Canton officials talk eclipse prep after county issues disaster declaration

CANTON, Texas (KETK) – Van Zandt County wants to make sure their residents are safe during the total eclipse and with the county declaring a state of local disaster, it gives county Judge Andy Reese additional state resources from April 5th, until the day after the eclipse.

Van Zandt County issues disaster declaration ahead of solar eclipse

“We’ve been preparing for a long time,” Austin Melton, marketing coordinator for the City of Canton, said.

The City of Canton has been planning for the big day for more than a year, and they believe they are ready.

“So we’ve got, you know, plans in place with the police department, fire department, things like that,” said Melton.

This weekend visitors will start to arrive, and festivities will begin.

“We are kind of being the facility for people coming into town. On Saturday and Sunday, we have concerts, both nights,”  said Melton.

But they aren’t sure how many to expect. The county is expecting overcrowded parking lots and possible limited cell phone service. They are also advising people to get any errands done now.

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“Don’t get crazy, but make sure you’ve got the staples, make sure you’ve got gas in your car because there could be a lot of traffic on the roads,”  said Melton.

Another cause for concern is the chance of weather for Monday’s eclipse but Melton said they are prepared.

“If it rains, probably not going to be great for viewing, but for the concert we’re actually going to move it from outdoors into the civic center,”  said Melton.

Rain or shine, Van Zandt County will do all they can to make sure everyone enjoys the spectacular event safely.

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