Q: The news said the west coast of the North America is really hot now. Could you tell me about the heat wave?
A: The Pacific Northwest, which includes British Columbia (Canada), Washington and Oregon (USA) is, as a region, generally cool and wet. Due to this, we don’t tend to get extreme heat, and our cities are not built for it. Rather, most of our buildings are designed to RETAIN heat, to keep us warm in the winters. We also do not tend to have home air conditioning in this area, and even many of our businesses and public offices are not air conditioned.
I am living just outside of Seattle, and Seattle is the LEAST air conditioned city in the US. Many of our buildings are of historical significance, and many are just plain old. It’s also important to note that the type of ac unit commonly used in Japan (ductless ac) is not common in the US. In addition, renters cannot make changes to a building, so it is not possible for us to add ac if we rent an apartment or office.
Portland, which is just a few hours south of me, in Oregon, is the 3rd least air conditioned city in the country. MANY shops in Portland are in old, beautiful buildings. But these buildings get HOT! Many shops, restaurants, libraries and offices had to close completely, because it was too hot inside for their employees.
Even many of our public buildings, like libraries, are in historical buildings, and often close down on very hot days in the summer. In the past we did not have such hot days, but climate change is very obvious to us here in the PNW.
Recently we suffered a 4 day heat wave that felt like hell on Earth. It was so intensely hot that buildings warped, roads buckled and broke, and rail road tracks warped out of shape. The full death toll isn’t known yet, so at this point we can only say that over 700 people have died across the region (mostly in BC). Many deaths were related to heat illness, but others were a result of people trying to escape the heat. Many people drowned in the local lakes and rivers. In addition to the human deaths, pets, livestock, and even wild animals died.
Across the region, things like electric fans, window mounted ac units, ice cream/popsicles and even ice were completely sold out. People were desperate to cool themselves and their families. Some cities set up “cooling centers” where people could come and sit for a while, and try to recover from the heat. The temperatures broke records all across this region – Seattle experienced the hottest June temperatures on record!
In my area, the high temperature was 110° F, but in Portland, some areas reached 115° F. Our normal high for this time of year is usually about 90° F, and our regular average temperature is typically 75° F. Other areas of the country see high temperatures on a regular basis, but these areas are typically fully air conditioned, and have used different building methods. For example, Arizona is a hot state, so houses there are built with materials to keep the heat out. Since we are typically cooler, our homes are built to keep the heat IN. Many people (myself included) experienced temperatures inside our homes that were even hotter than outside!
（和訳）
Q: ニュースで話題の北米、西海岸が猛暑について教えて。
A: カナダのブリティシュコロンビア、米国ワシントン、オレゴンを含む米国北西部太平洋地域は、概して涼しく、湿度が高いのね。このため、酷暑にはなりにくく、暑さに対応した都市設計になっていないの。むしろ私たちの建物は冬に暖かくするため、熱を「保持する」するように建てられているの。この地域では家庭にエアコンがないことが多くて、会社や店舗、役所の多くはエアコンがないのよ。
私はシアトルから少し外れたところに住んでいるんだけど、シアトルは米国でも最もエアコンが設置されていないところなの。私たちの建物は歴史的価値が高く、多くが本当に古いのね。あと、日本で当たり前に使われているタイプのエアコン（ダクトレスエアコン）は米国では一般的ではないの。さらに、借りている人は建物の改装はできないから、住宅やオフィスを賃貸していると、エアコンをとりつけることはできないの。
ポートランドは家から数時間のところなんだけど、オレゴンはアメリカで３番目にエアコンが設置されていない都市なのね。ポートランドの多くのお店が古くて美しい建物の中に入っているんだけど、この建物がすごく暑くなるの！多くのお店やレストラン、図書館、オフィスが閉鎖に追い込まれたわ。従業員が中にいられないくらい暑かったから！
図書館など公立の建物も歴史的建造物の中にあって、夏はよく暑さのために閉鎖になるの。かつて、こんなに暑い日はなかったけど、ここ北西部太平洋地域は気候変動が明らかだわ。
ここ４日間はこの世の地獄のような暑さに苦しんだわ。あまりの暑さに建物がゆがみ、道路が盛り上がって亀裂が入って、鉄道の線路が歪んで形が変わってしまったの。死者数はまだわからないけど、この時点で言えるのは、この地域（ほとんどがブリティッシュコロンビア州）で７００人以上が亡くなったわ。多くが熱中症に関わるものだったけど、暑さから逃れようとした結果亡くなった人もいたわ。たくさんの人が地元の湖や川で溺れたのよ。人間だけではなく、ペットや家畜、野生動物も死んだわ。
その地域全体で、扇風機、窓はめ込み型エアコン、アイスクリーム／アイスキャンディー、氷そのものまで売り切れたわ。自分や家族を冷やすためにみんな必死だった。人々が来て、しばらく座って暑さをさますことができる「クーリングセンター」を設置した都市もあったわよ。気温はこの地域の記録を更新して、シアトルは6月としては記録最高の気温をマークしたのよ！
うちの地域は、最高気温華氏１１０度だったんだけど、ポートランドは、１１５度までいったところもあったわ。この地域ではこの時期は通常最高気温９０度くらい、平均７５度なの。他の地域での最高気温としては普通なんだけど、こうした地域はちゃんとエアコンがあって、別の建築方法がとられているよ。例えば、アリゾナは暑い州だから、家屋は熱を逃がす材料で建てられるの。私たちは普通は涼しいから、家屋は熱を保つように作られるのね。私を含め多くの人が、外よりも家の中の方が暑いという経験をしたわ！
