For over a year, I’ve been asking Whatcom County and City of Bellingham leaders a set of simple, urgent questions about how they plan to respond to extreme heat and wildfire smoke—conditions that are becoming more frequent and more deadly every summer.
As the founder of Operation Water Drop, I see firsthand the people most affected by our climate emergencies: unhoused residents, elders in poorly ventilated apartments, those without transportation, and individuals with chronic illness. These are the folks most likely to die during a heatwave or suffer from long-term respiratory damage due to wildfire smoke.
Despite this, there are still no clearly defined thresholds for when cooling or clean air shelters are activated in Whatcom County. No public policy. No clear plan. No communication strategy. Just volunteers scrambling in 80+ degree heat to fill the gaps.
What I Asked
Here are the questions I’ve asked, repeatedly, since June 2024:
- What specific forecasted conditions trigger activation of cooling or clean air shelters in Whatcom County?
- Are there any specific plans in place to protect people during this week’s heat? If so, when and where?
- How will the public—especially unhoused and unsheltered residents—be notified of available emergency services?
- Will the County commit to implementing public, evidence-based thresholds for emergency shelter activation based on heat index and air quality, not just temperature?
- How can grassroots efforts like Operation Water Drop help in the absence of official shelters?
What I Got in Return
After multiple emails to dozens of elected officials and city/county staff, I finally received a single reply from the Whatcom County Executive’s Office.
Here’s what Jed Holmes, Public Affairs & Strategy Manager, said:
“Whatcom County does not have cooling centers or clean air shelters on standby that could be activated…”
“The heat advisory issued by NOAA for Whatcom County this week indicated only moderate risk and not a level that warranted activation of our emergency response systems.”
“The question of whether the County and cities should invest in the creation of standby/pop-up capacity for summer heat and smoke events requires a broad and comprehensive policy discussion.”
That’s it.
No answers. No commitments. Just an admission: the County has no cooling centers, no clean air shelters, no activation policy, and no timeline for creating one. There is no real-time safety net for heat- or smoke-related emergencies in Whatcom County. And there is no sense of urgency to change that.
Why This Matters
We’ve already seen what happens when communities don’t plan for heat. The 2021 Pacific Northwest heat dome killed nearly 1,000 people. In Oregon and Washington alone, hundreds of residents—many elderly, disabled, or unhoused—died preventable deaths. Most lacked access to cooling centers.
Yet in Whatcom County, the official position is apparently this: “Wait and see.”
But for the people I serve—those without shelter, those living with mental illness or chronic disease, those trying to survive without AC or air filters—waiting isn’t an option. By the time the County decides it’s “bad enough,” it’s already too late.
This Is a Policy Choice
Let’s be honest: not having a plan is still a plan.
Failing to fund cooling infrastructure is still a funding decision.
Leaving people to suffer and die outdoors in extreme heat is not an accident—it’s a policy choice.
What Needs to Happen Now
- Clear, public thresholds for activating emergency shelters based on heat index and air quality
- Standby shelter sites pre-identified and ready to activate during climate emergencies
- Funding for real-time response infrastructure, not just educational handouts
- A communication plan that reaches the most vulnerable, not just press releases or social media posts
- Real collaboration with grassroots volunteers who are already doing the work
This is not a radical ask. This is the bare minimum.
I am ready to collaborate. Operation Water Drop stands ready to help.
But we cannot—and should not—carry this burden alone.
Whatcom County, it’s time to stop stalling and start protecting people.
Because climate change isn’t waiting for your policy discussion to end.
Take Action:
Email the Whatcom County Council: council@co.whatcom.wa.us
Email Bellingham City Council: ccmail@cob.org
Demand a real plan for cooling and clean air shelters. Lives depend on it.