As people line up to enjoy a splashpark, a Salvation Army EMS vehicle acts as a cooling station. This is in Calgary, Alberta on Wednesday, June 30, 2021. Environment Canada warns that the heat wave that has swept across much of Western Canada will not subside for several days. Credit: Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via APMany of the deceased were found in their own homes, without fans or air conditioning. Some of the dead were elderly, some as old as 97. An Oregon nursery found the body of an immigrant farm laborer.Forecasters predicted a record-breaking heatwave in the Pacific Northwest and western Canada over the weekend. Officials set up cooling centers and distributed water to the homeless. Hundreds of people have been confirmed to have died between Friday and Tuesday.A heat advisory for excessive heat was in effect in parts of the interior Northwest, and western Canada on Thursday.According to the Oregon state medical examiner, the death toll rose to 79 in Oregon. The majority of these deaths occurred in Multnomah County which includes Portland.Lisa Lapointe, British Columbia's chief Coroner, stated that her office received reports about at least 486 "sudden, unexpected deaths" between Friday afternoon and Wednesday afternoon. Normally, she estimated that about 165 people would be killed in the province within a five-day span.Although it wasn't possible to know with certainty how many deaths could be attributed to heat, she said that most were likely due to heat.Washington authorities have linked heat to more than 20 deaths, but they said the number is likely to increase.Salem Fire Department paramedics, and Falck Northwest ambulances employees, respond to a heat-related call, Saturday, June 26, 2021 in Salem, Ore.According to Jennifer Vines, county health officer, Multnomah County's average victim was 67 years old and the oldest victim was 97 years.Vines spoke out by telephone Thursday to say that she was worried about possible fatalities due to the weather forecasts. The authorities tried to be prepared by turning nine county libraries that were air-conditioned into cooling centers.7.600 people took refuge among the books between Friday and Monday. Some others went to three additional cooling centers. Nearly 60 teams offered water and electrolytes to homeless people.Vines stated that they had surveyed the county and made calls to low-income housing managers to check on residents.She said that the effort was not enough. "It's really sobering seeing these initial (fatality), numbers come out."Ernst Nursery & Farms is where field laborers were killed in the heat wave that erupted last Thursday, July 1, 2021 in St. Paul, Ore. Oregon OSHA has been investigating Ernst Nursery & Farms but they have not responded to a request for comment. Reyna Lopez (executive director of a northwest farmworkers union known as its Spanish-language initials PCUN), called the death "shameful" while blaming both Oregon OSHA and the nursery for failing to adopt emergency rules in advance of the heat wave. Credit: AP Photo/Nathan HowardAndrew Phelps, Director of Oregon Office of Emergency Management, agreed. It is very heartbreaking to learn of the terrible loss of life caused by the heat wave. He said that he is an Oregonian and emergency manager. It was devastating that people couldn't access the help they needed in an emergency.A farm worker who fell on Saturday was among the dead. He was discovered by his fellow workers at a nursery near St. Paul, Oregon. Aaron Corvin, a spokesperson for Oregon Occupational Safety and Health, stated that the workers were moving irrigation lines.Oregon OSHA, which listed the death as heat-related in its database, is currently investigating Andres Pablo Lucas and Ernst Nursery and Farms. They have not responded to a request for comment. Pablo Lucas declined to comment on Thursday.This satellite image, provided by European Union and Copernicus Sentinel-2 (processed in Spacetec), shows a wildfire that is burning approximately 40km (about 25 miles) northeast from Pink Mountain in British Columbia. Credit: European Union. Copernicus Sentinel-2 data via APPedro Lucas, a farm worker, said that Sebastian Francisco Perez, a Guatemalan uncle, was the one who had died. He is from Ixcan, Guatemala. The day before his death, he was 38 years old.Lucas, who is a cousin with the labor contractor was summoned on the spot. His uncle was already unconscious and in serious condition when he arrived. A medical team tried to revive him, but they failed. Lucas stated that Perez was used the heat for his work and that the family awaits an autopsy report.Reyna Lopez was the executive director of a Northwest farmworkers' union. It is known by its Spanish-language initials PCUN. She called the death "shameful" while blaming both Oregon OSHA and the nursery for failing to adopt emergency rules in advance of the heat wave.Corvin stated that Oregon OSHA is currently "exploring the adoption of emergency requirements" and continues to engage with labor and employer stakeholders.Gregory Matarazzo stops cycling because the temperature was over 100 in Missoula, Montana on Wednesday, June 30, 2021. Credit to AP Photo/Tommy MartinoHe said that employers have a duty to provide adequate water, shade, breaks, and training on heat hazards.Oregon Governor John Kasich issued an executive order in March 2020. Kate Brown proposed that workers be protected from heat by issuing an executive order in March 2020. However, it is too late for the farmworker who has already died. Brown's order is focused on reducing greenhouse gas emission and tells Oregon Health Authority (OSHA) to propose standards for workers against excessive heat and wildfire smoke.The deadline for submissions was June 30, but the agencies requested that the deadline be extended to September due to the coronavirus pandemic.Two bodies were discovered Sunday in Bend, Oregon. It is a picturesque town near the Cascade Range.Marshall Potts Music's photo shows the Sparks Lake wildfire in Kamloops (British Columbia) on Wednesday, June 30, 2021. Credit to Marshall Potts Music via The Canadian Press via APLuke Richter, volunteer, said that he entered the trailer where Alonzo "Lonnie," Boardman was found.It was clearly too late. Richter said that it was basically a microwave inside.On Saturday, cooling stations were set up at the campsite with water, sports drinks, and ice.According to weather experts, the Pacific Northwest is likely to see more heat waves than usual. This region is known for its cool, rainy climate with some hot days and many people don’t have air conditioning."I think the community needs to be realistic about this being a more frequent occurrence than a one-off occurrence, and that it is something that will happen often," Dr. Steven Mitchell, Seattle's Harborview Medical Center. Mitchell treated a record number of severe heat-related patients. "We must be really augmenting disaster response."Marshall Potts Music's photo shows the Sparks Lake wildfire in Kamloops (British Columbia) on Wednesday, June 30, 2021. Credit to Marshall Potts Music via The Canadian Press via APJenny Rol (right) holds her 14-month old daughter Safi in a water fountain to cool down at a park near Missoula, Montana. It was hot on Wednesday, June 30, 2021. The Pacific Northwest is experiencing a heat wave that is now moving east. Credit: AP Photo/Tommy MartinoSalem Fire Department paramedics respond to a heat-related call, Saturday, June 26, 2021 in Salem, Ore. Credit to AP Photo/Nathan HowardJustin Jones, a paramedic with Salem Fire Department, attempts to keep cool after responding during a heat wave in Salem, Ore. Credit to AP Photo/Nathan HowardJeff Krupczak, and his daughter Savanna (12 years old), cool off in Missoula's Clark Fork River on Wednesday, June 30, 2021. Credit to: AP Photo/Tommy MartinoUnder sunny skies in Seattle, a group of kayakers share space with a pair ducks near the Hiram M. Chittenden Ballard Locks. After several days of record heat, temperatures dropped in Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia on Wednesday, but interior regions were still experiencing triple-digit temperatures as the easterly weather system moved east. The Locks link Lake Union and Salmon Bay to Puget Sound. Credit: AP Photo/Ted S. WarrenAn umbrella is used to shade the sun when a person walks near Pike Place Market on Tuesday, June 29, 2021 in Seattle. An unprecedented Northwest U.S. heatwave that decimated Seattle and Portland, Oregon on Tuesday moved inland, prompting an electric utility in Spokane to restart rolling blackouts due to high power demand. Credit: AP Photo/Ted S. WarrenThis aerial photo was taken from a helicopter and shows a wildfire burning in the mountains north Lytton (British Columbia) on Thursday, July 1, 2021. The wildfire that caused people to flee from a small British Columbia town that had experienced record-breaking temperatures on three consecutive days, was out of control on Thursday. Family members desperately searched for information about the evacuees. Credit: Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via APThis aerial photo was taken from a helicopter and shows a wildfire burning in the mountains north Lytton (British Columbia) on Thursday, July 1, 2021. The wildfire that caused people to flee from a small British Columbia town that had experienced record-breaking temperatures on three consecutive days, was out of control on Thursday. Family members desperately searched for information about the evacuees. Credit: Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via APThe heat wave this week was caused by what meteorologists called a dome of high tension over the Northwest. This is being exacerbated by human-caused global climate change which makes such extreme weather events more probable and more intense.Many cities including Portland, Seattle and Portland broke all-time heat records with temperatures exceeding 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 Celsius) in some cases.2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Without permission, this material may not be broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
