Solar Eclipse Dangers

The mainland United States has not experienced such a celestial event since 1979. The rarity of these events means many of us may not be aware of the potential dangers. We have been hearing about the solar eclipse in newscasts, newspapers, and magazines from all over the world on a daily basis now. Pretty much every one of them say Hopkinsville is the place to be for the best viewing.

Since I and most of you live here, we don’t have to travel any distances to see it. We can just step outside our backdoor and have the best view in the country, or the world for that matter.

The upcoming solar eclipse—the first in 99 years to sweep across the continental United States—has so many fans that disaster-level preparations are being put in place because of the large number of travelers predicted to jockey for prime viewing spots. As many as 7.4 million people are expected to pack into a 70-mile-wide band across the U.S. to watch the moon’s umbra block out the sun for a two-minute window on August 21. But, to be honest, I am somewhat apprehensive about the event and I know most, if not all, of you are too.

There is no doubt there will be problems, especially if we get the upwards of a half million visitors that have been forecast. These folks will travel from all over the world to be present for this once in a lifetime event. It would be naïve to think that they will all be good people. All of those visitors are expected to clog interstates, along with state and local roads, for days before and after the eclipse, much like the rush during emergency evacuations. Once visitors arrive, they’ll need bottles of water, lodging and restrooms. And, of course, solar glasses. There is also the potential threat of a terrorist attack, traffic gridlock, no cell coverage, no internet service, demonstrations by groups using the event as a platform to further their own agendas, fuel shortages, increases in crime, accidents, difficulty in movement for emergency services, are all some of the concerns that locals have concerning this event.

And don’t expect lodging to be available, experts say. Hotel rooms along the eclipse route were mostly sold out as of June, and Airbnb rentals in the path of totality are reaching $1,000 a night in some cities. The Red Cross is preparing hundreds of emergency shelters in the 12 states that will be touched by the eclipse in case of other emergencies that could occur while millions of travelers are away from home. Everything from earthquakes to heat waves to hurricanes could cause thousands to need immediate shelter. Let’s not even think about the New Madrid Fault acting up. A 3.1 magnitude quake was measured near Tiptonville, Tn. less than a week ago.

Hospitals have been stocking up on emergency supplies. With so much traffic, normal deliveries of medicine and supplies likely won’t arrive on time. Another concern: Cellular service towers aren’t meant to handle the capacity of an additional half-million to a million people per state. Cellphone, GPS and smartphone internet services will likely be nonexistent near the eclipse zone. From what I have seen and read, the Hopkinsville – Christian County is probably better prepared than other areas along the path of the eclipse. But even with advanced preps in place, there will always be the unknown factors.

So what do those of us who live here need to do? The main thing is to prepare…as though we are about to be hit with an ice storm. Stock up on food and water to get you through for several days either side of the eclipse. Stay home as much as possible. Make sure your medications are in good supply. Keep in contact with your neighbors and band together to look out for each other. If something happens, it could take a while for emergency responders to get to you. If you are going to view the eclipse, make sure you and your family have the proper glasses to do so. Having said all this, many of these possibilities are “worse case” scenarios. But it is always best to prepare for the worst. With prayers and common sense thinking, hopefully this event will be successful for our community and be something you can tell you grandchildren about in years to come. Feel free to leave comments and be sure to hit the “Like” button at the bottom of this post.