Kendall County latest to declare disaster ahead of April 8 eclipse
Kendall County, which is home to Boerne, has become the latest Texas county to issue a disaster declaration ahead of the April 8 total eclipse, with officials saying they expect big crowds to put a strain on local resources.
The disaster declaration by County Judge Shane Stolarczyck — approved Monday by the Kendall County Commissioners Court — says the big crowds coming to see the eclipse will create a “severe threat to the public health and safety of the citizens of Kendall County.”
“Your food, your gas, your prescriptions are going to be essential to get several weeks in advance because the unknowns are the concern, we just don’t know what’s going to happen,” Stolarczyck said during Monday’s Commissioners Court meeting.
The disaster declaration allows county officials to take additional actions to protect the health and safety of residents. It also would let the county apply for state or federal assistance.
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon slides between the sun and the Earth so its shadow, or umbra, falls on the Earth’s surface. In a total eclipse, which will happen April 8, the moon is close enough to Earth that it appears larger and covers the sun completely, an event called totality.
Between 500,000 to 1 million people are expected to flock to Texas to be in the path of totality — the area where the moon’s shadow appears to completely block out the view of the sun — in addition to the millions of Texans who live in that path. The Hill Country will be among of the best vantage points to view the eclipse, experts say.
The northern and western parts of Kendall County such as Comfort will see the full four minutes-plus of the eclipse, while Boerne expects around 31⁄2 minutes.
Kendall County joins several other Texas counties in formally bracing for waves of visitors during the eclipse.
Kerr County, just north of Boerne and almost entirely in the path of totality, declared a state of emergency March 4. A news release from Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said Kerr County’s population — an estimated 54,000, according to the Census Bureau — is expected to “double or triple (or more).”
Travis County, home to Austin, declared a state of emergency Friday. Bell County, about 50 miles north of Austin, declared a state of emergency Feb. 2.