People struggled to tap resources during Northwest heat wave
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — People in Oregon struggled to get rides to cooling centers during the recent heat wave that is believed to have killed hundreds across the Pacific Northwest, officials said Monday, and staffing shortages prevented callers from reaching operators at an information line.
State authorities are examining their response to scorching temperatures that broke all-time records across the region late last month as the American West struggles with a historic drought and climate change makes extreme weather more common and intense. Oregon blamed 116 deaths on the heat, Washington state reported at least 91 and officials in British Columbia say hundreds of “sudden and unexpected deaths” are likely due to the soaring temperatures.
"One of the heartbreaking things about this heat wave is that there were resources that were available to communities, whether it was cooling centers or transportation, and folks couldn’t access those resources to protect themselves,” Andrew Phelps, director of the Oregon Office of Emergency Management, said at a news conference.
In the week leading up to the late June heat wave, Oregon officials contacted providers, set up cooling centers and connected with vulnerable populations, including the thousands of homeless people who live on the streets of Portland and in low-income communities.
One major complaint from community members was not knowing where to go to cool down and a struggle to find that information.
For days, officials urged people to call a helpline that can connect them with health and social service organizations to learn about cooling centers and transportation. But as temperatures started rising, people said they couldn't get through to an operator.
“We found out that 211 was not staffed during the weekend, so we...
