Ready, Set, Go for April 8 Eclipse
How to get your household prepared
Is your household ready for April 8? If somehow you've not heard, that's the day one month from now when central Arkansas will be smack dab in the middle of a full solar eclipse, totally obscuring the sun for almost four full minutes at its peak.
It's predicted that anywhere from 275,000 up to 1.5 million folks will pour into our central Arkansas area to experience the eclipse in person -- assuming the weather cooperates (more on that in a moment). That short-lived but huge influx of people means you need to be prepared.
What to Do
Here's what to think about:
April 8 is a Monday, so folks will be coming into our area on the weekend before (if not earlier). Most (all?) area hotels, RV spots, public campgrounds, etc. have long ago been booked up. For a few days around April 8, it will likely be difficult to take care of routine errands because of the flood of people.
Think about these things as you prepare your household — and, add your own in the comments.
How about just staying home (or close to home) for that weekend and maybe earlier in the week before April 8? If weather is favorable, we will see crowds filling in by mid-week before.
Fully gas up all your vehicles by the middle of the week before, say no later than April 3 or 4. (You may want to fill up that extra propane tank if you're already grilling outside in early April.)
Put some cash in the house so you won't need to visit the bank or ATM for a few days.
Make sure you have groceries, paper goods (toilet paper?), and extra drinking water. Getting to the grocery store might be a problem as the roads could be clogged everywhere in central Arkansas. Also, trucks that re-stock the shelves will likely be affected by heavy traffic in and out of the area. (Same thing goes for other retail needs; stock up for a few days no later than the middle of the week before.)
Fill any necessary prescriptions ahead of time.
How about your pets? Do they need medications or supplies? Go ahead and get supplies they will need for a few days so you do not have to go out.
Work on a communication plan; stay in touch with your family, neighbors, and close friends. In case of a disturbance, does your family have a pre-arranged rally point away from your home?
And hey, none of these tasks are a waste of your time -- supplies will always get used, whether we have stifling crowds here or not. And that will depend on the weather.
Weather Dependent
Weather reports show that April 8 was a cloudy day in Arkansas more than half the time in the past. If that's the case in 2024, you should also be prepared for how those expected crowds will leave central Arkansas (or not show up at all) as they try to "follow the sun" to see this historic eclipse in person. It could be that folks flood into our area on the weekend, then “follow the sun” just as quickly if the weather begins to cloud up. Stay weather-aware.
On the other hand, if the weather is uncooperative and we are not dealing with a flood of eclipse tourists in early April, please don’t double-guess yourself about your preparations. First of all, as we said above, the supplies you stocked up on will be used. Secondly, in today’s uncertain world, maybe your family should take on more long-range preparations to be more resilient if there’s a power outage or other unexpected disruptions.
Here’s the Arkansas Department of Transportation’s traffic plans for the eclipse weekend. You can read more about the eclipse and how it will happen in Little Rock, Arkansas here.
It’s also good to know Arkansas State Police and National Guard will be on call for emergencies, while the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management personnel will man the state’s Emergency Operations Center.
Really, just a little forethought leads to a little bit of preparing that goes a long way to preparing your household.
P.S.: Maybe this post makes you think about more long-range preparations for your household?