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Lake Buchanan town hall on eclipse

The dotted line at the center of this map represents the exact center of the April 8 total solar eclipse’s path. While anyone within the 115-mile-wide path will see the eclipse, the closer you are to the center line, the longer you will be able to view totality. The path cuts directly through the center of Lake Buchanan. Image courtesy of Lake Buchanan Communities Alliance

The Lake Buchanan Communities Alliance is holding a town hall meeting on potential challenges that could arise around the April 8 total solar eclipse. The eclipse’s path of totality will pass directly over Lake Buchanan, giving lakeside communities the longest view of the moon completely blocking the sun.

Local leaders will brief residents and property owners’ associations on how to prepare for the expected massive influx of visitors during the town hall, which is 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 25, at Lakeshore Branch Library, 7346 RR 261 in Buchanan Dam.

This is the LBCA’s second meeting on eclipse preparation. The first was on Feb. 26 with standing room-only attendance, said alliance President Wayne Shipley.

“There’s so many little things that could turn into really big things if we’re not careful,” he told DailyTrib.com. “This eclipse is really a big deal. I don’t think it’s overkill that we’re spending two meetings on it.”

While the entire Highland Lakes region between Burnet and Llano counties will get its fair share of eclipse watchers, communities around Lake Buchanan could be especially impacted because the path cuts through the center of the lake.

According to Burnet County Emergency Management Coordinator Derek Marchio, it is impossible to tell how many people will visit the Highland Lakes to view the eclipse, but estimates derived from the 2017 total solar eclipse in Oregon show that tens of thousands of people might show up.

Burnet County has preemptively declared a state of disaster for April 8 and the days surrounding it.

Marchio and Llano County Emergency Management Coordinator Gilbert Bennett will be guest speakers at the March 25 meeting. Both have been hard at work for months preparing for the eclipse and have spoken at several Highland Lakes eclipse town halls.

The LBCA meeting will focus on:

  • preparation for possible phone, internet, and utility outages;
  • dealing with trespassing;
  • setting up neighborhood watches and patrols;
  • eclipse watching safety;
  • and stocking up on essential resources like food, water, and fuel.

“We’re urging everybody to stock up (early) and get what they need for a week, fill up their gas tanks, and have a plan in place,” Shipley said.

To learn more about the Lake Buchanan Communities Alliance, contact info@lb-ca.org or 512-775-3689 or 512-441-5606.

dakota@thepicayune.com