PORTLAND, Ore. — Multnomah County has announced that cooling shelters will reopen Friday as temperatures once again reach triple digits.
CURRENT FORECAST
According to MultCo, cooler temperatures are expected on Saturday, but on Friday the air quality poses a risk to the population due to persistent heat – the peak temperature is expected to be just over 35 degrees.
Two cooling centers will be open during the day from noon to 9 p.m.; certain libraries and a downtown homeless outreach center will be open longer during the day.
While the National Weather Service forecast calls for an improvement with cooler temperatures on Saturday, high to extreme heat and poor air quality are still expected today. Ozone levels are high and unhealthy for sensitive groups. The county health department recommends that people with respiratory illnesses or sensitivities are safest to stay in air-conditioned spaces.
Multnomah County and its partners are urging people to look for ways to cool down, and adults are encouraged to visit cooling centers.
However, families in particular are advised to seek out cool places such as library branches, community centers or friends with air conditioning, even if only for a few hours.
The county is asking neighbors and friends to check on adults living alone without air conditioning and urge them – especially those over 50 – to go to a neighbor with air conditioning, a library or another air-conditioned space, such as a refrigeration center.
While outdoor parks with misting stations, interactive fountains or wading pools can provide relief from the heat, MultCo recommends that people – especially those who are sensitive to particulate matter in the air or who suffer from respiratory or other health conditions – visit air-conditioned indoor spaces to cool down due to poor air quality.
The county’s cooling centers will be open on Friday, September 6, from 12:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the following address:
Cook Plaza, 19421 SE Stark St., Gresham — occupied by
Portland Covenant Church, 4046 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Portland
The Multnomah County Library is extending hours at the Central (801 SW 10th Ave., Portland) and Gresham (385 NW Miller Ave., Gresham) branches until 8 p.m. Bottled water will also be available at the libraries.
For more information on Multnomah County Library locations with cold storage, click hereHERE.
TriMet will not turn away anyone traveling to or from a cooling center who cannot pay the fare between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. today, September 6.
TriMet riders should tell their bus driver that they are en route to or from a cooling center.
Anyone needing additional transportation assistance should call 211.
An interactive map with fogging stations, paddling pools and other cooling rooms can be found HERE
