Extreme heat continues; Multnomah County opens additional cooling shelters

After three days of increasingly warmer temperatures, Multnomah County announced on Monday that forecasted weather conditions had met extreme heat thresholds for opening additional cooling centers.

The county’s emergency management director, Chris Voss, said one of the emergency shelters is open at the county’s East Building in Gresham, and another is open at the Bud Clark Commons in downtown Portland.

And he said there are scores of other places to escape from the heat listed on the county’s website.

“It can be a senior center. It might be a library with extended hours,” Voss said.

“It could be a rec center. It could be splash-pad, if that’s where you want to go. Or a misting station.”

Outside of Multnomah County, people can call 211 or visit 211info.org to find cooling resources.

Much of the Pacific Northwest is under a heat advisory, with temperatures in the 90s. But the Portland-Vancouver metro area is under an extreme heat warning, with thermometers reaching closer to triple digits.

The National Weather Service said that’s the kind of heat that affects anyone who doesn’t take action to avoid it.

Retired homecare worker April Burris went to a Portland Meals On Wheels location to stay cool. Her apartment has air conditioning, but it doesn’t work well. And she said the older she gets, the harder it is to deal with the heat.

“I’ve got asthma,” Burris said. “It makes that a lot worse. I have autoimmune things going on and the weather can cause, like, muscle spasms and migraines.”

Meals on Wheels spokesperson Kelsey Allen said the nonprofit has had a lot more visitors because of the heat.

“Many of the older adults in our community don’t have air conditioning,” Allen said.

“It’s great that we have these centers all throughout the county and all throughout the Portland-Vancouver area, where folks can come to get access to air conditioning.”

In preparation for the hot weather, Portlander Mike Horner filled the back of his truck with bottled water to hand out to homeless people. He said there are places around town to cool down, but going there means leaving things behind that can get stolen.

“Things like sleeping bags, personal documents. Now all of a sudden, you have a person who doesn’t have a house, doesn’t have any ID — things that you need to get services,” he explained. “I mean it’s really a cruel system.”

Portland’s local transit service, TriMet, said it won’t turn anyone away who’s traveling to or from a cooling center during the heat wave.

Related: OPB's extreme heat resource center

In addition to extreme heat’s impact on public health, officials have been preparing for the increased risk of wildfire.

On Friday, Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue enacted a burn ban that includes portions of Washington, Multnomah, Clackamas and Yamhill counties.

Portland Fire & Rescue also announced its burn ban across the city starting on Monday.

Fire officials said the ban prohibits recreational campfires, fire pits, and the burning of wood and agricultural debris.

Over the weekend, officials across the Portland Metro Area that despite the hot weather, a combination of cold water temperatures and swift currents makes local waterways potentially dangerous to swim in.

A teenager drowned at Meldrum Bar Park in Gladstone on Saturday after falling off a jet ski, according to the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office.

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office also reported that an 18-year-old man drowned in the Siletz River Gorge near Logsden. He had been seen jumping from rocks and struggling to swim to shore.

And in Columbia County, St. Helens City Administrator John Walsh went missing Saturday after disappearing into the Columbia River near the St. Helens city docks.

The intense heat is expected to wind down Tuesday.

Amanda Linares and Joni Auden Land contributed reporting to this story.