PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — With another heat wave forecasted for Wednesday and Thursday across the Portland metro area, counties are opening up cooling centers to offer some relief to residents.
A heat advisory went into effect at noon Wednesday and lasts through Thursday.
“Our goal is to have no heat deaths during an event. The county tracks the forecast very carefully. We learned a really difficult lesson in 2021 in how deadly heat can be in the Pacific Northwest so we refined our responses,” said Dr. Jennifer Vines, lead health advisor for the tri-county region.
The county encourages individuals to plan ahead of a heat wave, which includes storing extra water to stay hydrated.
Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas and Cowlitz counties all announced the following cooling centers would be available. These centers will have cooling blankets, kits and water.
Multnomah County told KOIN 6 News that they gave out over 26,000 bottles of water over the last few days.
Denis Theriault, Multnomah County Deputy Communications Director, talked with KOIN 6 News about the importance of these cooling centers.
“Even a few hours in air conditioning can help interrupt that cycle and give folks a chance to let their bodies reset,” he said. “This is a way to keep folks alive. And even with those kinds of spaces open last year, we saw dozens of folks who passed away because of extreme heat, and so the more we can do, and as much as we can do to help those folks. (Those are) lives we’re going to preserve. And we’re going to save those folks.”
Below are multiple cooling centers available in the Portland area.
Multnomah County
Libraries across Multnomah County will be open during regular hours to anyone looking for a place to cool off, with five locations staying open until 8 p.m.
- Belmont: 1038 S.E. César E. Chávez Blvd., Portland
- Gresham: 385 N.W. Miller Ave., Gresham
- Hillsdale: 1525 S.W. Sunset Blvd., Portland
- Hollywood: 4040 N.E. Tillamook St., Portland
- Midland: 805 S.E. 122nd Ave., Portland
A full list of libraries in the county and their hours can be found here.
Interactive Map: Find a cool place near you in Multnomah County
Additionally, a cooling center will open at the Medford Building in Portland’s Old Town from 2 to 10 p.m. Wednesday.
Lloyd Center will also extend its hours to 9 p.m. both Wednesday and Thursday.
Washington County
Multiple shelters and splash pads are open Wednesday and Thursday for Washington County residents. An interactive map to find a cooling center is available on the county’s website here.
The Salvation Army building at 1440 SE 21st Avenue in Hillsboro will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday. That center is pet-friendly.
Clackamas County
Clackamas County is opening multiple shelters across several cities, including Canby, Oregon City, Gladstone and Molalla.
A full list of shelters and details on their operating hours can be found on the county website here.
Clackamas County residents can also cool off at either of two splash pads located in Gladstone and Oregon City.
- Max Patterson Park Splash Pad: 400 E Exeter St., Gladstone
- Rivercrest Park Splash Pad: 131 Park Dr., Oregon City
Cowlitz County
The Cowlitz County Department of Emergency Management announced the following shelters will be open and will have air conditioning and water available.
Castle Rock
- Family Health Center Castle Rock Clinic 139 1st Ave SW Castle Rock
Kelso
- Family Health Center Grade Street Campus 621 Grade St Kelso
- Family Health Center Kelso Clinic 300 Oak Street Suite B Kelso
Longview
- Longview Public Library: 1600 Louisiana S
- Family Health Center: 14th Ave Clinic 784 14th Ave
- Family Health Center Broadway Campus: 600 Broadway St
- Family Health Center Longview Clinic: 1057 12th Ave
- Longview Church of the Nazarene: 814 15th Ave
- River Cities Transit City of Longview: Near Oregon Way and Alabama St
Woodland
- Family Health Center Woodland Clinic: 1251 Lewis River Road Suite D
- Yale Valley Community Library: 11700 Lewis River Road Ariel
- Woodland Community Library: 770 Park Street
Those needing transportation or help finding a cooling center are urged to call 211. Further, Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties posted additional information on their websites.
TriMet is also offering free rides to those trying to get to a cooling center. The agency says riders should let their operator know they’re headed to a cooling center and the fee will be waived.