INDIANAPOLIS — On Wednesday, June 19, the City of Indianapolis will be closed for the Juneteenth federal holiday.
With the forecasted high in central Indiana in the low 90s, four Indy Parks Family Centers will stay open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. as cooling centers:
- Broad Ripple Park: 1426 Broad Ripple Ave.
- Brookside Park: 3500 Brookside Parkway S. Drive
- Perry Park: 451 E. Stop 11 Road
- Stanley Strader Park: 2850 Bethel Ave.
All family centers will resume normal hours Thursday, with highs in the mid-90s through Saturday. Click here to find the nearest family center.
Pools and splash pads across Indianapolis will be open during normal hours Wednesday, June 19. Click here to find a list of locations and operating hours.
Dr. Cory Showalter works in pediatric care at the Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis and says everyone needs to remember four key things:
- During summer heat waves, the emergency room sees more cases of heat exhaustion compared to heat stroke.
- "This is nausea vomiting, muscle cramps, acting tired or cranky. This is more common."
- The biggest worry is parents leaving their children in their cars.
- “This is a terrible situation, and I really want people to be cautious with that, even opening windows and running into the store for a couple of minutes, your car can get to extraordinarily high temperatures.”
Take breaks if you are outdoors, at the pool or playing sports — but don't rely on your kid to tell you.
“You have to be the parent and schedule some break time. You know at the pool, schedule some time to get them out of the water, out of the sun, and in the shade. Reapply your sunblock. Give them plenty to drink.”
Signs of heat exhaustion
“One of the first things kids will say is their legs hurt or their muscles hurt. They might experience some nausea and vomiting, or they are not acting their usual self. You know, they may be extra cranky. They may be acting tired — that’s when it is time to stop. Get out of the sun. Get in the shade. Go home from the park.”
And if you add the sunscreen, you have everything you need to get you through this week.