Happy solar eclipse day to all who are celebrating. The Texas city of Uvalde plans to host up to 100,000 visitors as people flock to cities and towns in locations with a direct view of the occurrence.
The city hopes to produce some headlines that do not revolve around the tragic mass shooting in 2022 at Robb Elementary School when 19 children and two teachers were murdered.
Uvalde is in a prime location.
Uvalde is almost at the center of the 120-mile wide ‘path of totality’ and is scheduled to go completely dark for four minutes, 15 seconds starting at 1:29 pm and 41 seconds.
That is roughly two minutes after the border town of Eagle Pass – the eclipse’s port of entry into America – is plunged into darkness for a predicted 4.24 minutes.
It’s a chamber of commerce dream come true. A total solar eclipse is going to help change the stories coming from Uvalde on Monday.
But chamber of commerce director John Yeackle told DailyMail.com: ‘It’s going to be refreshing for the world to see that Uvalde is known for more much more than a tragic incident.
‘The tragedy was horrific and hearts go out to the families that were most directly affected.
‘Everybody that lives here in Uvalde is probably no more than one degree of separation from someone that was there that day. And I’m no different.
‘So this is one of the opportunities that we’re excited to showcase what Uvalde is really most known for. And it’s not a tragedy, but it’s being a gateway to the southwest part of Texas and the desert.’
There are memorials in Uvalde to honor those murdered by 18-year-old gunman Salvador Ramos. There is a stone memorial with 21 white crosses on Highway 90 into the city. It is next to a giant work of art depicting native son Matthew McConaughey. The actor grew up in Uvalde and his mother was a school teacher. He and his wife visited the White House after the mass shootings to lobby for gun control. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre allowed him 20 minutes to address the press corps during that day’s briefing.
Some Texas counties have issued a disaster declaration as officials prepare for the influx of people expected to come and observe the solar eclipse. Travis County (Austin) is closing schools and advised residents to run errands and do things like grocery shopping before the majority of tourists began arriving over the weekend. Officials are concerned about traffic congestion and the possibility that first responders may be overwhelmed. The message is to stay off the roads and work from home, if possible.
Uvalde isn’t going as far as closing schools. Yeackle is a Uvalde County Commissioner. He said county officials there aren’t “going that far” but the city is not promoting or hosting events. “Frankly, we’re just trying to survive the event.
‘We’re not interested in inviting more people. We’re concerned with dealing with those already planning to come.
‘I believe Interstate 10 north of us and Highway 90 right here will be a parking lot at about 12:45 on the day.
‘I’m guessing maybe two-thirds of the traffic will be people who drive in from Houston, San Antonio, and Austin – we have maybe four million people within 200 miles of us. There will be hours and hours of delays on the two major arteries.
‘Distance is a relative thing in rural America. It’s 75 miles minimum to San Antonio. For myself, it’s not unusual for us to travel two or three times a week just to have dinner, a 150-mile round trip.’
Uvalde has a population of 15,217, according to the 2020 census. An expected 100,000 visitors will be a challenge to manage. Let’s hope everyone packs their patience.