There's something creepy going on in connection with the coming solar eclipse on April 8 and it warrants our attention: Numerous cities have declared states of emergency . . . for an eclipse???? No, there's more to this than we're being told . . .
This weekend, Niagara Falls Canada declared a state of emergency for the coming solar eclipse on April 8, as 1 million people are expected to flood the area.
The Ontario side of the falls has started to prepare for the expected influx in visitors coming to see the total social eclipse in early April.
The famous falls have been listed by National Geographic as one of the best places to see the eclipse – a phenomena not seen in the area since 1979. The city is within the path where the moon will entirely block the sun for a few minutes.
Mayor Jim Diodati estimated the city would see the most visitors in a single day on April 8 with an estimated 1 million expected. On average, the city see 14 million visit per year.
The state of emergency, which was announced Thursday, will allow the city to execute additional planning to help prepare for traffic jams, cell phone network overloads, and a higher need for emergency services, and more.
BELL COUNTY, TX - Way back on February 22, Bell County Texas issued a local state of emergency, anticipating a significant surge in visitors and strained resources.
The county expects its population of 400,000 to double in the days leading up to and after the eclipse, "due to our location in the Path of Totality," when the moon completely covers the sun.
The county expects traffic congestion, fuel shortages and strains on first responders, hospitals, and food. The declaration will help the county coordinate with the state Department of Emergency Management if state assistance is needed.
The declaration also requires property owners to register with the county if they are hosting events like watch parties or camping for more than 50 people, as well as provide "adequate" bathroom and waste disposal facilities.
Bell County says registration information will help public safety officials and first responders during a period when roads and highways may be stressed, and responders may be impeded by population conditions.
TRAVIS COUNTY, TX -- On March 10, Travis County said it would take emergency measures ahead of the total solar eclipse set to take place in exactly one month.
Kaufman County, TX -- On March 27 Officials in Kaufman County issued a disaster declaration ahead of the April 8 total solar eclipse, saying they expect the county's population to double and for traffic to be a major issue.
"Our current population is somewhere around 200,000. We're expecting another 200,000," Steve Howie said. Howie is the Kaufman County Emergency Management Coordinator. "We can't handle 400,000 vehicles and people in this county in one quick spurt like that. So, it's a huge concern."
The declaration was in anticipation of large crowds, increased traffic and strains on first responders, hospitals and roads related to the eclipse. Travis County Judge Andy Brown issued the declaration.
ELSEWHERE IN TEXAS -
More communities across the Lone Star have issued disaster declarations due to the threat their populations might triple as spectators around the U.S. grapple with what locale will have the best view of the Great North American Eclipse.
Officials in Kerr, Bell and Travis counties have stated that disaster declarations or state of emergencies will go into effect before a rush of visitors swarm the Central Texas communities on April 8.
In Pittsburg, with a population of about 4,500, city leaders are expecting double or triple that number of people to be around town for the days leading up to the eclipse and on April 8, Mayor David Abernathy said.
First responders are anticipating more need for their services because of the high number of people in the area. Yet those calls might not go through if cell phone and internet networks are overloaded with people, Abernathy said. That’s the “worst-case scenario,” he said.
“Everybody's going to be streaming video,” Abernathy said. “They're going to be talking to their friends. They're going to be in the downtime ... downloading movies. And so, just that onslaught of people is just going to overload the system that's designed for certain population.
“When you start losing communications, like cell phones, which almost everybody relies on now for emergency messages for contacting relatives or calling their employees back to work … then you're just back in the 1800s, basically.”
If cellular networks go down, people might not be able to get calls through to 911 in the event of an emergency. However, if calls won’t go through because cellular networks are overloaded, people might be able to text 911.
In the event of a cellular network collapse, local radio stations will provide needed information, Abernathy said. City officials will post information around town listing the stations that people should tune into for emergency information.
If internet networks slow down or collapse because of high use, credit card machines might not work. The City of Mount Pleasant advises people to bring cash with them to make purchases.
Grocery stores could run out of food because of the higher-than-normal number of people in a given community, Abernathy said. And with the higher influx of vehicles, gas stations are likely to run out of fuel as travelers enter and exit the region.
The City of Mount Pleasant advises people to make backup communication plans with others to prepare for a potential loss of cellular networks.
INDIANA -- On March 27, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb signed a disaster order letting Indiana call on a nationwide aid compact should the upcoming eclipse stress the state’s emergency response systems.
Indiana expects hundreds of thousands of visitors for the April 8 event, plus plenty of in-state travel.
NEW YORK STATE -- Two weeks ahead of the April 8 eclipse, Governor Kathy Hochul updated New Yorkers on the state’s preparations to ensure everyone can have a safe and memorable viewing experience. In October 2022, Governor Hochul convened an Interagency Task Force comprised of nearly two dozen state agencies and authorities. The Task Force has been collaborating for the past 17 months on plans to ensure everyone can safely enjoy the eclipse.
New York State is expecting hundreds of thousands of visitors, and Governor Hochul is reminding travelers of several tips to ensure the smoothest possible experience for everyone. Governor Hochul is advising travelers to get to their destination early and plan on staying late to avoid the most traffic, allow for extra travel time, and travel prepared with water and snacks. Additionally, drivers should never pull over on the side of the road to ensure first responders can get by in an emergency.
“The April 8 eclipse is a once in a generation experience, and there’s no better place to view it than in our beautiful state,” Governor Hochul said. “New York is ready to welcome millions of visitors, and my administration has been working hard to ensure everyone in the path of the eclipse can safely enjoy this rare event. I encourage anyone traveling for this experience to plan on arriving early to their destination and staying late to enjoy all of what our state has to offer.”
HAL TURNER COMMENTARY
The states, cities, counties, and towns mentioned above are just a small sampling of what has been going on to "prepare" for this eclipse. Sorry, but none of this seems normal to me -- at all.
Cellular network collapse? Internet collapse? Grocery stores running out of food? Disaster Declarations? Gas stations running out of fuel? No, none of this seems normal to me at all.
It's starting to look to me as if something ELSE is going on. But . . . . what?
During an eclipse, with the sun blocked, people may be able to see things up in the sky that they otherwise wouldn't be able to see because the sunlight is so strong and blocks the view of things in space.
Could it be that something ELSE is going on . . . maybe something that people will suddenly be able to SEE once the sun is blocked for a few minutes?
Might people PANIC over what they see?
What if . . . .
What if something __is__ coming at us? It's not like we can avoid it. There's no Bruce Willis as "Harry Stamper" from the movie "Armageddon" to drill holes in an asteroid to drop nukes, blow it up, and save the planet.
Is it possible that governments have known about something for months, and have concealed it?
When I read that New York State has had a TASK FORCE working for the past 17 MONTHS, that kind of sealed the deal over my suspicions. It seems to me that absolutely NOBODY does something like that over an eclipse.
I'm getting a little creeped-out by all these disaster declarations. All this for just a solar eclipse? Sorry, I won't buy it.
I'll tell you what I __will__ do: Top-off my emergency food, water, medicine, communications gear (CB and HAM Radio) and stay close to home. In fact, my wife and I agreed over the weekend that we will be at our bugout location in Pennsylvania for this . . . . eclipse.
No, not to see it . . . but to be away from the New York metropolitan area for whatever might __actually__ be the situation.
