Louisiana’s weather-related death toll rises to 6

(KSLA) — The Louisiana Department of Health says there’s been another death related to the recent back-to-back winter storms, bringing the state’s official death toll to six.

The Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office has confirmed the death of a 61-year-old Caddo Parish man due to exposure-related hypothermia is considered to be storm-related, the state reported Wednesday, Feb. 24. The following day, the coroner’s office identified the man as James Delbert Cunningham. He was found dead Monday, Feb. 15 outside of a building in the 1100 block of Texas Avenue near downtown Shreveport. His cause of death appear to by hypothermia.

Previously:

a 50-year-old man died after slipping on ice and striking his head on the ground in Lafayette Parish;
a 74-year-old Lafayette Parish woman was found to have died of exposure;
a 77-year-old Calcasieu Parish man died after slipping and falling into a pool, where he drowned; and,
two Avoyelles Parish residents, a 68-year-old man and a 44-year-old woman, died of carbon monoxide from improper generator usage.

Hope House, a shelter for the homeless in Shreveport, previously told KSLA News 12 that a homeless man died in downtown Shreveport the night of Feb. 15, when temperatures dropped into the single digits for several hours.

The shelter posted to social media stating, “I am saddened to post this but one of our friends, who came to Hope House each morning for coffee and attended the monthly bible study, froze to death last night. Around 10:30pm he was found in a sitting position slumped over against a brick wall of a business downtown.”

Hope House said it was reaching out to the man’s family before releasing any more information, but asked the community to pray for those on the streets.

“Those of us that work on the front line of homelessness, are greatly saddened, angry and confused as to why there isn’t more help during emergency weather conditions,” the social media post went on to say. “This will be a day for us to work through these emotions. Please pray for us also.”