PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) — When it comes to the historic winter storm that blew through the Portland metro region earlier this month, a tale of two countries emerged in terms of the starkly differing responses to how Multnomah and Clackamas counties operated emergency warming shelters.
While Multnomah County was criticized for promptly closing their shelters as soon as temperatures rose above the 25°F threshold — despite sheets of ice still on the ground for much of the region — Clackamas officials say their response was “better than ever before.”
Clackamas County had a much smaller need than Multnomah County, with the latter servicing a record-breaking 1,269 people at the peak and opening more emergency shelters than they ever had before to accommodate them. However, for many local leaders, the difference between the two counties boils down to what happened last Wednesday.
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“It’s night and day. It’s sort of how you should do it versus how we shouldn’t,” said Dr. Sharon Meieran, a Multnomah County commissioner.