LONGVIEW — Near record-breaking high temperatures played a role in the death Sunday of a man living outdoors in Longview.
Nonprofits, churches and city and county officials are looking at ways to prevent future heat-related deaths.
Cowlitz County Deputy Coroner Brett Dundas reported Gregory Lee Majerus, 64, died around 2:30 p.m. Sunday in the Alabama Street homeless encampment due to heat-related causes.
The Western Regional Climate Center reports temperatures reached 107 degrees Sunday in Cowlitz County.
Dundas said this is the coroner office’s only heat-related death reported this summer.
The death “wasn’t solely heat related,” Dundas said, but the highs “exacerbated” Majerus’ other health problems. He said the death was reported by another camp resident around 7 p.m.
Heat-related deaths are uncommon in the area, he added.
“This is an anomaly,” he said. “We do not get these kinds of temperatures.”
Friday the Associated Press reported hundreds of deaths are being investigated as heat related in Washington, Oregon and British Columbia as a result of the heat wave.
The Columbian reported Wednesday officials in neighboring Clark County estimate up to 10 recent county deaths could have been related to excessive heat.
PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center Spokesperson Randy Querin said between June 25 and Monday the emergency room had “several” visits due to heat-related illnesses, but could not give an exact number. He said one of the patients was admitted overnight for additional care.
‘Nice guy’
Chuck Hendrickson is the director of the nonprofit Love Overwhelming that provides services to encampment residents like transportation to take showers and launder clothes, as well as find permeant housing.
He described Majerus as “a nice guy.”
“He put a smile on people’s face,” Hendrickson said.
The Evergreen Terrace Gospel Chapel Pastor Luke Keilwitz said the church held a memorial Tuesday for Majerus at the encampment because he was “part of our congregation.”
Future prevention
The encampment has been located on city property on Alabama Street, near Oregon Way, for about 1 1/2 years and Longview and county officials are working to develop a formal plan for the unregulated encampment.
Hendrickson said his staff provided encampment residents with water and transportation to cooling shelters hosted at area churches during last weekend’s heat wave.
He said the organization helps run a temporary emergency shelter in Longview during extreme weather but could not open last weekend because the donated space does not have air conditioning. Hendrickson said more planning by local government officials was needed to accommodate the region’s citizens.
“This death was totally avoidable,” he said.
The Rev. Liz Kearny — who is part of the Kelso-Longview Ministerial Association that also runs the emergency weather shelter — said efforts to plan for the next heat wave already have begun.
“It’s likely not the last heat wave we’re going to have this year,” she said. “The climate is changing and this is likely the new normal.”
City of Longview Administrator Kurt Sacha said he called “everyone I knew” June 23 to schedule cooling shelters at local churches.
Sacha said he and Longview Fire Chief Jim Kambeitz delivered water to the cooling shelters.
A city bus was provided Monday at the encampment for transportation to cooling shelters. Sacha said the van with air conditioning also doubled as a cooling shelter for residents who did not want to leave their belongings unsecured at the camp.
“Looking to the future, all of us learned better planning could be made … so we can make sure, prior to such an event, we have everything in place,” Sacha said.
