(July 27, 2009) - With seven people having already succumbed to heat-related deaths this year and possibly more very hot weather coming, MLGW is hosting a Heat Summit with local health and political officials. The goal of the summit, set for Tuesday, July 28, at 1:30 p.m. at the MLGW Administration Building, 220 South Main, is to ensure available resources and actions that can be taken to protect Shelby County residents during the heat of the summer.

Invitees include representatives from MLGW, Department of Human Services, Shelby County Health Department, Aging Commission, MIFA, Meritan, CSA, the City of Memphis Fire Department and others. Dr. Karen Chancellor, Shelby County Medical Examiner, will be one of the speakers during the summit.

"The employees of MLGW care a great deal about the customers we serve," said MLGW President and CEO Jerry Collins. "We want to do what we can to make sure they are safe and healthy, especially during the heat of the summer. This Summit will allow us to draw upon each organization’s strength to develop a coordinated community-wide effort to protect those we serve from extreme heat."

Mr. Collins went on the note that MLGW is committed to using its resources to supplement communications about cooling shelters, provide cooling units and utilize its staff to check on the elderly who often suffer through hot weather without using air conditioning.

MLGW is the largest three-service public power utility in the nation, serving more than 420,000 customers in Memphis and Shelby County.