A water cooler sweats in the main hall at the Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center in Hermiston on Tuesday, June 29, 2021.

This week has been one for the record books.

Hermiston had its hottest day ever recorded Monday, June 28, at 115 degrees, according to the National Weather Service, and immediately broke that record on Tuesday, June 19 with 118 degrees.

The city’s previous all-time record was 113 degrees, set in 1961. Its previous record for June was 111 degrees.

When Al Davis, manager of the Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center, realized Monday night how hot it was going to be the next day, he made a last-minute decision to open up EOTEC’s air-conditioned event center to anyone who needed a cool place to land.

“I thought, I have the space and I’m gonna air condition it regardless, so why not?” he said.

As of noon Tuesday, June 29, there were tables, chairs and jugs of ice water set up, but no people yet. Davis said it was possible word hadn’t spread, or people were waiting until it got even hotter, or they might be having transportation problems.

He said he planned to stay open until at least 8 p.m. that day, and planned to offer shelter for people through the end of the week. If anyone doesn’t have transportation to or from EOTEC this week, they can call Hermiston Taxi at 541-567-6055 and the city of Hermiston will pay for the ride.

People who need a free place to cool off in air conditioning also are welcome at the Hermiston Public Library.

Keeping cool indoors

Meanwhile, community Facebook pages, such as What’s Happening Hermiston?, were full of people asking if anyone knew of someone who could repair their broken air conditioning or loan them a window unit.

If anyone thinks their air conditioning unit isn’t working property or is on the verge of failing, they should call immediately, said Seth Draper, service manager for Bruce Heating and Air, which has locations in Hermiston and the Tri-Cities. HVAC technicians are stretched thin right now, he said in an interview Thursday, June 24, and aren’t available to show up at a moment’s notice.

“We’re slammed,” he said.

As the heat wave across the western United States continues to spread, it’s also taking longer to get parts in — three to five weeks, in some cases.

Draper said to help air conditioners stay in good working order, it’s important people make sure their filters are clean and so are their outside units, which can become clogged with cottonwood fluff or other debris.

He said as temperatures soar above 110 degrees this week, people will need to have reasonable expectations for how cool they can get the inside of their home.

“One hundred and fifteen degrees outside really stresses AC units,” he said.

People can help reduce that stress by keeping their blinds closed and lights off as much as possible, he said, and not running appliances, such as ovens, that will add heat to the house. They also should reduce traffic in and out of the house as much as possible, and try opening the windows if it cools down at night.

As people crank up the air conditioning in triple-digit temperatures that are supposed to stretch for at least another week, Steve Meyers, spokesperson for Umatilla Electric Cooperative, said the utility will be closely watching weather conditions and system loads. While extreme weather does put additional demand on the power supply, he said UEC has made it a priority to maintain its infrastructure to reliably provide power in all kinds of conditions.

“Our power supply is sufficient to meet the expected spike in demand from air conditioning and irrigation during this extreme heat wave,” he wrote in an email.

He said in a typical year, UEC provides more than $1 million in rebates and $300,000 in low-interest loans for energy efficiency upgrades in members’ homes and businesses. Those investments help reduce the demand on UEC’s system, he said.

In a news release, Pacific Power suggested customers should set their thermostats at 78 degrees while they’re home and 85 degrees while they’re out.

If someone doesn’t have an air conditioner, they can use fans blowing across cool water, bowls of ice or frozen water bottles to help cool down a room, or hang a wet sheet over their window if there is a breeze coming through in the evenings.

Protecting animals

Darren Cox, owner of Baker’s Pond Farm outside Hermiston, said livestock tend to weather the Eastern Oregon climate well, but do need extra protection when the heat reaches extremes.

He said he sprays the chickens and ducks with water when it gets especially hot, and when it’s up over 100 degrees sometimes the goats need wetted down too.

“They hate water,” he said of the goats, “but we do spray them when they get hot. You don’t have to do as much with cows. They’re used to the elements.”

The farm’s barn has a big awning where animals can congregate in the shade, he said, and they will have fans running. Pigs don’t sweat, so Cox said he’ll be making sure they have plenty of water and mud to roll around in.

One of the most important things will be making sure animals have “plenty of cool, clean water” in their troughs as they go drink more than usual, Cox said.

“You can go down and buy blocks of ice, and put them in the trough,” he said last week. “When it’s really hot, on the 115 (degree) day, that’s probably what we’ll do here.”

He’ll be keeping his dog in the air-conditioned house, he said, and if any of the other animals are showing signs of heat exhaustion, they can come inside too.

Experts recommend people keep their pets indoors during high heat, with plenty of drinking water, and if needed, getting them wet can provide extra cooling. Walk or run with pets in the early, cool part of the day, and before the asphalt gets hot, and make sure they get breaks with access to water.

Pets and people should never be left in hot cars.

Oregon’s good Samaritan law, which has been in effect for four years, allows someone to enter a vehicle to remove a child or domestic animal in imminent danger of suffering harm without facing criminal or civil liability under certain requirements. That law could get a workout with this heat.

Hermiston Police Chief Jason Edmiston said police are supposed to base their actions on what is reasonable in the circumstances, and that’s a measuring stick that can apply to the good Samaritan law.

“Is it reasonable to leave an animal in a vehicle with no ventilation?” he said. “The answer is no, it’s not reasonable.”

He said police would like to be involved if someone has to break into a car to save a child or pet, but the department’s resources are limited. If a child or pet is in imminent danger, he said, don’t wait for the police.

“There is no real justification for people or animals to be left inside vehicles in the weather that’s on the horizon for us,” Edmiston said before the heat wave hit.

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East Oregonian news editor Phil Wright contributed to this story.