Multnomah County reports another heat-related death

Published 1:02 pm Tuesday, July 9, 2024

A 67-year-old woman in Northeast Portland is the fourth Multnomah County resident to have died of a suspected heat-related illness this month.

The woman’s death was reported on Monday. Two men above the age of 60 were reported dead on Sunday. The first death was reported Friday.

The woman lived in the 97212 zip code, around the Irvington, Alameda or Beaumont-Wilshire neighborhoods.

A 33-year-old Clackamas County man died Saturday after being transported to a Portland hospital. The state medical examiner reported a death in Coos County, bringing the statewide total to six suspected heat-related deaths. 

Tuesday is forecast to be the “most intense and dangerous day of this heat wave,” Multnomah County Emergency Management said.

Multnomah County has opened three cooling centers, which are open from noon to 10 p.m. They are located at Cook Plaza, 19421 S.E. Stark St., Gresham; Portland Covenant Church, 4046 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Portland; and Congregation Beth Israel, 1972 N.W. Flanders St., Portland.

On Monday, July 8, a total of 168 people visited a cooling center, more than any other day in the current heat wave.

From July 3 to 8, the Multnomah County Joint Office of Homeless Services supplied outreach providers with more than 87,000 water bottles, 8,700 electrolyte packets, 8,700 sunscreen packets, and a few thousand cooling towels, reusable water bottles and misting bottles.