September 29, 2021 4:00 a.m.

Following a summer of scorching heat waves that set records in many parts of the state, Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden are joining a bipartisan effort to push the Federal Emergency Management Agency for better assistance in dealing with extreme heat events.

A letter to FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said “This summer has produced has produced historic heat waves and high temperatures across the United States, particularly in West, devastating communities and causing hundreds of heat-related deaths”.  The senators said that according to the National Weather Service, extreme heat events have been the leading cause of weather-related death in the United States over the last 30 years. Merkley and Wyden said, “As Senators from states experiencing extreme heat that threatens the lives of our constituents, we request immediate assistance from FEMA for our state, Tribal and local governments to help protect the public from extreme heat”.

The senators noted that operating public cooling centers and arranging transportation to those centers is often difficult and costly, particularly in rural and remote communities. The senators pressed FEMA for answers on whether the agency recognizes extreme heat as being eligible for major disaster or emergency declarations, and what it plans to do in the future to respond to extreme heat events that pose life-threatening risks to Americans.

In addition to Merkley and Wyden, the letter was signed by senators from Nevada, Texas, New Jersey and Massachusetts.