LITTLE ROCK – With temperatures and heat indices again projected to reach dangerous levels, the City of Little Rock is opening cooling areas in designated community centers to provide a place for residents needing to seek relief. These include:

• Dunbar Community Center, 1001 West 16th Street, 501-376-1084
• Southwest Community Center, 6401 Baseline Road, 501-918-3975
• Stephens Community Center, 3720 West 18th Street, 501-603-9974
• West Central Community Center, 4521 John Barrow Road, 501-379-1890

The cooling centers will open from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. each day beginning today, July 25, through Friday, July 29, with a designated room available for residents to cool off. The City will monitor the weather to determine if the cooling center will continue to remain open should extreme heat persist beyond this week.

Residents are encouraged to check in on neighbors, especially those vulnerable populations at risk of complications from extreme heat. Those include adults over 65, children under 4, and those with disabilities or existing medical conditions. People who exercise outdoors should pace themselves and schedule workouts to avoid the mid-day heat. Pets should have an adequate water supply and be monitored for signs of heat exhaustion or sickness. No one should ever be left in a parked car.

Extreme heat events are a leading cause of extreme weather-related deaths in this country. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people stay cool, stay hydrated, and stay informed. That means limiting time spent outside, not relying on a fan as a primary cooling device, drinking more water than usual, avoiding liquids that contain high amounts of sugar, and checking the local news for heat alerts.

Heat illness can happen to anyone, but it is preventable. The City has precautions in place for employees who work outdoors, including summer hours for several departments and an alert system for Parks & Recreation staff.

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