Heat Response Program News Today

A global approach to tackle the ongoing water crisis is needed as vulnerable communities in the United States face historic deluge and drought - issues very much in the spotlight at the forthcoming UN-supported World Water Week.

A global approach to tackle the ongoing water crisis is needed as vulnerable communities in the United States face historic deluge and drought - issues very much in the spotlight at the forthcoming UN-supported World Water Week.

The Oregonian/OregonLive interviewed multiple families around the state who have recently installed heat pumps. The vast majority removed a gas furnaces or an electric furnace, though a few kept a backup source of heat.

Cheryl Roberts is proud of the day last April when her organization celebrated the installation of solar panels on homeowner Franteece Jackson’s Portland house. The executive director of the African American Alliance for Home Ownership says she believes Jackson is the first Black woman homeowner in the state to complete such a project.

One year ago, unprecedentedly high temperatures killed 69 people in Multnomah County and nearly 100 statewide. Portland broke heat records three consecutive days in a row, culminating in a record-high 116 degrees on June 28, 2021. Officials called the heatwave a “hard lesson,” one that underscored the lack of hot weather infrastructure the region has and how quickly Oregonians will have to adapt in order to respond to the changing climate and extreme weather that...

One year ago, unprecedentedly high temperatures killed 69 people in Multnomah County and nearly 100 statewide. Portland broke heat records three consecutive days in a row, culminating in a record-high 116 degrees on June 28, 2021. Officials called the heatwave a “hard lesson,” one that underscored the lack of hot weather infrastructure the region has and how quickly Oregonians will have to adapt in order to respond to the changing climate and extreme weather that...

Portlanders who are most vulnerable to the heat are starting to receive portable cooling units through the city’s Heat Response Program. The first of an estimated 15,000 units was installed on Thursday through the program, created by the Portland Clean Energy Fund (PCEF) in response to last year’s unprecedented heat wave. “Last summer, Portlanders suffered immensely under the extreme heat emergency caused by the worsening climate crisis,” said PCEF Program Manager Sam Bar...

Portland City Council stripped a local green energy nonprofit of a city-awarded grant Wednesday after an investigation by the Oregonian revealed the organization’s executive director had a history of financial crimes. The city ordinance, passed unanimously, transferred the $10 million grant to nonprofit Earth Advantage to carry out the grant responsibilities, which aims to distribute cooling units to vulnerable Portland residents before the next heatwave. Following the record-breaking heat...

[You can read all of the Mercury’s “Top Stories of 2021” here.—eds] Not to be outdone by last year’s historic wildfires and ice storms, 2021 delivered deadly heatwaves and drought conditions. As the impacts of climate change became more apparent this year, the city took unprecedented action against a major polluter, a new program delivered its first round of eco-energy funding to frontline climate communities, and youth climate activists pushed leaders for faster ac...

Portland City Council will consider approving an accelerated funding timeline Wednesday for a new program to protect vulnerable Portlanders during the next heatwave. According to the Portland Clean Energy Fund (PCEF), the city’s voter-approved eco-energy fund which is presenting the request to council, the accelerated timeline is essential to distributing the program’s first round of heat-mitigating tools to homeowners and renters this summer. This new PCEF program, called the Heat R...