Annular Solar Eclipse Safety Plan: There’s an annular eclipse of the sun next month. You can see a stunning sky show from the Hill Country. A cautious emergency services group has created a safety plan for the upcoming stargazing trip.
Jeff Fincke, an experienced Emergency Management Coordinator for Kendall County, made these plans. He recently organized a practice run with local first responders to prepare for issues during the upcoming annular eclipse. Other response teams are learning about his ideas and plans.
This successful test demonstrates the results of a year and a half of hard work. Fincke and his team studied stories about the 2017 annular eclipse to gather information. To learn from past events, they did this.
Their concern is that the roads in Boerne, Fredericksburg, and Bandera County will become more congested. An expert study estimates that 800,000 to 1.5 million people will attend.
Fincke says, “Our main concern is keeping roads and intersections open for emergency services.” We’re concerned about the number of attendees.
Kendall County plans to create a phone bank to manage emergency calls and prevent overload at the dispatch center. “Boerne, in Kendall County, plans to start a phone bank,” says Fincke. The hope is that people will use this alternative to ease pressure on our 911 lines and ensure prompt and effective help.
Visitors may need to be made aware of the area’s drought and increased fire risk. Fincke expressed concern about poorly maintained properties and venues that could fuel unplanned fires. Some landlords may open gates and ask people to look at the sky.
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Dawn Davies from the Hill Country Alliance advises visitors to be prepared for limited resources like internet access when viewing the celestial wonder.
The Hill Country Alliance, focused on preserving natural beauty and night skies, warns that population growth will strain cellular networks. Davies warns of strain on cellular infrastructure due to population growth. Your phone’s GPS may not work. Consider making a paper map, an old-fashioned way to navigate.
Davies advises eclipse viewers to prepare like they would for an ice storm. “Have enough food, water, and fuel before the eclipse,” she says.
Hill Country residents are excited to gather, admire the sky, and enjoy the annular eclipse.
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Our Reader’s Queries
How to safely watch an annular eclipse?
To watch the annular eclipse, make sure to have accredited eclipse glasses or a portable solar viewer. Alternatively, you can use a telescope, binoculars, or camera with a specialized solar filter on the front to safely observe the sun, just like eclipse glasses do.
Is it safe to see the annular eclipse in 2023?
On October 14, 2023, there will be a partial or annular solar eclipse. It is never safe to look directly at the Sun during this event without a special solar filter that meets the ISO 12312-2 international standard. This filter is necessary to protect your eyes from the Sun’s damaging rays. So, make sure to have the right equipment if you want to witness this cosmic phenomenon without risking eye damage.
What are the safety precautions for solar eclipse?
Ensure to always use safe solar viewing glasses or a handheld solar viewer when observing a partial or annular solar eclipse with your naked eyes. Eclipse glasses and handheld solar viewers are specifically designed for safe solar viewing and should not be confused with regular sunglasses, which are not safe for observing the Sun, no matter how dark they may be.
What precautions should be taken during solar eclipse 2023?
To safely view the sun, whether during an eclipse or not, use special-purpose solar filters. These filters can be found in “eclipse glasses” or hand-held solar viewers. They must meet the ISO 12312-2 standard to ensure they are safe for viewing.