TEMPLE, Texas — The City of Temple held a town hall for the upcoming total solar eclipse to inform and engage the community on Saturday, March 2.
This was the second town hall meeting, which took place at Grace Temple Ministries, 801 S 13th St.
Scheduled for various dates and locations, residents are invited to attend these public gatherings to learn about the solar eclipse and address any inquiries they may have.
During the meeting the city of Temple said they will be increasing their police, firefighter, and emergency medical technician numbers on the weekend leading up to the April 8th eclipse and that Monday. These preparations are to handle the doubling and or tripling of the population of Temple as people visit to watch the solar eclipse.
"So we are increasing our staff over the weekend leading up to April 8th and then we will pretty much have double staffing that day," Jennifer Henager, the city of Temples Fire and Emergency Program Manager said.
Another concern the city of Temple discussed is the weather up north and whether it will prevent people from viewing the eclipse.
The city of Temple is advising its residents to do their part ahead of the total solar eclipse and to know what preparations to make and precautions to take, despite them being prepared.
"We are very prepared. We have been working on this for a year. We have had discussions on the first responder side and what it's going to look like for your park's folks. Not just within the city but also with the county partners," Henager said.
The city is advising people to text 9-1-1 if the cell towers are overwhelmed and there is an emergency requiring a 9-1-1 connection. The city says to also stay home if you can and to fill your gas tanks before April 8th.
The dates and venues for the town hall meetings are as follows:
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 28, at 10 a.m.
Location: at Sammons Community Center Lakeview Room 2220 W Avenue D
Date: Saturday, March 2, at 2 p.m.
Location: Grace Temple Ministries, 801 S 13th St.
Date: Tuesday, March 12, at 6 p.m.
Location: Frank W. Mayborn Civic & Convention Center (3303 N 3rd St.