Texas County Issues Disaster Declaration for April Solar Eclipse

Solar eclipsePhoto byPexels photo by Drew Rae

The solar eclipse in April is making a big impact on operations in Texas. The city of Austin declared the day a declaration day for the solar eclipse. 

Travis County issued a disaster declaration on April 8, the day of the solar eclipse. 

Travis County Judge Andy Brown said according to Fox 7:

"Since we're making that declaration today, it's going to be in effect until the eighth because we're requiring that registration and those other measures until the eighth. The court ratifying that today will keep it into effect." 

Eric Carter, Chief Emergency Management Coordinator in Travis County said according to Fox 7:

 "We want to make sure even when we were talking specifically around potential challenge points going into and out of the parks, the goal is going to be to keep the traffic moving, as free flow as possible." 

"That's what we're trying to put resources in place for, to direct traffic, extra law enforcement on the streets, out in those areas, extra signage, working with Waze and Google to try to pre-identify and map routes that people can take safely into and out of the area."

Judge Brown added according to KXAN:

“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.”

To ensure you can see the solar eclipse without hurting your eyes, make sure you order the solar eclipse glasses. There are many available on Amazon that you can purchase for as little as $2 for one pair. Most solar glasses are sold in sets. 

Residents are encouraged to plan ahead.

• avoid making stops at gas stations
• watch for traffic congestion
• run errands before or after the eclipse
• schedule non-important events on a different day

Are you going to watch the solar eclipse?