Organizers in Clark County have issued a severe weather alert and opened an emergency shelter system, possibly through Sunday.

This will expand the county’s warming shelters and resources to help unhoused people seeking relief from the cold. Overnight temperatures are forecasted to possibly drop into the 20s in the Vancouver and Portland metro areas Friday night into Sunday night.

National Weather Service meteorologist Daniel Hartsock said daytime temperatures are expected to warm back up into the 40s.

The Council for the Homeless, which activated the alert, leads the Clark County Severe Weather Task Force. The task force consists of several local and government organizations, including the City of Vancouver and Clark County. It was formed as a way to assist people experiencing homelessness in Clark County during severe weather events.

Sunny Wonder, chief operating officer at the Council for the Homeless, said the task force looks at a number of factors before activating its severe weather alert. Some of those include monitoring rain and wind chill forecasts, hypothermia risk and freezing temperatures.

“Continual exposure [outside] can have a lot of health effects that we want to as much as possible protect people from,” Wonder said. “Many folks in our unhoused community do navigate a lot of other health issues.”

People needing shelter or housing assistance should call the Council for the Homeless Hotline at 360-695-9677. The hotline is available Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on weekends and holidays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

A daytime warming shelter is open at St. Paul Vancouver, located at 309 Franklin Ave. The shelter is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday to Friday.

An overnight shelter will also open Tuesday night at Living Hope Church, located at 2711 NE Andresen Rd. in Vancouver. Doors are expected to open at 7 p.m.

Organizers recommend checking online for up-to-date information as more shelters may open due to a possible severe weather alert extension.

Meanwhile, in Multnomah County, officials said Tuesday they are watching the forecasts to see if and when temperatures will reach the county’s threshold for opening severe weather shelters.

They typically open additional shelters when:

• Forecast temperatures reach 25° F (-4° C) or below.
• Forecast temperatures reach freezing, 32° F (0° C), with 1 inch or more of rain and with sustained winds greater than 10 mph overnight.
• Forecast snow accumulation of 1 inch or more over a 24-hour period.

If any of these thresholds are met and forecasted to persist for four hours or more between the hours of 8 p.m. and 7 a.m., the county will open its severe weather shelters.

“At this point, the forecast does not appear to reach those thresholds, but folks are watching in case that changes,” Denis Theriault, a spokesperson for Multnomah County, said in an email.

The Joint Office of Homeless Services also has thresholds separate from the county for outreach and supply distribution, Theriault said.

“They expect to reach those thresholds and have begun preparing in recent days by providing additional survival gear to outreach groups and other community organizations,” he said. “That gear can be distributed when the weather turns worse.”

According to Theriault, the county and the City of Portland have opened 200 winter shelter beds in partnership with the Salvation Army.

“Those beds are open every night this winter, and they would convert into 24-hour spaces if we reach severe weather shelter thresholds,” he said.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/01/14/emergency-warming-shelters-clark-county-cold-weather/