The approaching total solar eclipse that will be visible across much of North America has forced officials in Bell County, Texas, to declare a state of emergency as a swell of visitors is anticipated to get a front-row view of the path of totality.
According to the latest census, the county north of Austin has a year-round population of just under 400,000, but that figure could reach nearly a million around April 8, the date of the much-anticipated event.
The county sits in what is called the path of totality, where the Moon will completely block the Sun for several minutes, leading to temporary darkness.
“Projections are for this influx of people to begin occurring as early as several days before April 8th, with an outmigration occurring in the few hours immediately following the eclipse this year,” Bell County Judge David Blackburn stated during a news conference.
“If these numbers manifest themselves, the strain that this will put on our infrastructure will be significant. Everything from our first responders, to our health care systems, to our fueling stations, to our highways, to our emergency management stations and more. All of these could be severely strained by the influx of people.”
Officials did not state why they suspect their community to be particularly hard hit by visitors, but it does sit along the busy Interstate 35 corridor between major metroplexes such as Dallas, Austin and Houston.
Other cities that are in the path of totality in the Lone Star State include parts of San Antonio, Austin, Waco and Dallas-Fort Worth.
In Bell County, the eclipse will begin just after noon and reach its maximum extent about an hour later. The episode of complete totality is expected to begin at 1:36 PM CDT and last for less than 4 minutes.
During the eclipse, spectators are strongly encouraged to wear specialized safety glasses if they plan to look directly at the Sun. These will likely be in short supply as they were in 2017.
