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Mass power outages remain across Oregon after stormy night

Mass power outages remain across Oregon after stormy night

Yahoo25-02-2025

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Thousands remain without power Tuesday morning after strong winds and record rain made their way through Portland Monday.
After a stormy night, the weather is beginning to calm down, but widespread outages continue to plague the region.
According to the Portland General Electric outage map, as of 3:00 a.m., there are over 1,100 outages and just over 29,000 people are without power.
Pacific Power is also showing outages across, with 5,686 customers affected from Astoria all the way south to Grants Pass.
Clark Public Utilities in Washington has shown improvements overnight with only 2,186 customers without power.
At the height of the storm, over 100,000 Oregonians were without power.
Drier weather is set to arrive in Portland on Tuesday as we reach the afternoon.
Stay with KOIN 6 as we bring you updates.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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MultCo health officials warn first heat advisory could be extra dangerous. Here's why
MultCo health officials warn first heat advisory could be extra dangerous. Here's why

Yahoo

time2 days ago

  • Yahoo

MultCo health officials warn first heat advisory could be extra dangerous. Here's why

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Multnomah County is preparing for the hottest weekend of the year so far, warning residents that the first weekend of summer-like heat is always a concern. The from Sunday through Monday with temperatures reaching 92 to 96 degrees throughout the Willamette Valley, SW Washington, the Columbia River Gorge, and the Hood River Valley. Brendon Haggerty with the Multnomah County Health Department said the county pays close attention to the first hot weekend of the year. He said it poses a threat to everyone, not just vulnerable populations, because our bodies are not acclimated to the heat yet. Oregon lawmakers hold hearing on Medicaid cuts under Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' 'We're not used to the heat, and that makes us more prone to getting ill from the heat, having heat exhaustion or heat stroke,' he said. 'It's also a time when people might seek relief in our rivers. But this early in the season, they're still running really fast and really cold. So it can be a dangerous time to go swimming.' He said people are also vulnerable when there is a big temperature swing, like this weekend. 'All of us have some sensitivity to it because none of our bodies have acclimated to this heat yet,' Haggerty said. 'So the important thing is to realize is that each of us needs to take some protective action, to make sure we don't get sick from the heat.' Haggerty said we are coming off the hottest summer in North America ever, and we need to prepare for even more hot summers. He said the best way to do that is to make a plan. 'Whether that's, you know, going to a neighbor's who has air conditioning or going out to a movie, checking on a loved one,' he said. 'Those are all really important things. Making sure that your home is a safe place to be in the heat is a good idea. And if if you can't make that happen, make a different plan for where to be when it's hot.' The county is taking the first dose of summer heat as a chance to prepare. Officials hopped on a situational awareness call today— setting the table for the rest of the summer. 'Immediate threat to public safety': Longview cracks down on unsanctioned camping 'The county convenes all of the departments who are part of a response to that,' Haggerty said. 'We have a discussion with the weather service. Make sure we're all clear about what's in the forecast. And then go through a decision making process about what resources will be needed for the heat event.' Haggerty said they are not planning on opening cooling centers this weekend, but today's call will help them prepare for extreme heat events later in the year. You can visit the county website to see what resources are currently available. The National Weather Service also recommends staying hydrated, not leaving animals in vehicles, taking frequent breaks from the heat, checking on vulnerable community members, and avoiding cold shock by wearing life jackets in local rivers. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Oregon's Heat Waves Are More Dangerous Than Ever — That's Deadly For Renters
Oregon's Heat Waves Are More Dangerous Than Ever — That's Deadly For Renters

Yahoo

time4 days ago

  • Yahoo

Oregon's Heat Waves Are More Dangerous Than Ever — That's Deadly For Renters

This article may contain affiliate links that Yahoo and/or the publisher may receive a commission from if you buy a product or service through those links. It's Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2024: the first day of a three-day heatwave in Portland, Oregon, with temperatures predicted to be the hottest since 1958. Inside my outdated single-family home, the thermometer is climbing to 96 degrees. The poorly maintained windows, cracked open by adjustable window screens to allow for any cross breeze, are covered with blackout curtains. My partner and I are sitting on our couch, sweat dripping from every orifice, and our dog lies on a cold spot on the old wooden floors, tongue hanging out. All inclement weather can be dangerous, but the heat we experienced over those three days was especially so. Hot weather is the leading cause of weather-related fatalities in the United States, resulting in hundreds of deaths per year. The body temperature has a believed 95-degree wet-bulb limit (which is the theoretical temperature at which it's too humid for sweat to be evaporated enough to cool you down), but some scientists at Penn State recently reported it might be even lower, at 87 degrees. And veterinarians say that temperatures above 90 degrees can get dangerous for dogs, and fast, since they don't sweat like humans do. Needless to say, we were suffering. And yet, even with an AC unit in each room of our home, nothing seemed to cool it down. Due to the poorly insulated, drafty windows, all the cool air was escaping. We faced a tradeoff: suffer inside with all the windows shut and hope the AC eventually worked, or aim for a crosswind and forgo trying the AC altogether. I felt hopeless. Those who could afford to escape to the Oregon Coast during the heatwave (and the skyrocketing Airbnb prices) had already done so. After some serious scavenging, I found a single yurt three hours away in Reedsport, where the temps hovered in the manageable upper 70s. Thank goodness for National Parks. While we escaped that heatwave, I hoped that once we returned, the weather wouldn't climb again. Deep down, I knew it was just the first hot day of many. When my family and I toured our rental that April, the weather was perfect: in the upper 60s and sunny. From conversations with locals and my own research, I was led to believe that the climate in Portland is moderate from April to September, with temperatures rarely climbing above the 80s. But times are changing. The summer we moved, Portland reported the hottest July to date, and more than two heat waves with average temperatures around 100 degrees, lasting from two to five days, according to the National Weather Service. Now, these heat waves are more of the norm. In the 2021 Western North America Heat Wave, temperatures soared past 116 degrees, and 800 people died in the Pacific Northwest, 100 of them Oregonians. The heatwave also caused a myriad of challenges: a surge in 911 calls and emergency department visits; commuter services like the MAX Light Rail and WES Commuter Rail and the Portland Streetcar service were suspended due to heat-related issues; and Seattle's steel drawbridges had to be hosed down to prevent infrastructure issues such as cracking. In parts of Washington, the pavement was literally melting, causing buckling and potholes, and some counties reported power outages. Later, reports of 2,800 heat-related emergency department visits were made from July 25-30, 2021, in Multnomah County, Oregon, alone. The county published an analysis that found that a majority of deaths that occurred in households were from residents who only had fans or no air conditioning. For the uninitiated, it may seem patently ridiculous that folks out here don't have AC units. But Portland is different. In cities like New York City, where I rented for over eight years, AC is standard, even expected. In fact, 86% of Portland owner-occupied homes have air conditioning — yet only 66% of renter-occupied homes do, says The Office of Darla Andrews of Rent Portland Homes. That statistic includes rental units where renters provide their own portable AC units. During my Portland search, I toured one high-rise apartment where the leasing agent mentioned that we'd need to keep all the doors inside the apartment open in the summer and use fans to help circulate the air, as the mini split AC unit wouldn't cut it. For the cost, you'd expect better insulation and, at minimum, proper cooling devices. It was also the only unit I toured that included air conditioning at all. For Portland's rental market, extreme temperatures pose serious challenges. There is a push to preserve neighborhood character — understandably so; Portland is a breathtaking city. But this means zoning restrictions and height limits for apartment construction. Much like our unit, a single-family home, most rentals are older houses with converted ADUs in the basement, which often have poor insulation and lack central air conditioning. While basement units tend to stay cooler, installing an AC is nearly impossible due to the ground-level windows. There is also a widening class disparity, causing issues with availability and pricing for portable units. Portland has long wait lists for cooling centers and free AC units. If you were lucky enough amid a heat wave to snag a portable AC unit from your local hardware center before they sold out, the cost itself was unfathomable, at two to three times the going rate. Some reports found that price gougers were selling units, which already go for several hundred dollars, for $2,000 a pop. In the end, when it gets so hot that the roads are buckling, only those who can afford it or have the luxury of having a car can escape. However, protecting vulnerable and priority populations such as seniors, low-income individuals, those with disabilities, communities of color, and those living outside during extreme heat, is not optional. Nobody should be left behind because of where they live, how much they earn, or the support systems they have access to. As my family and I were piecing together cooling solutions with box fans in front of our AC units, curtain dividers from IKEA in every room, and luck, we thought of how to avoid this situation in the future. Ultimately, we decided to move to a much smaller apartment with central AC and ample tree coverage in the neighborhood after weighing our choices. Others, too, will need to create a plan of action far in advance — if they're lucky enough to be able to afford to move. Residents are being advised to prepare for 'possible extreme heat' this summer. The release revealed that last year in Multnomah County, '170 people visited the hospital or urgent care for heat-related illnesses, up from 141 in 2023,' health authorities said. 'Four people died last year in connection with heat exposure, compared with three heat-related deaths in 2023.' Since Oregon is now one of the top five states for incoming residents, I went down the rabbit hole to see what renters' protections and action plans could work to protect others and their furry friends from the extreme heat. The state has regulations to protect residents during freezing temperatures, which require landlords to provide adequate heating to 68 degrees or above inside when it drops below 20 degrees. But the state does not do the same for extreme heat, despite the fact that it is so dangerous. Should landlords be held responsible for ensuring tenants have access to adequate cooling? Currently, SB 1536, which regulates temperature control in rental units, does not require landlords to install air conditioning; it only protects tenants' right to install it. But, in discussion is SB 54, which would require multiunit property owners to provide efficient cooling devices — central air conditioning, heat pump, or portable cooling device — in at least one room on hot days. The goal is to have a cooling device in every bedroom by 2036. Could the city support retrofitting older homes, many of which house renters, to improve cooling efficiency? In 2016, FEMA awarded Portland approximately $500,000 for a pilot program that subsidized half the cost of seismic retrofits for 150 residents. Why not implement a similar program for heat resilience? According to Housing Solutions Lab by the NYU Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy, investments in insulation, efficient cooling systems, and moisture control, especially in the damp Pacific Northwest, could reduce energy consumption, increase property values, and improve comfort and livability. These upgrades would also support climate equity, as older homes are disproportionately occupied by lower-income residents who often face higher utility costs and greater vulnerability to extreme heat. The Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund has made promising strides, pledging an additional $10.3 million in December 2024 to expand the Cooling Portland program, which provides portable cooling and heating units to low-income Portlanders and plans on serving an additional 10,000 households through 2026. But portable AC may not even be enough. Last year's study at three Home Forward properties revealed that portable air conditioners often fell short: Many residents avoided using them due to concerns about costly electricity bills, and even when in use, they had limited effectiveness in cooling indoor spaces. While programs like Cooling Portland are a meaningful start, long-term solutions like robust infrastructure changes and policy shifts that treat heat as a serious public health issue are required. Additionally, tenant unions remain a strong grassroots solution. The Portland Tenants Union, which shares accessible information about local elections and the proposed Tenant Protection Ordinance, recently interviewed Candace Avalos, city councillor for District 1, and other local politicians working to pass the Renters' Bill of Rights. This bill supports policies such as protection from eviction due to late rent during extreme weather, the right to safe indoor temperatures year round, and collective bargaining power when basic needs aren't met. Climate change is no longer theoretical. As a renter who can't afford to buy, I believe access to temperature-controlled housing is a basic right, not a luxury for the few who can afford it. My family and I often wonder: What incentives do landlords have to upgrade their properties with adequate cooling systems? If living conditions become unsafe for my family or our dog, what recourse do we have? Through my research, I did find opportunities for meaningful change: offering subsidized housing in tree-covered neighborhoods, revising building codes for hotter areas, and prioritizing renter protections like those outlined in a Renter's Bill of Rights. Housing must adapt to a warming world, and those most vulnerable cannot be left behind. No one should have to sacrifice health and stability for something as essential as livable temperatures. I Tried the 90/90 Rule and My Closet Is Now Fully Decluttered Everything You've Ever Wanted To Know About Article's DTC Furniture We Asked 5 Contractors Which Kitchen Reno Trend Homeowners Regret Most, and They Basically All Agreed Sign up for Apartment Therapy's Daily email newsletter to receive our favorite posts, tours, products, and shopping guides in your inbox.

Will Portland see the northern lights? What to know about the weather forecast
Will Portland see the northern lights? What to know about the weather forecast

Yahoo

time01-06-2025

  • Yahoo

Will Portland see the northern lights? What to know about the weather forecast

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A severe geomagnetic storm could bring the northern lights to the Pacific Northwest and much of the rest of the county Sunday night and into Monday morning. The recent burst of solar activity has sparked the potential for some aurora sightings not only in Washington and Oregon, but 22 other states as well. But with Portland's penchant for cloudy skies, will the metro area see the auroras? Best viewpoints near Portland to catch the Northern Lights According to the KOIN 6 Weather Team, Northwest Oregon and Southwest Washington should expect mostly sunny skies as those daytime highs stay slightly above the seasonal average of 72 degrees over the next three days. This will also mean mostly clear nights in the 50s in the forecast, including Sunday, which will make for prime viewing when the auroras are grace the skies. All of this is thanks to a high pressure system that's over the Pacific Northwest. This has led to some higher elevation clouds inland, while some parts of the coast could see lower elevation clouds, according to the National Weather Service's Portland office. As far as where you can best see the auroras, NWS Portland recommends locations away from city lights looking to the north, with the peak viewing times between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. If you happen to snap any photos or videos of Sunday night's northern lights, you send them to news@ Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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