Historic heat wave in Oregon kills 116

The number of deaths in Oregon by the historic heat wave that hit northwest USA last weekend, it went up to 116.

The state coroner’s office on Wednesday released an updated list of deaths from the heat wave that added nine victims.

Of the 116 deaths recorded, the youngest victim was 37 and the oldest 97. Authorities in Multnomah County, in Portland, where most of the deaths occurred, noted that many victims did not have air conditioning and died alone.

On Tuesday, Democratic Gov. Kate Brown instructed state agencies to study how Oregon can improve its response to heat emergencies and enacted rules to protect workers from extreme heat after a farm laborer collapsed and died on Sept. 26 in an orchard in St. Paul.

Temperatures broke all-time records during a three-day heat wave that swept across Oregon, Washington and the Canadian province of British Columbia. Authorities point out that hundreds of deaths could basically be attributed to heat throughout the region.

The heat wave was caused by what meteorologists called a high-pressure dome over the northwest and made worse by human-caused climate change, which is making those extreme weather events more likely and intense.

Seattle, Portland and many other cities broke their heat records, with temperatures in some places above 46 degrees Celsius (115 Fahrenheit).