The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning residents affected by Hurricane Milton, particularly those who have lost power, that improper use of portable generators can be deadly.
Carbon monoxide poisoning stemming from these portable generators can happen so rapidly, "that people can become unconscious before recognizing the symptoms of nausea, dizziness or weakness," the CPSC said.
Carbon monoxide "is called the invisible killer because it is colorless and odorless," the regulator added.
More than 400 people in the U.S. die each year from carbon monoxide poisoning, nearly 100 of which are linked to portable generators, according to CPSC’s latest report on Non-Fire Carbon Monoxide Deaths Associated with the Use of Consumer Products.
A drone view shows debris caused by a tornado as Hurricane Milton approaches Fort Myers, Florida, on Oct. 9, 2024. (Reuters/Ricardo Arduengo / Reuters Photos)
As of Thursday morning, over 3.3 million residents and businesses in Florida lost power after Milton made landfall on the state's west coast as a Category 3 storm.
There are over 37,000 in Georgia and more than 62,000 in North Carolina still in the dark after back-to-back hurricanes left a destructive path through the region.
In this aerial view, boats rest in a yard after they were washed ashore when Hurricane Milton passed through the area on Oct. 10, 2024, in Punta Gorda, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
A view shows a collapsed construction crane that fell on the building that also hosts the offices of the Tampa Bay Times, after Hurricane Milton made landfall, in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, on Oct. 10, 2024. (REUTERS/Octavio Jones / Reuters Photos)