In early April, the 8th to be exact, a solar eclipse is expected to occur most significantly in the south. Travis County is predicted to be one of the best counties to view the phenomenon in, leading to a suspected increase in the number of tourists stopping in Austin. Because of the large, expected number of tourists, Travis County has issued a disaster declaration so that the residents can properly prepare for the crowds and overall large capacity of people.
The large crowds are expected to then lead to increased traffic issues and possibly even create strain on first responders and hospitals.
The disaster declaration was issued by the Travis County Judge, Andy Brown. In Brown’s statement, he called the eclipse “a once-in-a-lifetime event.” He also expressed that the increase in crowds will create a world with many variables that simply cannot be accounted for. The lack of control due to the number of people they expect to be visiting the county is cause for much concern, so in order to properly prepare, Judge Brown decided to simply issue the declaration.
Experts are saying they expect the county population to double in size for the eclipse.
This particular eclipse is expected to be the last of its kind for the next 20 years. Because of this, it truly is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many. Since some of the best views are said to be in central Texas, most people traveling for the solar event are planning to head there. The path of the eclipse is expected to reach totality and travel a 122 mile stretch.
With the disaster declaration, any entity in the state that is at risk due to the crowd size has the opportunity to properly prepare.
This means that plans can be formed to control the flow of traffic, and extra city staff can be brought in to make the organization easier and better to process. This is all being done in order to protect the health, safety, and overall well-being of residents of the county and visitors alike.
Additionally, any owner of private property is required to notify the county officials office should they be hosting a viewing party with 50+ people in attendance. Just like how the county officials and business owners are preparing, the residents of the county are being encouraged to prepare as well. They have been warned of the issues that may arise with increased crowd sizes and, as such, are being told how to avoid dangerous endeavors.
