The solar eclipse is less than a week away, and states, cities and counties are already declaring states of emergency in preparation (along with some creepy warnings from some locations.) The United States just had a full solar eclipse in October, and a previous one in 2017, but neither had the level of hype that’s happening for the April 8 event. Is it just over-preparation or something else (like aliens)? While everything points to it just being a case of majorly over-prepping, some people aren’t so sure.
Who’s Declared a State of Emergency So Far?
Here’s a look at the states of emergency declared leading up to April 8.
- Indiana:
- Statewide Emergency – The entire state of Indiana received an executive order from the governor to prepare for the eclipse, issuing a statewide disaster emergency. It warns that a mass influx of people could impact emergency response, communication, and other “critical infrastructure systems.” You can read the full warning below.
Indiana Declaration of Emergency for the Solar Eclipse by Stephanie Dube Dwilson on Scribd
- New York:
- Jefferson County said it would declare a state of emergency. “It becomes a useful tool for the county to secure necessary resources in short order,” officials said.
- Oswego County also declared a state of emergency, along with an emergency order for the week. Residents were urged to get groceries early, fill up gas tanks, have a landline or WiFi ready for backup communications, and make sure their phone is charged and not in airplane mode.
- Ohio:
- Statewide Executive Order: Gov. DeWine signed a statewide “solar eclipse preparation” executive order.
- Summit County officials are urging residents to stay home, in warnings that are less dramatic than some other regions. Later posters urged residents to celebrate at home or walk or bike to their locations rather than drive. The county also urges residents to fuel up in advance, and pack plenty of food and water in case of long waits.
- Missouri
- Missouri has had public safety addresses from the state highway patrol, but nothing dramatic
- Texas:
- Travis County issued a disaster declaration in anticipation of large crowds and strains on emergency responders. (Considering that Austin is the home of SXSW and other events that bring a large influx of visitors, this may be a bit of an overreaction.) The declaration requires private property owners in “unincorporated areas” of the county to notify officials if they are hosting a gathering of more than 50 people. Residents are also asked to stay at home if possible and reschedule appointments.
- Bell County issued an emergency declaration with the same 50+ party registration requirements as Travis County. Residents are urged to purchase supplies by April 4, refill prescriptions before April 4 (four days prior to the eclipse), be ready for cell coverage disruption, know non-emergency first responder phone numbers, and such.
- Other regions issuing declarations include Kerr County, Killeen
- Texas’ seeming overreaction might be due to underreacting to previous events and suffering widespread outages and even deaths (especially during winter storms.)
Here’s one warning seen in Texas:
Have you ever seen a warning like this for a solar eclipse?
What’s really going on here? pic.twitter.com/sBTPjp3j5C
— Mila Joy (@MilaLovesJoe) March 30, 2024
Oklahoma Is Deploying the National Guard for Hazmat Support & More
Oklahoma is deploying the National Guard in preparation for the eclipse. The National Guard will support first responders and provide hazmat capabilities, Newsweek reported. The local McCurtain Gazette reported that this will include the 22-man 63rd Civil Support Team, which can respond to hazmat concerns like industrial fires.
Newsweek noted that while the team’s training includes chemical, radiological, biological, and nuclear responses, they have a wide range of capabilities, including search and rescue, command control, and working with large crowds.
Conclusion
While some of these warnings and preparations certainly seem over blown compared to what we’ve seen for past eclipses, this might simply be a case of over-prepping (which at Post Apocalyptic Media, we certainly can’t fault!) In Texas, for example, under preparation led to deaths after two major winter storms caused widespread outages. However, some questions do remain, especially comparing this preparation to what was done for the October 2023 eclipse.
Whatever the case, prepping is always a good idea, solar eclipse or not. There’s a lot of tension right now between the U.S. and the Middle East, Russia, China, and more. The Air Force even recently re-opened a recall program letting retirees return.
What do you think?
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