Death toll from heat wave in Multnomah County rises to 59

By KPTV Staff

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    MULTNOMAH COUNTY, Oregon (KPTV) — The death toll has risen in Multnomah County after the medical examiner identify more deaths related to the historic heat wave.

On Friday, the county says the medical examiner has identified 59 deaths in which the suspected cause is hyperthermia, which is an abnormally high body temperature caused by a failure of the body to deal with heat coming from the environment. Of those, 20 have been formally ruled hyperthermia deaths.

The people who died during this historic heat wave ranged in age from 44 to 97. They include 19 women and 39 men. The county says records regarding gender were not complete. Many people had underlying health conditions and many of those who died were found alone, without air conditioning or a fan.

For comparison, for all of Oregon between 2017 and 2019, there were only 12 deaths from hyperthermia.

Between June 25, when the National Weather Service excessive heat warning went into effect, and Monday, there were 131 emergency department and urgent care clinic visits for heat illness in Multnomah County. Normally there is one visit. The crisis peaked Monday, with 491 calls (all-time high) for 911 medical, a 63% increase over normal.

“There’s much we don’t yet know about the people who died, including how many were experiencing homelessness. The overwhelming majority of people died in their homes, but at this stage, we are not able to release the exact number of people experiencing homelessness because of missing information and because establishing homelessness takes intensive death investigation and follow-up,” the county said in a release.

The Multnomah County Medical Examiner’s Office is still responding to cases; cases that will take time to review and finalize; and that deeper analysis will take time. The county says it plans to share those findings with the public, as it will help all of us plan for and respond to emergencies.

The Oregon State Medical Examiner received reports of 79 deaths on Thursday that preliminary investigation suggests may be associated with the heat wave. The people who died ranged in age from 38 to 97.

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