LITTLE ROCK, Ark.- Scorching temperatures and no power is a dangerous combination on the first day of summer. 

Thousands of people in central Arkansas have been sweating it out since Wednesday night. 

“Two days without power is doable, four days is miserable,” says Jackson Prather. 

Prather came home from college and this is not how he was hoping to spend his break. So when the lights went out, so did he.

“Nope, I’m leaving. It’s hot,” Prather says. 

With friends around, his family is taken care of, and so is their home, thanks to extra patrols by the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office. 

Officials there say they always add additional deputies in areas without power since more homes are empty and security systems aren’t activated. 

Staying safe and cool aren’t the only things being considered while the power is out. 

“It’s hot and it’s going to waste all of our groceries, and we’re going to have to buy more groceries,” says Prather.

How much goes to waste will all depend on how long the power is out, more than 1,700 Entergy crews are working around the state to restore it as quickly as possible. 

While many are expected to get some relief Friday night, Prather and his family might have to wait until Sunday. 

The family is ultimately keeping hopes as high as these temperatures that power will be restored sooner.