As many of you know a solar eclipse will take place on Monday, April 8,
2024 across North America. Much of the state of Arkansas including
Lawrence County will be in the path of totality, meaning it will be
total darkness for 4 minutes around 2:00 PM that day.
This event is projected to bring an estimated 1.5 million people to
Arkansas. As we have learned from past eclipses, small towns will likely
be overwhelmed with the number of people that show up. Days, even weeks
before and after the day of the eclipse. In rural areas cell towers were
jammed and phone calls were not able to be made. Highways were at a
standstill due to an excessive amount of traffic. Emergency responses
were delayed due to a high call volume and the excessive amount of
traffic.
The Lawrence County Judge’s Office along with the Lawrence County Office of Emergency Management invites you to a Solar Eclipse Meeting on Tuesday, September 5th at 5:00 PM. The meeting will be held at the Lawrence County Library Meeting room located at 107 West Walnut Street in Walnut Ridge.
In this meeting we will discuss emergency response plans and protocols,
as well as the potential for economic growth in your areas during this
event.
We invite all Emergency Response Personnel, Mayors, Businesses and
Community Stakeholders to this event. Judge Barnhill would like to stress the importance of your attendance.
If you have any questions you can contact the Lawrence County Judge’s
Office at 870-886-1110 or at lawjudge644@gmail.com (mailto:lawjudge644@gmail.com). You can also contact the Lawrence County Office of Emergency Management at 870-637-
4676 or at
oem@lawrencear.org
