Love Overwhelming

The Opioid Crisis in Cowlitz County, Washington  Fentanyl, Overdose Deaths, and What the Data Shows in Longview, Kelso, Castle Rock, Woodland, Kalama, and Toutle A Data Driven, Hyper Local Analysis for Cowlitz County Residents By Charles D. Hendrickson, Executive Director, Love Overwhelming Published February 5, 2026 Longview, Kelso, Cowlitz County, Washington State If you live in Longview WA, Kelso WA, Castle Rock WA, Woodland WA, Kalama WA, Toutle WA, or anywhere in Cowlitz County Washington, you have likely seen headlines about the opioid crisis. Editorials often frame the issue as a story about pharmaceutical companies destroying communities. That narrative may have applied twenty years ago. It does not fully explain what is happening in Cowlitz County today. As a resident of Southwest Washington, you deserve facts grounded in local data, not ideology. This analysis examines county and state level evidence to clarify what is actually driving overdose deaths in Cowlitz Coun...

 More Than a Roof 4 Unexpected Truths About How a Modern Severe Weather Shelter Actually Works Longview, Washington | Cowlitz County Emergency Response When most people hear the phrase severe weather shelter , they picture a simple solution: a warm room, a cot, and a blanket. A roof over someone’s head during freezing temperatures. That picture is not wrong, but it is incomplete. After eight consecutive nights of documented operations at the Severe Weather Shelter in Longview, Washington, the final data tells a much fuller story. What operated in Cowlitz County was not just a shelter. It was a coordinated care system, a public health intervention, and a community safety strategy working in real time. Here are four unexpected truths about how a modern severe weather shelter actually works and why it matters for Longview, Kelso, and all of Cowlitz County. It’s Not Just a Shelter. It’s a Pop-Up Healthcare Hub During activation, the shelter functioned as a temporary healthcare access ...