PORTLAND, Ore. — Despite a forecast that showed a high likelihood for snow and temperatures likely to dip below freezing, emergency severe weather homeless shelters did not open in Multnomah County on Sunday night.
Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas Counties open emergency warming shelters when temperatures drop below freezing, low enough to become dangerous for people sleeping outside.
The unusual and historic storm ended up bringing several inches of snow to the Portland metro area. According to the Joint Office of Homeless Services (JOHS), a partnership between the city of Portland and the county, the decision not to open cold weather shelters was based on earlier forecasts that predicted the snow would only affect higher elevations.
JOHS spokesman Denis Theriault said setting up emergency shelters requires several hours' notice to organize all the moving parts.
"You need a few hundred folks to come out and staff four to six sites," Theriault said. "You've got to get the word out to 211. You've got to get people in charge there. You've got to get the word out to folks to know they can come to those sites. You've got to make sure the sites are staged. You've got to roll out mats, make sure there's food service, make sure folks can get in there. You've got to let TriMet know. There's a lot of steps to do that."
On Monday morning, Commissioner Dan Ryan tweeted that emergency shelters would not open Monday either, because the snow was forecast to be rained away and temperatures would remain above freezing, but added that it was time to reevaluate the threshold system that impacts emergency shelter activation.
Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty also tweeted that she agrees. Ryan's and Hardesty's offices both declined interviews Monday.
Currently, JOHS will open severe weather shelters if one or more of the following criteria are met:
- Temperatures are forecast at 25 degrees or below
- Forecasters predict an inch or more of snow
- Overnight temperatures drop below 32 degrees, with an inch of driving rain
- Other conditions occur as needed, including severe wind chills or extreme temperature fluctuations
JOHS said Monday that it had activated its crisis response street outreach system to distribute cold weather gear.