The heat wave covering Oregon and Southwest Washington continued into Friday, the most recent stretch of extreme weather to hit the region this summer.
As of Friday, the National Weather Service had issued excessive heat warnings stretching from Kelso, Washington, down to Oakridge, Oregon. The NWS issues those warnings when extreme heat could lead to possible illness or death.
Jaime Smith hangs laundry from her trailer in Clackamas County on Sept. 6, 2024. Like other people living outside, she's struggled to stay cool during multiple heatwaves.
Joni Land / OPB
Service providers spread out around the Willamette Valley to help those at risk due to the extreme temperatures. In July, at least 17 people died during a weeklong heat wave.
Dustin Bagby and Rachel Williams spent much of Friday driving around Clackamas County, providing water, food and resources to those trapped in the heat. They work for LoveOne, a nonprofit that assists the homeless population in Clackamas. Everyone the duo visited was living outside, mostly in recreational vehicles or tents.
“We like to check on some of the more vulnerable people that struggle a little more in extreme weather,” Bagby said. “Just make sure that people are alive.”
Clackamas County has opened several cooling shelters during the heat wave. At one encampment on Clackamas Road, Jaime Smith was hanging wet laundry from her trailer, anticipating the brutal heat later in the day.
“It was very wet because we were sweating so bad,” Smith said of the day before. “Best thing to do is find shade.”
She planned on using a mister to keep her and her two cats cool until nighttime.
This type of weather, while dangerous, is becoming increasingly common in the Pacific Northwest. State Climatologist Larry O’Neill said many buildings still lack air conditioning, turning an uncomfortable situation into a dangerous one.
Dustin Bagby, left, and Rachel Williams prepare to hand out water and Gatorade at an encampment in Clackamas, Oregon on Sept. 6, 2024.
Joni Land / OPB
“It’s also starting to become a health hazard because people don’t have the capacity to deal with the heat like they need to,” O’Neill said.
Bagby and Williams handed several water bottles to one man who identified himself as Phil. He said he spent the previous day in his trailer, with no fan or air conditioning, in triple-digit heat.
“Just layed in that bunk, let it happen” he said.
Related: Heat wave will blanket much of Oregon and Southwest Washington
But Phil declined to go to a cooling shelter, and said he would stick it out for another day in his trailer.
Williams said responses like that — even in extreme heat — are all too common.
Willamette Valley-area county resources:
- Multnomah County will have two main cooling centers open Thursday and Friday until 9 p.m. Several library branches will stay open longer. Parks with misting stations, interactive fountains and splash pads are listed on this map.
- Washington County will have several community centers and libraries open with extended hours; those locations are listed on this map.
- Clackamas County has a list and a map of several locations to cool down.
- Marion County has a list of available cooling centers here.
- Lane County has a list of cooling centers here and other heat- and smoke-related resources here.
- Clark County in Washington state has a hot weather safety resource site here and a cooling center map list. The Council for The Homeless in Clark County also posted a list of additional sites to cooldown.
OPB’s Alejandro Figueroa contributed reporting to this story.