September 10, 2024, 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. MDT

Heat, Housing, and Human Risk: Lessons from the Home Forward Temperature Assessment

Heat, Housing, and Human Risk

Webinar Description:

In June 2021, a deadly heat dome hovered over Oregon, killing about 70 people in in Multnomah County and 100 statewide. The event led several agencies—including the Portland Bureau Emergency Management, the Multnomah County Health Department, and Portland’s housing authority, Home Forward—to partner on better understanding the heat exposure risks of people living in affordable housing.

In 2022 and 2023, the Home Forward Indoor Temperature Assessment gathered temperature data from sensors installed in public housing units, as well as information from residents about how they were weathering the heat. The project resulted in a number of findings that can be applied broadly wherever heat and housing are issues.

Join project leaders as they discuss what they learned from the temperature data and what residents shared about their heat-related perceptions, experiences, and coping strategies. Speakers will also discuss resident-informed recommendations for emergency, health, and housing agencies.

Speakers:

Regina Ingabire, Portland Bureau of Emergency Management
Carolina Gomez, Home Forward
Brendon Haggerty, Multnomah County Health Department


Resources

Home Forward Indoor Temperature Assessment


Natural Hazards Center Overview Slides
Ingabire Presentation Slides
Gomez Presentation Slides
Haggerty Presentation Slides


Regina Ingabire

Regina Ingabire is the Community Resilience Outreach Manager for the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management (PBEM). Her work focuses on public engagement initiatives on disaster risk awareness, community resilience, and household preparedness in historically underserved communities. Before joining PBEM, Ingabire worked with Oregon Public Health Institute as Community Engagement and Equity Manager to increase health access services to low-income communities in East Portland. She has a master's degree from Brandeis University in Sustainable International Development and Bachelor of Arts in Accounting from National University of Rwanda.


Carolina Gomez

Carolina Gomez is a seasoned professional with more than 20 years of experience in property management, specializing in low-income housing. With a dedicated focus on creating affordable and secure living spaces, Gomez is a respected figure in the real estate industry, consistently delivering quality services to diverse communities. She has a profound commitment to safety, emergency management, environmental justice, and grant management and has played a pivotal role in ensuring the well-being of residents while championing safety, sustainability, and equity.


Brendon Haggerty

Brendon Haggerty serves as the Healthy Homes and Communities Manager at Multnomah County Health Department in Portland, Oregon. He manages a team that addresses environmental justice and health issues in Oregon's most populous county, spanning topics that include superfund site cleanup, lead poisoning, healthy housing, air quality, climate change, and the built environment. Haggerty has worked in state and local public health for 15 years and previously served as epidemiologist for the Oregon Health Authority Climate and Health program.


Continuing Education Credits:

This webinar is eligible for one contact hour of emergency management training within the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) certification program. For more information about continuing education credits and how to earn them, please click here.