TYLER, Texas — East Texas cities big and small are preparing for the total solar eclipse on Monday, and as of Wednesday, just one East Texas county has issued a disaster declaration for the weekend of the event.
Multiple North and Central Texas areas have declared city or county-wide disasters ahead of the eclipse this weekend. On Wednesday, Van Zandt County became the first in East Texas to make that call. Van Zandt sees its fair share of tourists with Canton’s First Monday Trade Days, but County Judge Andy Reese said that the county’s main concern is people trying to get in and out of town on Interstate 20.
"By declaring a disaster, it relaxes some of the rules and regulations that first responders have to adhere to on a normal basis," Reese said.
This declaration made by the county is a preventive measure. It ensures the county will have enough emergency personnel should they need extra help with the anticipated influx of travelers coming through the interstate.
"The first part of this year we have had multiple occasions of road rage on I-20, and that’s during a normal day," Reese said.
Something else that is of concern for East Texans is cell service on the day of the eclipse. People along the path of totality will be taking pictures, they will be sending them to all their friends, and the hopes are that East Texas’ network will be able to support that.
AT&T representative Griselda Anziano said the phone and internet company's network has drastically changed since the last eclipse in 2017.
Since that 2017 eclipse, AT&T said they've upgraded their network from 4G to 5G, which will provide extra support for those living in East Texas and those just passing through to catch a glimpse of history.
"To put it into perspective for you, 4G was like driving on the freeway, and now 5G is like driving on the autobahn, which means more lanes, more speed, and less cars along the way," Anziano said.
Anziano added AT&T doesn't anticipate any outages or loss of services during the big event.