FILE: Multnomah County's Market Street shelter is shown in advance of a cold snap in February 2022.
Motoya Nakamura via Multnomah County/Flickr
When the forecast calls for prolonged overnight temperatures below 25 degrees, snow, or freezing rain — or a combination of those things — it’s dangerous for people without shelter.
As temperatures drop below freezing in Portland and across much of Oregon on Friday, officials are opening up hundreds of additional, emergency shelter beds. Six additional shelter spaces in Multnomah County and two in Washington County are opening, and more could be added if the frigid weather persists.
“We know that the first night we see some of the lower numbers as people start to kind of think about, ‘Is it so cold that I need to get inside?’ And we know that those numbers typically build,” said Rachel Pearl, deputy director of the Multnomah County Department of Human Services. “We’re going to be opening more shelters throughout this activation as time goes on.”
Multnomah County opens severe weather shelters when the forecasted temperature is 25 degrees or below for four hours or more overnight, if an inch or more of snow is expected, or if freezing rain is anticipated. Thresholds vary across the state.
Washington County officials said they are prepared to keep an additional 100 beds open through at least Tuesday. Pearl said Multnomah County is opening nearly 450 additional shelter beds for this cold snap.
“We are opening quite a few more beds than we typically see on night one,” she said. “But because of the temperatures that we’re seeing, we want to err on the side of caution and make sure we have space for people to be.”
Both counties said no one seeking shelter will be turned away and pets are welcome. TriMet buses are also offering free transportation to anyone seeking warm shelter. More cold weather resources throughout the state can be found at 211info.org.