Multnomah County announces daytime cooling centers will open starting noon Friday, July 5, amid dangerous heat; cooling centers are NOT open Thursday, July 4

July 4, 2024

For immediate release: Thursday, July 4, 2024

Media contact:
Denis Theriault and Julia Comnes, pressoffice@multco.us

NEWS RELEASE: Multnomah County announces daytime cooling centers will open starting noon Friday, July 5, amid dangerous heat; cooling centers are NOT open Thursday, July 4

(Please note: We are announcing earlier than we have in the past to give people more time to plan for Friday afternoon. We remain concerned that some people might misunderstand and seek cooling centers today. To help mitigate that risk, we ask that you take extra care in helping us make this distinction for your audience and community members. Thanks!)

Multnomah County, Ore. (July 4, 2024) — Multnomah County will open three daytime cooling centers starting tomorrow, Friday, July 5, at noon, and extend hours into the evening at two large libraries — providing respite for community members as a dangerous heatwave threatens to send temperatures well over 100 degrees. 

Staff prepare a cooling center at Portland Covenant Church on Wednesday, July 3, 2024.
Cooling centers will not yet be open today, July 4. While temperatures will likely exceed 90 degrees today, they will not be warm enough to meet thresholds for opening cooling centers. Libraries are closed today because of the holiday. Other cool spaces are listed on this interactive map of splash pads and other sites.

Starting tomorrow at noon, people who don’t have a cool place to be should strongly consider spending time at a cooling center or another cool space listed on the interactive map.

TriMet will provide free rides to anyone going to a cooling space who can’t otherwise pay their fare starting at 10 a.m. Friday — two hours before cooling centers open. Anyone needing additional transportation help should call 211.

The three cooling centers will be open noon to 10 p.m. Friday, July 5:

Cooling Center Flyer (English)

Cooling Center Flyer (Spanish) 

Tomorrow (Friday), Multnomah County Library is also extending hours at the Central (801 S.W. 10th Ave., Portland) and Gresham (385 N.W. Miller Ave., Gresham) libraries until 9 p.m., with bottled water on hand, to provide additional places where people can go during the hottest parts of the day and evening.

Cooling centers will be staffed by County and State employees, as well as contracted providers including Do Good Multnomah and Cultivate Initiatives. The cooling centers will provide food and water in safe, air-conditioned places to hang out. No one will be turned away and pets are welcome.

Multnomah County is also recruiting community volunteers to support our emergency severe weather shelters. Visit the Volunteer at a County Emergency Shelter page for information about the General Staff role, links to sign up for open shifts and details about trainings.

Cooling centers will remain open as long as conditions warrant. Additional spaces may open, and locations and hours may change, in response to evolving forecasts. Always go to multco.us/hot for the latest information. 

Early preparations as County, City of Portland declare a state of emergency 

Multnomah County has been in enhanced operations since Tuesday, July 2, to plan for the heat. This week, the County began increasing outreach to people experiencing homelessness, vulnerable clients and elders, including making contact with building managers and community-based organizations.

The County holds daily coordination calls with more than 140 staff along with partners from cities and agencies to consider opening cooling centers. Those calls include detailed briefings from the National Weather Service.

County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson on Wednesday, July 3, declared a state of emergency effective noon Friday through noon Monday, July 8. Mayor Ted Wheeler also declared a state of emergency for the City of Portland, through July 7. The declarations provide County departments and City bureaus with increased flexibility to respond during the highest-risk heat days.

Through July 3, the Department of County Human Services contacted 5,000 providers and vulnerable people in housing with information on heat safety and resources available during the heatwave. Staff also called nearly 900 property managers with information on when to do welfare checks and to ask that they post safety information for their tenants. Staff also did direct outreach to large apartment buildings in areas with higher heat risk to help property managers contact tenants. Staff will continue making calls today and throughout the event.

Also since Wednesday, July 3, the Joint Office has worked with outreach teams, mutual aid groups and community volunteers to coordinate outreach efforts and bring hot weather gear to people living without shelter across Multnomah County. That coordinated outreach will continue through early next week.

Yesterday, the Joint Office supply center provided outreach groups with 29,040 individual bottles of water, 1,000 cooling towels, 2,500 electrolyte packets, 2,500 sunscreen packets, 500 reusable drinking bottles and 500 misting bottles, all of which will be distributed to people in need.

Air conditioning is a key to staying safe 

People should find an air-conditioned space for even a few hours of relief — whether they are housed or houseless.

Dr. Richard Bruno, Multnomah County Health Officer, said because we’ve had few hot days so far this year, our bodies have not yet acclimated to the heat. People working and playing outside this weekend face the highest risk of heat illness due to prolonged time in the sun, along with a higher likelihood of dehydration. He also flagged that temperatures will be even higher near artificial turf and asphalt.

Dr. Bruno advised people to drink more water and find places to cool off. Even a few hours in air conditioning can make a big difference, he said.

While the heat risk to people living outside is well understood, many people don’t realize how dangerous heat is to elders, young children and people with health conditions such as heart disease. The majority of those who died in Multnomah County of extreme heat during the June 2021 heat dome and heat waves since then were alone in their own homes and either didn’t have air conditioning or had not turned it on.

In 2023 alone, Multnomah County, in partnership with community-based organizations, installed over 1,200 heat pumps (for heating and cooling) for individuals and families identified as high-risk by the Department of County Human Services. In 2022, 175 heat pumps were installed. In addition, the department has distributed 6,000 cooling kits between 2022 and 2024.

The Department of County Human Services also offers a program to replace wood stoves with heat pumps for both heating and cooling. While the program is open to all, priority is given to low- and moderate-income households in specific areas. The program is also available to rental units with homeowner approval. For more information, visit multco.us/dchs/wood-burning-exchange.

Stay informed and check on your community

If you are concerned that someone may be in distress because of the heat, you can ask how they're doing and if they need help finding a cool space.

Heat illness requires action and possibly medical attention. Heat stroke is a medical emergency. If you're not comfortable approaching them, you can call the City of Portland non-emergency line at 503-823-3333 and say “welfare check.” If you see someone having a medical emergency, call 911. Hold times may be longer during the July 4 holiday weekend.