Carl W. (no last name given) of Portland stayed overnight at a cooling center at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, June 28, 2021, after his air conditioning went out in his home. Extreme weather events are affecting the mental health of Oregonians.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
A new report released by Washington, Multnomah and Clackamas counties found that extreme weather linked to climate change is harming the physical and mental health of residents in the tri-county region.
Researchers interviewed first responders and service providers, who said there was overwhelming demand but not enough mental health services available during extreme weather events.
Brendon Haggerty, the healthy homes and communities manager at the Multnomah County Health Department, says the deadly heat dome in 2021 also revealed how climate change may be compounding other traumatic and stressful events.
“During the pandemic, during a housing crisis, we had a lot of folks dealing with a lot of stressors and the climate hazard was a compounding thing on top of that,” he said.
Haggerty said the findings could help counties better prepare and mobilize resources to meet the growing public health impacts of climate change.
“During the 2020 wildfires and then again in the 2021 heat dome, we were kind of learning as we went,” he said. “We had some plans in place, but they weren’t quite calibrated to the magnitude and the severity of those events. We can be better about planning so that we have resources available.”
After the heat dome of 2021, the region also experienced a second heat wave in August of that year. Haggerty said that county officials were able to respond faster.
“I would say all three counties were much more prepared and had already incorporated changes into our responses,” he said. “And those would include closer collaboration with cities, more use of emergency notification systems, and faster ramping up of overnight shelters.”
Haggerty spoke to “Think Out Loud” host Dave Miller about the report. Listen to the full conversation:
The National Weather Service in Portland has issued an excessive heat warning for a large swath of Oregon and Southwest Washington. A full list of services for counties under heat emergency can be found at 211.org.