1 death potentially tied to extreme Western Oregon heat

The high heat that has seared much of Western Oregon this week appears to have taken its first life.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people without air conditioning — and sometimes without homes — sought refuge in cooling centers Tuesday, and the governor urged people to recognize the danger extreme temperatures can present.

The Multnomah County Medical Examiner’s office announced Tuesday that it suspects excessive heat caused the death of a person found in Southeast Portland on Monday, when temperatures there reached 106 degrees. Officials are not releasing other details or the person’s name, and said they are treating the death cause as preliminary. They plan to perform more tests to confirm.

Heat is one of the leading causes of death related to extreme weather events. In 2021, 96 people died during an extended heat wave across Oregon. The majority of those people lived in Multnomah County.

Temperatures are expected to moderate as the week progresses, dropping into the 90s on Wednesday and Thursday and down to the 80s again by Friday.

In the meantime, public officials urge people to drink plenty of water, stay indoors when possible, and check on their neighbors.

“When we look at the folks who were impacted by the 2021 heat dome, they were older adults who were living alone,” said Brendon Haggerty, Multnomah County’s healthy homes and communities manager. “If you have those kinds of folks in your life, it’s not a bad idea to just give them a call or stop by — just make sure they’re doing OK.”

Across Portland, unsheltered homeless people have also faced challenges over the current three-day surge in temperatures, with many people moving to emergency cooling shelters to escape the heat.

But that has not been an option for some homeless families. The Portland area has 668 families experiencing homelessness, more than two-thirds of whom are living outside. During this week’s heat wave, they have been directed to cooling shelters to find relief.

Brandi Tuck, the director of the three shelters in Multnomah County for families experiencing homelessness, said many families don’t feel safe bringing their kids into crowded cooling centers, where emotions may be running high due to the stress of an unfamiliar space and the 100-degree temperatures.

”We try to keep kids separated from people who are in survival response. And during the summer when it’s this hot, there aren’t a lot of resources for kids and families.”

Local homeless shelters can accommodate about 132 families, and there are currently no vacancies.

County officials around the region continue to remind residents that public libraries, splash pads and cooling centers are open for extended hours on the third day of what is expected to be a four-day heat emergency.

And across Oregon, officials are grappling with the likelihood that extreme heat may become a new reality for the region.

Chris Burling, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service, said heat waves are common in the Northwest. But they haven’t always been this hot.

“We had not hit 108 degrees in Portland ever prior to 2021 and now we’ve done it four times,” he said. “In that context, we are seeing events that we had not seen previously in our climate record.”

Oregon officials have worked in recent years to ensure there is broad access to air conditioners or more efficient heat pumps, which can both heat and cool a dwelling.

During this year’s legislative session, lawmakers added to that effort, setting a statewide goal to install half a million heat pumps around Oregon by 2030.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said Tuesday the state is preparing to use federal Medicaid money to help low-income Oregonians purchase cooling units as part of a novel program that allows the state to use those funds for broader purposes than strictly health care. That spending cannot begin until next year, according to the Oregon Health Authority.

“It is important for everyone to check in on our neighbors,” Kotek said. “If you haven’t seen someone check in on them.”

A complete list of services in many areas of Oregon can be found at 211.org.