Law and order in the Ozarks (Part CXXXVI): My hometown prepares for the 2024 eclipse

I've been aware for several years that Newton County, Arkansas (population 8,330), where I grew up, will be in the path of totality of the Great North American Eclipse of April 2024.  I made my reservation for lodging more than six months ago when no premium was being charged for rooms during this period, perhaps because the owners of the cabin were unaware of what was going to happen on that date nearly two years off.  I'd started nagging an area dude ranch to let me make a reservation two and a half years in advance, following up two years in advance, but they turned me away because it was a full year outside their usual window of booking.  They were so unbending that I wondered if they were completely unaware of the eclipse and the onslaught of requests that were sure to pour in at some point.  Thus I moved on to other, more flexible vendors.  

More recently, it's been interesting to see my hometown newspaper begin to cover plans for the event.  This story a few weeks ago was headlined, Cost of eclipse is a concern.   Here's the bulk of the story, which serves as a sort of laundry list of things a locality has to think about when expecting a big influx of visitors, a particular challenge when a locale has so little infrastructure and so little developed human capital: 

The Newton County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) met Nov. 14 to discuss the preparations that will be involved, but one question remained when the meeting ended. How much will the eclipse cost?

At this early date there are no funds budgeted for the eclipse. Kim Williams, named 2024 Eclipse project manager for Arkansas Tourism, spoked to local business owners in Jasper last October and said it is assumed the governor could release some state funds prior to the eclipse.

The LEPC is a non-funded coalition that works to help the county's planned response to emergencies. Byron Mann, pastor of the Jasper Methodist Church, serves as the chairman. He said while a lot of visitors are anticipated it's important to make sure the residents are taken care of and given information about the eclipse they need to know.

"We need to figure out the best way to gather information and to disburse it," Mann said. That should start in January 2024 with regular mailings. Organizations represented on the LEPC may be asked to help with the expenses of printing and mailing.

Jasper Postmaster Ken Fry said the post office offers Every Door Direct Mail service. It is the least expensive costing about 18 cents per flat piece. He recommended not doing it until the final month. He advised using fliers and handing them out at different locations and using social media before making mail outs.

The key focus is going to be water, fuel, groceries and medicine, Mann said. Residents will need to stock up on these items which will be in short supply after thousands of people suddenly arrive. The worst case scenario, due to the influx of vehicles on local roads and highways, is nobody is going to be able to move, unless you walk or ride a four-wheeler, Mann said. The residents who live in the county will be limited on access to town and won't be able to make their regular shopping trips.

"The pharmacy really needs to be on board on this," Mann emphasized. People need to have their medications in hand or in house a week to 10 days prior to the eclipse because they may not be available.

Not only will people be coming for the eclipse, but this is prime floating season on the Buffalo National River, Mann reminded, along with being in Arkansas's tornado season.

Mann said of an incident that happened in town the prior weekend when some computer lines went down and stores couldn't accept debit or credit cards. What could happen if the local digital transmission systems are overwhelmed. Can the communications utilities handle it?

Mitch Brasel, of Ritter Communications in Jasper, said "we never had it happen before." He said the credit card problem was an issue beyond the local service.

Tim Koren, a board member of the Ozark Mountain Regional Public Water Authority, said he is concerned cell phone towers will be unable to meet demand for service. He said the companies that utilize the few local towers don't appear to understand the trouble customers have accessing service.

Toinette Madison, director of the Newton County Chamber of Commerce, said her organization has been bringing awareness to local businesses. Because Jasper will be in totality it will likely draw not only people just outside the area, but could draw people from as far away as Tulsa, Oklahoma. "We just don't know," she said. Businesses can prepare for the people who make advance reservations for accommodations. It 's those who come unannounced that the area has to be prepared for.

Margie Rutledge, information technology manager for the Jasper School District, asked about the costs to the city or the county. She asked if the city has money for events such as this.

Mayor Jan Larson said overnight rental businesses only pay sales taxes, there are no special fees or taxes collected by the city. There is a bed tax tbut that revenue goes to state tourism.

Rutledge also asked, who's going to foot the bill for clean-up? What if we have 10,000-20,000 people come in and leave behind their trash?

The county handles the city's trash, Larson said. She did not know the capacity of the county's solid waste transfer station.

Larson also noted the need for facilities for dumping liquid waste from the number of travel trailers that might arrive.

The city has only one dump station at Bradley Park.

Mann said he has heard people are already having to go out of state to reserve portable toilets.

Shane Kilgore, Newton county OEM manager, suggested charging additional fees for waste removal. Particularly people who will allow camping or parking on their property. They will be liable for clean-up. He said he believed the county's transfer station is capable of meeting the demand, but it might require hiring additional workers temporarily or working overtime.

Sheriff Glenn Wheeler was asked if his office has began planning to meet the increased demand for law enforcement.

He said he has begun contacting the National Park Service, the US Forest Service and the Arkansas State Police for possible assistance. "We started those wheels turning, but haven't got very far." He said he can also reach out to other counties for help if the need arises.

Will Jasper School have classes that day? Jasper Fire chief Pam Emerson asked.

Rutledge said school will not be in session that Monday. No decision has been made about Tuesday.

"Everybody knows we have a little time, but that window is going to close pretty fast. We don't want to get caught a month out and not know what to do," Mann said.

Here's a more recent story about what the Buffalo National River is doing to prepare for the eclipse.  The headline is "Park service prepares for the eclipse," but the story suggests that the federal agency is doing little to prepare.  Here's an excerpt:

Discussions continued at the Dec. 12 LEPC meeting that was attended by NPS staff members Justin Gibbs and and Casey Johannsen. They explained Buffalo National River hasn't made any specific plans as yet due to the park service does not make reservations for camping facilities no sooner than six months ahead of time. However, the pavilion at the Oark Campground near Jasper can be reserved a year ahead of time.

National Parks in other parts of the county have experienced eclipses in the past, they said, and protocols will be announced and followed at the Buffalo National River. They acknowledged the eclipse will come when floaters are attracted to the river at that prime time of year.

Newton County Justice of the Peace Arlis Jones attended the meeting. He was looking for more specific information about how many visitors the county will have, how traffic will be routed and the costs associated with clean-up afterward. He endorsed a heavy presence of law enforcement and local volunteers to police for littering and taking down license plate numbers.

He also said he would ask the quorum court to petition the state for additional funding to cope with the eclipse aftermath.

Newton County Chief Deputy Sheriff Mike Blocker said state and federal law enforcement will be busy within their own jurisdictions and that Newton County will have to rely mostly on its staffs, reserve officers and in most cases volunteers who can help direct traffic and assist wherever they can.

Jasper Fire Chief Pam Emerson said she plans to station some emergency vehicles to the north and south of Jasper to try to reduce response times to calls while the roads closer to the city are expected to have more traffic on them.

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Besides roads, other infrastructure may also be pushed to capacity. Jacob Collins, director of the Jasper Public Works Department, said he felt the Jasper water system can meet the demands. He said there is a small number of public restrooms, which is a good thing because it is unlikely the wastewater plant would be compromised.