BELL COUNTY, Texas — Central Texas agencies and organizations are making their final preparations as the total solar eclipse event is fast approaching.
Much of Central Texas is in the direct path of totality of the eclipse, with some areas even seeing over four minutes of totality. April 8 is expected to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience in the area, which also means many local leaders and officials are using judgment calls when it comes to prepping.
Local first responders and health care systems are anticipating eclipse day to go as smoothly as it can, but they also have plans in place in case there are emergencies.
"We're not worried, but we're prepared," said Kevin Roberts, President and CEO of AdventHealth Central Texas. "It's the cell coverage, computer outages, those sorts of things, so we have to have alternate methods of communication. We have to make sure that our parking lots are accessible. Those are the things that we're planning ahead the most."
Roberts said the clinics are still open on the outskirts of the hospital, but the outpatient services have been curtailed. He and his team have also made the decision to increase staffing for the eclipse.
"We have planned by having additional staff, particularly in our emergency department; nurses, doctors technicians, because that's probably where people will need us the most," Roberts explained.
AdventHealth Central Texas has also brought in extra food and fuel for generators to have on site. Roberts also said they will have traffic control to ensure their parking lots are designated for hospital staff, patients and hospital visitors.
"Keep the roads open," Roberts said. "That is the most important thing is to be able to have access to the campus of the hospital."
It's what ambulance providers are also hoping for and are staying focused on. Operations Manager for American Medical Response Temple EMS Byron Sedlacek said congestion on the roadways could cause some issues for crews.
"We have to have roads to get to our patients, so dealing with that congestion is potentially going to cause some issues, but we've been working very closely with Temple Fire Department, Belton Fire Department and the other first responder agencies to make sure that they're increasing their staffing also," Sedlacek said. "That way we can ensure that we're getting to our patients in a timely fashion even if the transport part of it is a little bit delayed due to congestion or traffic."
Sedlacek told 6 News that Temple EMS will have increased staffing between April 5-8. He and his team have also decided to strategically place ambulances throughout the county to better disperse them because of the potential for bad traffic patterns. Sedlacek said the eclipse will no doubt have them making adjustments on the fly.
"With an event like this, it's a best guess and then you just determine how your responses are depending on what happens," Sedlacek said. "There could be more 9-1-1 calls that get generated out... and that's part of the reason why we've increased staffing, just to service the whole area with whatever happens."
First responders and health care professionals are stressing to keep the 9-1-1 lines open for emergencies that need immediate police, fire or medical attention. They are also asking residents to stay home if they can to help fewer vehicles be traveling about. They also encourage everyone to wear eclipse glasses for the event.
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