was not on as it appeared to have run out of gas.
Three family members were transported for medical care: The father, Pedro Hernandez, 47, was listed in critical condition at Halifax Health Medical Center.
The mom, Matilda Barrios, 45, was in fair condition at the hospital. And the younger boy, Luis Hernandez, 5, was listed as fair at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Women and Children in Orlando.
The deceased boy was identified as Jose Barrios, DOB Dec. 11, 2006.
One DBPD officer who went into the house was checked at the scene and he is fine.
VCSO: DeLeon Springs man, 89, dies after touching downed power line
An 89-year-old DeLeon Springs man was killed Monday morning after apparently touching a downed power line, becoming the second death in Volusia County related to Hurricane Matthew and first of Monday's three fatalities locally.
The line was live and arcing, sparking a small fire on the ground behind the victim’s home in the 6000 block of S.R. 11.
"The downed power line, yanked to the ground by a falling tree, was reported to the Sheriff’s Office at 7:58 a.m. this morning," Sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson told Headline Surfer. "Seven minutes later the Sheriff’s Office received a second call, this time reporting that the victim, Marshall Bailey, was lying dead on the ground by the wire with some small flames nearby."
The Sheriff’s Office’s Major Case Unit is investigating and the Volusia County Medical Examiner’s Office will perform an autopsy to confirm the cause of death.
VCSO: Crew member from Ohio tree clearing company killed when log rolls on top of him
A member of a tree-removal crew clearing debris left behind by Hurricane Matthew lost his life on Monday when a large log rolled on top of him. It was the last of Monday's three post-hurricane fatalities.
The incident occurred shortly before 6 p.m. Monday in the Halifax Plantation community near Ormond Beach in Volusia County’s extreme northeast corner, not far from the border with Flagler County, according to a report from the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.
The victim, 47-year-old Steven Barna of Garrettsville, Ohio, was working for the Falls Tree Company of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, which had sent crews to Florida to assist with tree clean-up from Hurricane Matthew. Several members of the crew that included Barma were working in the neighborhood removing debris and cutting trees felled by the storm into smaller pieces to be hauled away.
"The victim was cutting a tree that was already on the ground when a large piece of the tree rolled on top of him and pinned him underneath," Sheriff's spokesman Andrew Gant told Headline Surfer. "A passerby spotted the victim on the edge of Tano Drive and yelled out for help. Co-workers who were working nearby rushed to the victim’s aid and pulled the log off of him and then a witness began CPR efforts while awaiting the arrival of paramedics."
Gant said the Sheriff’s Office’s Communications Center was notified about the incident in a 911 call that came in at 5:48 p.m. Paramedics and deputies rushed to the site of the accident, but it was too late. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. The Sheriff’s Office’s Major Case Unit is investigating and the Volusia County Medical Examiner’s Office will conduct an autopsy to officially determine the cause of death.
Generator Safety Tips:
● Never place a generator in a house or garage or near windows, vents or air intakes that could allow carbon monoxide to come inside.
● Get fresh air immediately if you feel dizzy or sick.
● Keep your generator dry. Short circuits may occur in wet conditions, which can cause a generator fire.
Power Line Safety:
● Never touch a fallen power line, and do not drive through standing water if power lines are in the water.
● If a power line falls on your car while you are driving, stay inside the vehicle and continue to drive away from the line.
● Avoid contact with overhead power lines during cleanup.
Food Safety:
● Get rid of food if it has a strange smell, color or texture.
● Dispose of cans that are open, damaged or bulging.
● Toss food that requires refrigeration but has been warmer than 40 degrees for two hours or longer. This includes meat, eggs, fish, poultry and leftovers.
Traffic Signals:
More than 60 traffic signals across the county remain inoperational. Motorists are reminded to treat intersections without traffic signals as four-way stops.
Power:
The debris from Hurricane Matthew is immense. There are pockets of heavily damaged areas with trees down, entangled in power lines and lying across the roads. This makes the power restoration extremely challenging. Power companies have been working around the clock to restore electricity throughout Volusia County as soon as possible. Officials expect the vast majority of the remaining outages to be restored by tomorrow, with the understanding that there may be some areas that will take longer due to the damage in the area. Of the initial 240,000 outages, fewer than 50,000 who are still without
power. Power companies have announced the numbers of Volusia County customers who are awaiting power restoration:
● Florida Power & Light: 23,070;
● Duke Energy: 5,225;
● Clay Electric: 397.
By the end of the day, New Smyrna Beach Utilities officials expect 80 percent of customers will have power. Officials expect the vast majority of the remaining outages to be restored by tomorrow, with the understanding that there may be some areas that will take longer due to the damage in the area.
Debris Pick-up
Residents should not place yard debris in bags. Debris should be pushed to the right of way without blocking the road. Debris removal information can be found at www.volusia.org/pin.
Hospitals:
Residents With Damaged Homes:
Community Organizations ASctive in Disasters:
COAD is coordinating volunteers and donations through the Emergency Operations Center. For more information, call the Citizens Information
Center at 866-345-0345. COAD is a multi-agency group that assists local governments in organizing and deploying volunteers and resources in response to the unmet needs of local disaster survivors. Membership is
open to individuals, faith-based groups, government agencies, civic clubs, volunteer organizations, social service agencies, business people and emergency management personnel.
Boil water notices:
Ormond Beach:
● The boil water notice remains in effect for Ormond Beach.
Holly Hill:
● About 145 homes in Holly Hill remain under a boil water notice. The homes are on Narcissus Avenue, North and South Flamingo drives, and Center Lane.
● Repairs are in progress on Peacock Road, and water service has not been restored to 40 customers. Those customers will be placed on a boil water notice when water is restored.
Shelter:
One shelter remains open at the First United Methodist Church, DeLand: Thirty-six people are being sheltered.
Salvation Army:
Salvation Army mobile canteens from around the state are serving communities in Volusia and Flagler counties that continue to feel the impact of Hurricane Matthew. After arriving onsite Saturday morning,
crews immediately began serving in Oak Hill, Holly Hill, DeLand, New Smyrna Beach, Flagler Beach and Bunnell. The Salvation Army has served 7,697 meals and 4,274 since Thursday. Along with meal service, Salvation Army officials offer emotional and spiritual care and an opportunity to pray. They also listen to families that have been affected by the disaster. People who want to help those affected by the storm to visit www.disaster.salvationarmyusa.org or call 800-SAL-ARMY.
Effective immediately, open burns of any kind are prohibited in Holly Hill. This will remain in place until further notice, according to Holly Hill Fire Chief Jim Bland.
Re-openings:
● All Volusia County Public Library branches are open for regular hours except the John H. Dickerson Heritage Library in Daytona Beach. All public access computers are running, and WiFi is available. As a courtesy, the libraries will offer free visitor passes to non-library card holders for public access computers through Tuesday.
● Classes will resume at Daytona State College and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University on Tuesday.
● Florida Department of Health in Volusia County locations will reopen Tuesday.
Citizens Information Center:
Volusia County’s Citizens Information Center will be open to answer hurricane-related questions from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. through Wednesday.
Organizers of the 24th Annual Biketoberfest® motorcycle rally, Oct. 13 to 16, report that the countywide event is proceeding. Clean-up from Hurricane Matthew is in full swing and hotels, restaurants and event
venues are working around the clock to get ready. Venues, such as Riverfront Park in downtown Daytona Beach and Main Street, are reporting vendor set-up is underway. The status of individual properties is
changing rapidly as power is restored throughout the area. Visitors with lodging reservations in the area are urged to contact their hotel directly by email and phone to confirm their reservation status. Visit
Biketoberfest.org and DaytonaBeach.com for more updates.