Imagine tomorrow that 100,000 people come into town and stay for a few days. With a doubling of Waco’s population, we might see streets clogged, hotels full, and a run on groceries, gas, and some ATMs might run short on cash.
During the 2017 total eclipse, many small towns in the path of totality experienced a doubling of their population. So it’s probably wise to be prepared for that, because Waco is one of the biggest towns on the path of near totality. We will enjoy 4 minutes and 13 seconds of darkness; and people will come from near and far (and even from overseas!) to experience it.
Some of the things residents should consider is stocking up on groceries, ensuring medications are on hand, and making sure your car is full of gas.
Finally, make sure you have solar glasses on hand. Those who have a ticket to the “Total Eclipse Over Texas: Live from Waco” event on Monday, April 8 will receive a free pair upon entry. They can be purchased from Amazon and other retail outlets. They can be removed during the 4 minutes and 13 seconds of totality, but they must remain on all other times. Or you can use a pinhole viewer; see instructions here. You can look up the exact totality times for your location with this Google map tool:
http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/solar_eclipses/TSE_2024_GoogleMapFull.html
