The National Weather Service has issued an excessive Heat Watch beginning tomorrow, Monday, July 25, through the evening of Thursday, July 28. The entire Portland area will be subject to dangerously hot conditions with temperatures that could potentially exceed 100 degrees for three or more days in a row. Overnight lows spanning 65 to 70 will provide little relief for those without air conditioning.
Update 2022/07/25: Extreme or prolonged heat comes with wide range of health risks, to learn more about what to look out for please visit the CDC website.
It’s a great time to be neighborly. Check in often with the neighbors around you, particularly the unhoused, older folks, and those who live alone, particularly those without air conditioning.
Multnomah County has daytime and overnight cooling centers available: http://tinyurl.com/coolplacesmultco. Update 2022/07/25: Trimet will not turn away anyone who can’t pay fares riding to or from cooling centers.
There are a variety of tips on the Multnomah County website. We also advise you to water plants in the early morning, be careful when walking your pets on hot sidewalks and asphalt, and keep the sun out as much as possible by closing blinds and curtains before the sun hits those windows.
Portland General Electric has a Peak Time Rebates program that helps address the rise in electrical demand by shifting usage to other times. It’s a good idea to unplug unneeded appliances and “vampire electronics” to help power go where it’s needed when it’s needed the most.
Wednesday’s General Meeting will be virtual-only to reduce stress on the power grid from cooling Sacred Heart Fellowship Hall. You can join the meeting via https://bit.ly/bacMeeting
Board member Myong O and others have created a Slack workspace called the Brooklyn Climate Community which includes information on a Do-It-Yourself Cooling Workshop and other Brooklyn cooling resources. Please reply to this email to get the information on how to connect.
Climate change is resulting in more heat events all around the world. We encourage you to urge our elected representatives to address it.
