猫咪社区

When a heat wave hit the Pacific Northwest in late June, many cities and residents found themselves facing shockingly high鈥攁nd 鈥攖emperatures: up to 116 degrees Fahrenheit in Portland, Oregon, for example. Hundreds of people across the region died. 

For many, the safest and most accessible place to escape the heat was also free鈥攖he library. Public libraries are  as cooling centers as officials develop emergency plans for heat and other extreme weather conditions. In Clackamas County, Oregon, authorities designated 21 local cooling centers; of them were libraries. Just north in Multnomah County, where Portland is located, around  sought shelter in public libraries over four scorching days.

鈥淟ibraries are essential,鈥� said the Rev. Vernon K. Walker, senior program manager at . The nonprofit helps turn libraries, churches, and small businesses into climate resilience hubs鈥攖rusted community organizations meant to help educate people on extreme weather and provide a physical refuge during and after disasters. 鈥淧articularly for libraries that tend to be in Black and Brown communities, and particularly in libraries that are in inner cities, they are critical, essential, and needed,鈥� Walker said. 

 that people of color are at higher risk of illness or death than White people. That鈥檚 because they often live in hotter areas with  and a greater likelihood of , or in neighborhoods where energy companies sometimes  power to avoid larger disruptions.

Underserved and low-income communities can face natural hazards more safely with updated infrastructure, according to   on disaster resilience. Equally poor areas with inadequate community infrastructure or none at all  And libraries are part of a community鈥檚 infrastructure: The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA,  them as 鈥渆ssential community organizations.鈥�

But many of the nation鈥檚 library buildings are aging鈥攖hey are, on average, 鈥攁nd  need significant upgrades and repairs to handle the challenges of climate change. Some libraries are in such disrepair that they鈥檙e unable to function effectively as relief centers. In  rising sea levels, heavy rain, and drought are causing the library鈥檚 foundation to shift. In , nine libraries frequently close during temperature spikes, and the library鈥檚 antiquated HVAC system forces it to close during extreme heat or whenever wildfire smoke becomes too intense. The Williams Branch Library in  isn鈥檛 even a permanent structure: It鈥檚 a temporary mobile unit, constructed in 1977, with no running water and no bathroom. 

Still, in some rural parts of the Pacific Northwest, including Josephine County, libraries were the only cooling centers available this summer. 鈥淭he branches themselves haven鈥檛 been upgraded for 50 years,鈥� said Kate Lasky, library director at the Josephine Community Library District, even though they provide essential services during heat, wildfires, power outages, and snow and ice storms, as well as during pandemics鈥攁ll events that scientists predict will become increasingly frequent, thanks to climate change. In many rural communities, libraries are the only spaces available for public discussion concerning everything from water rights to emergency-preparedness plans. They also offer access to things like computers and internet support, Lasky said.

Now, some politicians are looking for funding to bolster libraries, which will also help them to respond in times of disaster and extreme weather. Six senators and representatives introduced the Build America鈥檚 Libraries Act this year, in federal aid for improvements to public libraries across the country. Advocates such as the American Library Association are pushing to include the act in the . Legislators had until Sept. 15 to earmark exactly what that money would be spent on.

If libraries are included, Washington鈥檚 libraries would receive  and Oregon鈥檚 an  for upgrades to address natural disasters and environmental hazards and improve accessibility and broadband. It would be the largest amount Congress has spent on libraries since 1997.

Researchers like , director of the Institute for Public Knowledge at NYU, believe libraries play a key role in climate resilience. Klinenberg, who  the role of social infrastructure during the 1995 Chicago heat wave, thinks that this bill could be a 鈥済odsend鈥� for libraries. 鈥淚f we invest in them, updating the vital systems鈥攆rom the internet to the HVAC, bathrooms to furniture鈥攖hey are reliable sites for relief efforts,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 so much more they could do, and so many things they could do better, if we gave libraries the public funding that they need.鈥�

Reporting for this story was supported by the Society of Environmental Journalists.

This story originally appeared in and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.