(Radio Iowa) – Much of Iowa’s eastern third remains under excessive heat warnings and heat advisories today (Tuesday) and many communities across the region are opening cooling centers. Polk County’s Extreme Temperature Plan also lowers the barrier for entry to homeless shelters. Brett McIntyre, with the county’s emergency management office, says the plan prepares for high temperatures at night, which can worsen the effects of daytime heat.

“When it’s hot during the day and it cools off at night, people are able to recover a bit more effectively,” McIntyre says, “but when it stays hot at night, that’s when you’re really able to see the uptick in heat illness and then stresses on other resources.” Under the county’s plan, Central Iowa Shelter and Services in downtown Des Moines offers daytime services to people of any age and overnight stays to those over 18. The plan also provides free rides on DART buses to shelters and cooling centers. McIntyre says increasing access to shelters can reduce heat-related illnesses and takes pressure off emergency rooms and other city services.

“The more avenues we can give people to get to places to cool down,” he says, “we can try to eliminate that extra burden on our healthcare system.” Polk County’s plan is in effect until 7 A-M Thursday.

People looking to use the cooling centers are advised to call ahead to make sure they’re open. A full list is available at polk-county-iowa-dot-gov.