The People Most at Risk in a Portland Heat Wave Aren't Who You Think
Photo by Michał Parzuchowski on Unsplash
When Portland's 2021 heat dome killed 69 people in a single week, most of us pictured the same thing: someone unhoused, caught outside with nowhere to go. It's a reasonable assumption. People sleeping on pavement during a 116-degree afternoon should be in the most danger, and they are at risk. But the medical examiner's data tells a different story, and it's one worth sitting with.
Of those 69 deaths during the heat dome, four were homeless. The other 65 were people who lived in houses and apartments. The 2022 heat wave was similar: of five confirmed heat deaths, only one person was unhoused. In summer 2024, Multnomah County recorded 14 heat-associated deaths, and again, just one of those people was without a home.
Two out of every three people who have died from extreme heat in Multnomah County since 2021 were men over 50. Most lived alone. Most did not have working air conditioning, or did not turn it on.
That description comes straight from the Multnomah County Health Department. Veterans, the county notes, account for roughly half of recent heat deaths, often because they try to "tough it out." The people most at risk during a Portland heat wave are not the ones we picture. They are quiet neighbors. The guy down the hall who never seems to have visitors. The widow on the second floor who keeps her windows shut.
The vulnerability isn't just about money, though that matters too. Many of these deaths happen in apartments where AC exists but feels too expensive to run. Some happen in older buildings where AC was never installed. Some happen because a person living alone simply has no one to check on them when the temperature climbs past 100 and stays there overnight.
And these events are getting more common. Before 2021, Multnomah County had averaged less than one heat-related death per year. Since then, Portland has hit 108 degrees four separate times. PSU urban heat researcher Vivek Shandas has pointed out that the Pacific Northwest, sitting at a high latitude, is one of the regions least prepared for what is now becoming routine.
The county does respond. Cooling centers open during emergencies, outreach teams distribute water and cooling towels, and TriMet waives fares for people heading to a cool space. But cooling centers can only help the people who walk through the door. The man who lives alone, who doesn't want to be a burden, who tells himself he can ride it out one more night, is the person the system has the hardest time reaching.
That's where the rest of us come in. Knowing your neighbors, especially the older ones living alone, is one of the most effective things any Oregonian can do before the next heat wave hits. A knock on the door, a phone call, a "hey, do you have a fan that works?" can be the difference between a hot weekend and a fatal one. If you see someone outside in trouble during extreme heat, you can call 503-823-3333 for a welfare check, or 911 if a life is in immediate danger.
And if you want to do more, Multnomah County trains volunteers to staff its Disaster Resource Centers, the cooling shelters that open when temperatures cross emergency thresholds. They need people. The next heat wave is coming, and the question isn't whether someone in your neighborhood will be at risk. The question is whether anyone will know to check on them.
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