Visits to emergency departments and urgent-care centers for heat-related illness tripled in Multnomah County in 2021 compared to averages between 2016 to 2020. And 61% of those 257 visits took place June 25-30, 2021, a six-day period that overlaps last year’s deadly heat dome.
That’s 53 times the number of visits Multnomah County emergency rooms and clinics would expect in the same period in a typical summer.
Those numbers come from a report Multnomah County released Sunday about 2021′s unprecedented heat dome, which claimed the lives of 69 residents. Also included in the report’s analysis are three deaths from excessive heat in August last year.
County officials commissioned the report to get a clearer look at the impact of the 2021′s record-breaking event — and to look ahead to changes they can make as climate change sparks warmer weather in the future.
The report confirmed that a majority of those who died from heat in 2021 were older adults – 78% were 60 years old or older.
Living alone and a lack of air conditioning were key factors in the deaths, according to the report. More than two-thirds of those who died lived alone, and nearly 50% of those who died had only fans to try to cool them. In air temperatures of 116 degrees, which Portland reached on June 28, 2021, fans are useless; they merely move hot air around and don’t cool a person’s body.
Those most affected were white, accounting for over 80% of the fatalities. Men comprised 67% of the deaths.
Those who lived in multifamily buildings, such as apartment buildings and duplexes, were also disproportionately affected.
Portland areas considered “heat islands” – areas that trap more heat in buildings and roads – had the highest mortality rates. These areas are concentrated in East Portland and the downtown core.
Total deaths in Multnomah County in 2021 were also 37% higher than the average of the previous two years, which could be attributed to the heat, along with other factors such as COVID-19, the report said.
As a result of the report, Multnomah County is re-evaluating how it approaches the hotter weather, said Brendon Haggerty, a Multnomah County Health Department supervisor who worked on the report.
Haggerty said that the county is more prepared to set up 24-hour cooling shelters when needed, with better trained staff. The city is also working with transportation agencies to help people get to the cooling shelters.
He also urges individuals to prepare.
“I think we can experience something like this again,” Haggerty said. “Getting an air conditioning unit a day before the heat is supposed to arrive is much harder than getting it at the beginning of the warm season. Acting early is important.”
– Austin De Dios; adedios@oregonian.com; @austindedios; (503) 319-9744
