LEXINGTON, KY. (July 2, 2024) - The city of Lexington will implement Phase One of the Heat Plan from Wednesday morning, July 3, to Friday evening, July 5.

As part of Phase One, the following actions will occur:

• Lextran will provide rides to cooling stations for those experiencing homelessness free of charge.
• Outreach teams will distribute water throughout the community.
• Lexington's community centers, which include Dunbar, Kenwick, Castlewood, and Tates Creek, will be open into the early evening and will serve as cooling stations.
• As Thursday, July 4, is a holiday, some standard providers will be closed. The Office of Homelessness Prevention & Intervention has arranged for Lighthouse Ministries, at 190 Spruce St., to open a cooling station on Thursday.

The heat index is forecasted to be between 97-99 degrees for the week. Lexington will monitor the heat index and expand options and resources as necessary. The heat index combines temperature and humidity to approximate how hot it "feels" outside.

The Division of Emergency Management encourages all residents to take precautions if outdoors, especially during the late morning through the afternoon. The very young, the elderly, and those with medical conditions are particularly vulnerable to heat-related illnesses and should seek shelter from the extreme heat. More information about handling extreme heat is available from the Lexington Emergency Management website at BeReadyLexington.com/extreme-heat.

Preparedness information is available via Lexington Emergency Management's website www.BeReadyLexington.com, Facebook page: Lexington KY Emergency Management and Instagram and Twitter (X) accounts: @LexKYEM.