By now you have likely heard about the 2024 Great Solar Eclipse that will traverse across much of Arkansas, including Scott, Sebastian, Franklin and Logan County, on Monday April 8, 2024.
Arkansas Parks & Tourism along with many local chambers of commerce have invested considerable funds for promotion of this event as it could potentially bring in 1.5 million visitors to our state, along with millions of dollars in tax revenue. If that many people were to visit, it would double our population. It has been confirmed that foreign tourists from a far away as Australia and parts of Western Europe will be here for the event.
In the path of totality, locations will see almost two minutes of darkness shortly after 1 p.m. There are some festival type events planned in our immediate area in connection with the eclipse. However, with this event taking place on a Monday, there may potentially be a gradual influx of visitors coming into the region as soon as Thursday, April 4, for the purpose of enjoying outdoor recreation activities in the Ozark National Forest and other popular camping and recreation venues.
One thing that all citizens of the county should expect is the potential influx visitors leading up to the event, and a lot of people all trying to leave at the same time as it concludes. This will have an impact on the ability of emergency responders to provide service to citizens and visitors alike. There will be an increased potential for roadways to become congested (especially on smaller highways) as many will opt to view the eclipse from choice spots along the roads. This can lead to congestion with traffic backed up for miles.
We can also expect higher demands on infrastructure in addition to roadways, including water and sanitation services. For those that are already planning to host visitors by renting out camping spaces on private property, you may need to make sure you have adequate means of handling sanitation issues.
With an influx of visitors will come an increased demand for cellular phone service. Some wireless providers have tentative plans to erect portable towers to help handle the call and data volume. But, expect delays and lag times during the hours leading up to, during, and post event.
As emergency managers meet, they are cautioning full-time residents to plan and prepare now for the 2024 Great Solar Eclipse. Treat this as you would upon receiving forecast information for a winter storm. How so? Typically, when receiving information indicating that we could have accumulating snow and/or ice, we lay in extra supplies such a food and bottled water. For an event such as the eclipse where roadways may become heavily congested, we could potentially be faced with being on our own for an extended period until visitor have cleared out of the area. For this event, make sure you have items on hand such as extra batteries for radios and flashlights. Additionally have prescription medications filled, a stocked supply of over-the-counter medications and first aid kid. Don’t forget about your pet’s needs!
Finally, protect your eyes! If you plan to view the eclipse, be sure to have proper eyewear. A pair of welding goggles or mask will be insufficient. Eclipse viewing glasses and handheld solar viewers should meet the following criteria:
• Have certification information with a designated ISO 12312-2 international standard.
• Have manufactures name and address printed somewhere on the product.
• Not be used if they are older than three years or have scratched or wrinkled lenses.
• Ordinary sunglasses – even the very dark ones – should NOT be used as a replacement for eclipse viewing glasses.
This is going to be a historic event, in fact, in the remainder of this decade no fewer than six solar eclipses will be viewable from the U.S. and Canada. But do keep in mind that if it is not cloudy or rainy, there will potentially be a lot of extra folks in the area in the days leading up to it, and the day of. Many will be leaving as daylight begins to reappear to either follow the event, or to return home. This may be the most likely time for congested roads. Plan ahead to have what you need!
