Looking out for each other

Looking out for each other Subhead City, county officials offer residents tips on eclipse preparedness News Staff Wed, 03/13/2024 - 06:14 Image

• Representatives of the City of Meridian, Bosque County Sheriff's Office, Bosque County Office of Emergency Management, the Meridian Police Department, and Meridian ISD at the Meridian Civic Center on discussed tips and plans with residents for the total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024. Nathan Diebenow | Meridian Tribune
• City, county officials offer residents tips on eclipse preparedness
• Tiffany Gentry
• Kirk Turner
• Kris Garza
• Trace Hendricks
• Dana Davis

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The City of Meridian recently provided tips and advice for residents preparing for the large influx of visitors into the county for the total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024 The tips as well as encouragement for residents to work together in welcoming the out-of-town guests were made during a public meeting at the Meridian Civic Center on Thursday, March 7.

Meridian City Secretary Tiffany Gentry served as emcee for the public meeting, sharing details about the once-in-alifetime solar eclipse as well as information on the possible impact of visitors who will descend on the area for the event.

Sharing their thoughts about preparations and expectations were Bosque County Sheriff Trace Hendricks, Bosque County Emergency Management Coordinator Kirk Turner, Meridian Mayor Ryan Neiuenhaus, Meridian City Administrator Kris Garza, Meridian Police Officer Clint Ryals, Meridian Public Works Director Gary Rohrer, and Meridian ISD Supt. Dana Davis.

Meridian Chamber of Commerce Director Teresa McMahon and Meridian Parks and Recreation President Jennifer Lumpkins later promoted a few local events they will host for the weekend prior to the eclipse in Meridian.

About the eclipse

A solar eclipse happens when the Moon travels between the Earth and the Sun, casting a shadow on the surface of the Earth.

On Monday, April 8, 2024, the Moon's shadow will cross North America starting in southern Mexico.

This shadow will fall over 43 million Americans as it passes from the south and west to north and east across the continental United States.

At approximately 1:37 p.m., the Moon will completely block out the Sun over Meridian.

The shadow over Meridian will last for roughly four minutes and five seconds. In Bosque County, Valley Mills will experience the longest duration of darkness caused by the eclipse.

The draw for people to experience the eclipse in rural areas like Bosque County is the lack of artificial light from street lamps and buildings, making the outside environment darker than in an urban setting.

“It's an amazing thing. It's spectacular that we get to see and take part in this total eclipse in our area, our backyard, our front yard,” Gentry said. “So I do encourage you to take time to step out of your house or step out of work that day and participate. Enjoy yourself.”

The next time people will be able to experience a total solar eclipse in the continental United States is 2044, and it will be viewed in the northern states, she added.

In 2017, a total solar eclipse happened through predominately rural areas of America from Oregon through the Midwest and to the Carolinas.

Since last year, Turner and folks in city and county government and in public safety and healthcare have met to plan out scenarios in preparation for the 2024 total solar eclipse in Bosque County, Gentry said.

“Please understand this is not a surprise for any of us on the background,” she said. “Each of the cities have also been preparing for trash, for water, for sewer.”

Traffic

The 2024 total solar eclipse is such a unique event that people from around the world will travel as close as they can to the path of the Moon's shadow.

Most, if not all, lodging accommodations in Bosque County are already booked; since last year, the hotel in Clifton has been reportedly sold out, many rooms of which were reserved by a group from Japan.

The Texas State Parks system has 31 state parks in the line of the solar eclipse, and a spokesperson said all the individual tickets for parks' access during the eclipse are expected to be sold out by this week.

The City of Meridian is predicting thousands of visitors will travel through the city limits, while an additional 20,000 people could be visiting the entire Bosque County during the eclipse.

Gentry said that it's better to over-prepare than under-prepare for such an event; however, residents can treat the event like a Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday by expecting busy stores leading up to and right after the eclipse.

“You know that sage and cornbread are going to be flying off the shelves, so we get those ahead of time, right? Anything for your pie, anything for your turkeys, you get them ahead of time,” she said. “Just prepare for a lot of visitors just coming into our town for about a week, and get your stuff ahead of time.”

Gentry also suggested residents should consider ordering and picking up medications and top off their vehicle's fuel for that week.

Public safety

Gentry said that during her research of how towns of Meridian's size managed the eclipse in their areas, she found that the majority of the visitors were well behaved and considerate of the local residents and merchants.

“We do want to leave a good memory of Meridian, so we want to be friendly, be kind, and be aware,” Gentry said. “Let us let everybody go back home and tell these stories about how the Texans were in Meridian.”

Out of precaution, Sheriff Hendricks encouraged residents living in the county to lock their fence gates with a padlock to ensure they restrict access onto their land because simple “No trespassing” signs might not be enough to deter people.

Hendricks recommended that property owners keep their cool should a visitor trespass on their property.

“I can sit up here today and tell you It's your property, and you have the right to defend it. I can tell you all day long. But I don't want you to do anything that will get you hurt,” he said. “I think you need to weigh it out: Is it worth me getting on to these people and taking a chance on confrontation for something I can literally replace or fix?”

In the event a person damages their property, the sheriff recommended documenting the scene with video and still pictures for a report to the proper authorities.

Sheriff Hendricks stated that deputies will respond to calls about trespassing and property damage depending on whether a life-or-death situation is taking place elsewhere.

'We're going to answer every call that we can possibly answer. But I can't guarantee you that we will come to a trespassing call when we have a priority call,” the sheriff said.

When asked, Hendricks said that he cannot deputize civilians unless there's an existing ongoing emergency. He also cannot create checkpoints to deter people's travel in the county because such checkpoints are against the law.

“This is still America. Everybody has the right to move around as they choose, as long as they are obeying the law,” the sheriff said.

Hendricks added, “In all the research I've done, the misbehavior has been minor. There is no major – like nobody's been beaten up, or shot, or anything like that. But we are preparing for the worst.”

Closures

Bosque County Commissioners Court recently decided to shut down the county's governmental offices on Monday, April 8; however, county workers will be on call to work in their respective precincts.

The City of Meridian's office and the public works department will remain open, but will be shortstaffed because one of its employees works as a volunteer fire fighter.

As of deadline, the trash pickup in Meridian will continue to run during the eclipse according to normal schedule.

Meridian City Administrator Garza said she and Meridian Police Chief Cody Woolsey were also in talks to hire a few more temporary police officers to work during the eclipse time period.

Out of concerns for traffic and safety, most, if not all, the public independent school districts – including Meridian ISD – have canceled classes on the day of the eclipse.

Supt. Dana Davis said that the school district might consider delaying or canceling classes the day after the eclipse as well.

“We'll keep an eye on it,” she said. “It's a possibility.”

When asked, Davis said that the students will be given instructions on which safety glasses will work to protect their eyes from the sun during the eclipse.

The school district will also provide these special certified glasses to each child, she said.

Sheriff Hendricks stated that all his officers and staff will be working in the lead up and the day of the eclipse.

“We're going to double up the best we can. On the day of the eclipse, when we expect traffic gridlock, we're going to station deputies in pairs strategically across the county, so if there's an emergency call, somebody might be able to make it,” he said.

Public health

Bosque County EMC Turner recommended that residents not engage in high-risk activities, such as chainsawing, due to traffic delaying ambulance service the week of the eclipse.

Turner said that the state of Texas has limited resources for all the counties and municipalities in line with the eclipse.

That said, the county's emergency management command center will be open to monitor and direct local resources during the week of the eclipse.

In addition, Goodall-Witcher Healthcare's clinic and emergency room will be fully staffed and open for walk-ins in Clifton on the day of the eclipse. However, the clinic will not make appointments during that time.

Goodall-Witcher is also providing a pop-up clinic for only patients in North Bosque Emergency Medical Service's ambulances in Laguna Park. This temporary clinic will be in operation by a doctor, nurse practitioner, and staff.

Turner added that Bosque County is likely to issue a declaration of local disaster as well as a county-wide burn ban out of precaution.

Should the state of Texas issue its own disaster declaration, the county could be in a better position to receive resources and also take further local actions accordingly, he said.

Merchant tips

Gentry noted that employers and small business owners can consider limiting foot traffic in their stores should they feel overwhelmed by customers.

“Please don't feel bad at all about closing your doors if you're not comfortable. We're not going to think anything different of you. We appreciate your business in the City of Meridian,” she said.

Gentry further pointed out the cell phone and Internet services will likely be slow and/or shut down due to the high volume of users using these communication technologies.

“If AT&T goes down, their credit card machines generally go down, so employers need to keep that in mind as well,” she said. “What forms of payment are you going to be able to accept in advance? Are you prepared to be able to give change for all of those people that are making cash?”

When asked, Sheriff Hendricks said that the railroad will likely not change its schedules through the county because its trains are synchronized on a nationwide timetable. This means trains could still block intersections for long periods of time within Meridian's city limits during the eclipse.

Bosque County EMC Turner said that the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has been asked by county officials to not have its contractors work in the region on the days leading up to and on the day of the eclipse.

“What TxDOT does, I can't tell you,” he said. “Nobody is going to leave town quickly after this (eclipse).”

Sheriff Hendicks noted that after the eclipse, the traffic in the county will likely resemble the aftermath of a sports event where people will be leaving at the same time.

Local events

Local groups have decided to host events for the visitors over the weekend prior to the eclipse.

The Meridian Chamber of Commerce and the National Championship Barbecue Cookoff are joining forces to host visitors for the weekend in the Bosque Bottoms area.

The Chamber will host a hamburger supper on Sunday evening, starting at 5 p.m. Live entertainment will run from 4 p.m. - 7 p.m.

The Meridian Parks & Recreation group is also sponsoring its first “Texas Twilight Jubilee” with live music, karaoke, a cornhole tournament, and food and craft vendors at Meridian City Park.

Music performances for Jubilee will run from Friday to Sunday. On Sunday morning the group will host a sunrise service at 7:30 a.m. and a free pancake breakfast.

The Jubilee will be held in conjunction with the Meridian Alumni's annual softball tournament. The funds raised by the tournament go toward Meridian High School's baseball and softball teams.

“Our goal is to offer free events to all of the visitors and tourists that are coming into town but also take some of the stress off of the brick and mortars that will not be able to keep up with it,” Lumpkins said. “If you're able to come out, we'd love to have you.”

Neither the Chamber nor the Parks & Rec group will hold events the day of the eclipse.