BOSQUE COUNTY, Texas — The Bosque County Office of Emergency Management (BCOEM) has declared a state of emergency ahead of April 8's total solar eclipse.
The declaration reportedly activated the Bosque County Emergency Management Plans and authorizes the "furnishing of aid and assistance" under the declaration, as well as authorizing the county to take "any actions necessary to promote life, safety and critical infrastructure protection."
According to BCOEM, the population of Bosque County is expected to increase significantly as "tens of thousands of visitors" travel to the area in the days surrounding the eclipse, which they say will likely cause a strain on local resources like food and fuel, as well as limit the ability of emergency responders to respond to situations.
With the county expecting the potential for roads to be filled to or above capacity and for emergency response agencies to be "prevented from responding in a timely manner" due to traffic congestion, the Bosque County Judge has reportedly decided "extraordinary measures must be taken to ensure the protection of public health, safety and welfare of Bosque County residents and visitors".
BCOEM said the Bosque County Judge encourages residents to stay home if possible during the eclipse, and make sure that their vehicles are filled with gas and they are stocked up on food and other essential supplies ahead of the event.
BCOEM stressed that outdoor fires will also be restricted between April 5-9 to those contained within dedicated fire rings, devices designed for cooking, covered burn barrels or other similar containers.
All outdoor fires should be monitored closely and extinguished completely when no longer in use, said BCOEM. Brush burning, controlled range burning and other similar burnings will be restricted.
BCOEM said the restriction is to keep visitors or other guests from calling 911 if they see smoke, which could cause volunteer firefighters to be sent to non-emergency burns through heavy traffic.
The full declaration can be found at this link.
For more on the total solar eclipse, visit KCENTV.com/eclipse.
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