PORTLAND, Ore. — Melissa and her friend escape the sun Tuesday afternoon on a shade-covered sidewalk in Old Town. They are both homeless and she is expecting a child.
The threat of a heat wave expected to hit Portland over Fourth of July weekend is the last thing Melissa needs.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” she said.
Her friend Jessie added, "I’m just going to drink lots of water and that’s all I can do."
Over 6,000 people live on the streets of Multnomah County— streets that will be hot this weekend as three days of temperatures potentially surpassing 100 degrees are expected Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Staff at Blanchet House, a Portland nonprofit serving homeless people, are stocking up on not just the basics like water, but also electrolyte packets, cooling blankets, aloe vera, and reusable water bottles.
“People come here when they have nowhere else to go,” said Julie Showers, who works at Blanchet House. “We have not heard about any cooling centers being opened so people are going to come to Blanchet House and other service providers."
At Union Gospel Mission, a few blocks away in Old Town, staff are also getting ready for the heat by stacking pallets of donated water bottles. Outreach teams are connecting with those living on the streets, informing them of available resources.
“People are looking for places they can get out of that heat and shade and find ways to hydrate back up,” said Matt Stein, the executive director of Union Gospel Mission.
On Wednesday, Multnomah County declared a state of emergency and said it planned to open cooling centers, but it did not release details on hours of operations or locations. It said it would announce details and locations the morning before they open.
A county spokesperson told KGW they are talking daily with the National Weather Service and more than 140 people, including those at TriMet and 211, to discuss whether to open cooling centers.
“There are so many small little pieces of data that have to align just right,” explained Portland Fire and Rescue Public Information Officer Rick Graves.
Those living on the streets, like Melissa, hope the cooling centers open.
“We should have them," she said. "It's the right thing to do because people cannot survive out here in the heat."
“I mean come on now we’re human beings,” she added.
“It’s unfortunate where we are with people living on the streets, but the reality is they are there, and they are people so if you can reach out and help them as a community member, great,” Graves said.
Multnomah County said because of the cool weather in June, this heat event may be more severe for some people because bodies have not yet acclimated to the heat.
The county plans to increase its homeless outreach efforts starting Wednesday, July 3 and is encouraging people use public libraries, community centers, and interactive fountains downtown to cool off during the heat wave.
Surrounding areas like Clackamas County already have plans to open cooling centers on the Fourth of July.