Do you know what the #1 weather-related killer in the US is? It’s not tornados, floods, or hurricanes. It is HEAT, which kills more people than all those other disasters combined. Rising temperatures are due to global warming and the use of fossil fuels, which are dramatically and dangerously warming our planet.
The Pacific Northwest is particularly vulnerable to increasing temperatures because we are not used to extreme heat, and we are not prepared for it. Few people have cooling in their homes. Most don’t know the symptoms of heat illness, or what to do if they get it.
Thanks to a HEAL grant from Front & Centered in 2025 and an EPA grant in 2026, Thurston Climate Action Team (TCAT) is out to change that in Thurston County through our Cooling Thurston program. TCAT partnered with local community groups and senior apartments in 2025 to provide fifty participants with free portable heat pumps for our pilot program. We are distributing another 50 in 2026. Participants are the most vulnerable in our community. They rent in Thurston County, have no cooling devices in their home, are low-income, are often people of color, are sixty-five or older, and many have physical conditions that make them susceptible to heat illness. Most of them live alone.
Why portable heat pumps? Because heat pumps are often more efficient than portable air conditioners and they also provide heat in the winter. This can help participants save money and energy on their heating bills. They also filter the air, providing better breathing for participants who have health issues or who might otherwise be exposed to wildfire smoke during the summer.
TCAT contracts with Habitat for Humanity South Puget Sound to install the heat pumps and teach participants how to use them. TCAT is following up with education and information, and collecting data so that this pilot program can grow state-wide. Our program is modeled after Cooling Portland. The City of Portland, Oregon is on track to distribute 25,000 portable heat pumps over three years.
If you meet the requirements for a portable heat pump (rent in Thurston County, 65 or older, low-income) email Janet Nazy () for a heat pump application. Participants will also be required to take pre- and post-surveys to help us improve future programming.