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August solar eclipse planning continues

Another preparation meeting for the solar eclipse coming to Hot Springs County on August 21 was held at the fire hall last week.

Support services are now in place with the National Weather Service in Riverton. Daily weather briefings will be available to Emergency Management and others on the solar eclipse planning committee, starting Aug. 17.

With the eclipse coming at a time when this part of Wyoming sees some unusual weather, everything from sunshine to blistering heat, tremendous thunderstorms to pouring rain, knowing what the weather could be will be an asset as the date gets closer.

Code Red will be available, of course, if there is a major emergency that locals need to be aware of.

Work is continuing on getting a hotline number set up for visitors to take some of the pressure off dispatch and law enforcement for non-emergent calls and general information.

There will be a need for volunteers to man the hotline for several days, so if you are interested in being a hotline volunteer, please contact the Chamber of Commerce.

The Town of Thermopolis will be extending their hours at their RV dump near the water plant for the event. They are also working on getting potable water available at the site.

It was suggested that the airport might want to consider taking reservations for a few days surrounding the eclipse. There is a good possibility that some may choose to fly in for the event rather than drive, and the airport should be prepared just in case.

Because this is basically a state-wide event, there are no additional Highway Patrol troopers or Wyoming Department of Transportation folks available to patrol the roads. According to Game and Fish, however, they will have additional forces at Boysen Reservoir.

The University of California, Berkeley is working on a megamovie project on the eclipse and are asking for folks to register on their website and send in photos of the eclipse that will be used for educational and scientific purposes.

UC Berkeley has partnered with Google on the project and they are looking for more than a thousand volunteers who will send in their photos.

More information on the project can be found online at vcresearch.berkeley.edu/news/megamovie-project-crowdsource-images-august-solar-eclipse.

A second public meeting for locals to find out more about the solar eclipse preparations will be held on Monday, May 1 at 6 p.m. in the middle school commons. Folks are encouraged to attend.

 

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