It’s chilly outside. Multnomah County has set a threshold of 25 degrees for the establishment of cold weather overnight shelters, and downtown Portland has seen 11 nights with lows of at or below freezing, with the exception of one night when the low was 33.
Chris Voss, the county’s director of emergency services, stated that during the winter, we’re constantly on high alert. We are aware that this weather event is still ongoing. It may be changing from one that is dry to one that has a little bit more precipitation. Precipitation creates a new risk even if the temperature rises slightly.
According to Voss, county officials monitor a number of variables, such as ED visits, 911 calls, and ambulance transports, to ascertain whether the weather is significantly affecting the roughly 6,000 persons who are thought to be living outside in Multnomah County. According to Voss, the other two indicators have been typical over the past ten days, despite a minor increase in ER visits.
According to a recent county health department study, on days when the temperature fell below 38 degrees or when it rained more than a quarter inch, the average number of daily ED visits for hypothermia-related symptoms rose above the seasonal norm during the previous winter. In 41% of cases, homelessness was found to be a contributing cause to the cold-related illness.
One man who often sleeps outside stated, “I’m afraid I won’t wake up some nights, with these low temps.” The man, dressed in a red and black knit beanie, chatted with a reporter on Friday following a steaming supper at Old Town’s Blanchet House soup kitchen. He refused to give his name for credit.
According to the report, two people died from carbon monoxide exposure brought on by attempts to heat indoor areas, and nine people perished from hypothermia during the 2023–2024 winter, half of them during the January ice storm. Last year, the county came under fire for making mistakes and having insufficient staff, which resulted in the closure of shelters before the ice started to melt. Voss told The Oregonian/OregonLive earlier this month that the county has leased three new facilities that can be swiftly transformed into warming shelters as part of its efforts to better prepare for cold weather this year.
Additionally, he clarified on Tuesday that severe cold isn’t the only cause of hypothermia.
According to him, cases of hypothermia will also occur at considerably warmer temperatures. We often receive one or two calls per day throughout the winter. We’re still about at that average, as I mentioned.
Multnomah County Health Department spokesperson Sarah Dean said the county medical examiner has not looked into any suspected hypothermia deaths since the cold wave began on January 10.
In an email to The Oregonian/OregonLive, Dean stated that the Medical Examiner’s Office typically only makes public suspected hypothermia cases during extreme weather situations. But because of the prolonged cold and increased outreach, we are making an exception.
According to Dean, final data regarding the causes of death during these weeks won’t be available for several months.
According to county regulations, cold weather shelters are required to open if forecasts indicate that temperatures will drop below 25 degrees for more than four hours overnight, that temperatures will be at or below freezing with strong winds and heavy precipitation, or that at least one inch of snow is expected to fall.
Even if those requirements are not fulfilled, county officials are free to open shelters, according to Voss.
Warming shelters were available Monday night in both Clark County, which is located across the river in Washington, and Clackamas County. The National Weather Service reports that overnight temperatures in Vancouver and Estacada dropped to 22 degrees on Monday. (The same database shows that downtown Portland was eight degrees warmer that evening.) According to its website, the Clackamas County shelter reopened Tuesday evening.
However, Voss stated that during the current cold snap, no information officials have received has pointed to the necessity of opening shelters in Multnomah County. However, according to the county’s website, since January 10, a considerable number of cold weather items have been distributed, including 3,780 tarps, 791 tents, and 794 sleeping bags.
During last year’s protracted January ice storm, a basketball court at Brentwood Park in Southeast Portland is covered in ice. Officials in Multnomah County came under fire for shutting down overnight warming shelters before the ice melted and the temperatures climbed.One of the Oregonians, Dave Killen
As soon as there are enough shelter beds to accommodate everyone in the city without a place to stay, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson has promised to stop distributing tents and tarps. Only over half of Multnomah County’s estimated unsheltered population can now find beds.
Wilson wrote in an email on Tuesday that it’s time to stop the practice of distributing tents and tarps in Portland and instead direct those resources and efforts into affordable, life-saving shelter. To coordinate the eradication of unsheltered homelessness in our town, I will keep meeting with (county) Chair (Jessica) Vega-Pederson on a regular basis.
Wilson did not specify if he believed the county should not distribute tents this month.
According to The Oregonian/OregonLive, some Portlanders broke into locked buildings last week in search of a warm place to sleep, whether or not it was the official threshold.
The two new overnight-only shelters that the city and county jointly built earlier in January still have openings. Less than half of the 200 beds in the Salvation Army’s all-gender shelter on North Williams Avenue and women’s shelter in Old Town were in use as of last week. About 10 percent of the additional 3,000 shelter beds run by the county and city are available on any given night.
The absence of precipitation is one of the main reasons shelters have not yet opened this year, according to Voss.
He remarked, “I can’t recall the last time we had 14 consecutive dry January days.”
With rain and a remote chance of snow predicted for Portland starting Thursday, that is anticipated to alter this weekend. Over the weekend, lows in the low 30s are forecast by the National Weather Service. Shelters for harsh weather may open, depending on the specific conditions. According to Voss, the county was starting to get ready so they would be prepared in case they were called upon.
For The Oregonian, Lillian Mongeau Hughes writes about mental health and homelessness. For advice or inquiries, send her an email [email protected]. Or follow her on X at @lrmongeau or [email protected].
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