Another Texas County Issues Disaster Declaration Ahead Of Total Solar Eclipse

Less than a month from now people from Austin, Texas to Tyler, Texas to Texarkana will be treated to a spectacular celestial event, the total solar eclipse. A path of darkness will fall upon Texas right in the middle of the day on Monday, April 8th.

This path of darkness, or path of totality, will stretch from Eagle Pass to Texarkana where around 13 million Texans will get to experience it firsthand. However, they won't be alone. The population of Texas is set to explode the weekend before the event as people from all across the nation and the world want to see and experience this event for themselves.

With so many town populations expected to double or triple in size, law enforcement departments within the path of totality are taking proactive measures to protect its citizens and assist in any emergency. Travis County is the latest Texas county to take action before all the craziness begins by enacting a disaster declaration.

Travis County Judge Andy Brown issued the disaster declaration saying,

It’s super exciting to see this once-in-a-lifetime event. What makes it different is that it is a natural phenomenon, and we can’t control the weather around it. So there’s a lot of variables that we just can’t control for. This disaster declaration will allow our first responders and public safety officials to better manage traffic and crowds as we anticipate the population to potentially double in size, and we want to ensure everyone can enjoy the total solar eclipse in Travis County." (KXAN)

The population of Travis County is expected to receive around a million visitors in the Central Texas area. With so many people, it is going to put a strain on the area's infrastructure, medical facilities, transportation system, and roads. Taking this action now allows county officials to lay out plans for any emergency that might arise.

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Judge Brown also encouraged residents to:

• Plan for traffic congestion the weekend before and all day Monday, April 8, 2024, especially after the eclipse when people leave at the same time
• Reschedule non-urgent appointments for a different day
• Get gas and groceries and run errands before the eclipse day
• Watch the eclipse at home or near your home
• If traveling to watch the eclipse, plan, and download What3Words, which can help first responders locate 911 callers in an emergency

Travis County isn't the first county to enact such a declaration and will most likely not be the last either.

READ MORE: Texas County declares state of disaster ahead of eclipse

One of the most important things to remember about this event is to NOT LOOK UP DIRECTLY AT THE ECLIPSE unless you are wearing specialized filtered glasses.

Have fun on April 8th as the day turns to night for nearly four minutes and back to the day across portions of Texas. Remember Texas, these are our guests, let's all be kind.