The heatwaves crashing through western Canada and the Pacific Northwest are killing people. Officials are preparing for more extreme high temperatures and wildfires.
According to Reuters, 63 people in Oregon died from the heatwave. Multnomah County reported 45 deaths. The country medical examiner attributed the deaths to hyperthermia. British Columbia Coroners Service reports that 486 people died in the course of five days.
“This was a true health crisis that has underscored how deadly an extreme heatwave can be,” Dr. Jennifer Vines, Multnomah County Health Officer, said. “As our summers continue to get warmer, I suspect we will face this kind of event again.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acknowledged the deaths and shared his concern over wildfires.
“We’ve been seeing more and more of this type of extreme weather event in the past years,” Trudeau said. “So realistically, we know that this heatwave won’t be the last.”
President Joe Biden says that climate change is the culprit for the “extreme heat and prolonged drought.”
“These are the types of issues that are going to be confronted more and more over the next few years,” Adam Rysanek, assistant professor of environmental systems at the University of British Columbia, said.
From 2017 to 2019, only 12 deaths from hyperthermia were reported in Oregon. The Oregon Health Authority says that hospitalizations from heat-related illnesses have increased in recent days.
