Why it matters to you
Greater Houston homes face CO risk from gas furnaces in winter and from portable generators run during long power outages, such as the one after Hurricane Beryl in July 2024. Because you cannot see or smell it, an alarm is the only dependable way to know it is there.
Practical guidance
If a CO alarm sounds or anyone has symptoms, get everyone outside into fresh air and call 911 from outside — do not go back in to look for the source. Keep CO alarms working, run generators outdoors only and never in a garage, and have fuel-burning heating equipment professionally inspected every year, as EPA recommends.