Americans have dealt with some devastating natural disasters in their history. Some examples include Hurricane Katrina, the eruption of Mount St. Helens, and the 1906 San Fransisco Earthquake.
We have even experienced many solar eclipses since our nation’s inception, varying in degree of darkness. Generally, the eclipses have generated more wonder than chaos.
However, in this new millennium, it appears that this spectacular natural event must be treated as a potential disaster.
Americans across the U.S. will see the country’s first coast-to-coast solar eclipse in 99 years. While millions of people get ready to watch the Aug. 21 eclipse, local authorities are the treating the event more like a natural disaster and are preparing for the worst.The disaster prep work stems from the massive tourist attraction the solar eclipse has become. The eclipse’s path of totality, where the moon will almost completely block the sun, covers a 70-mile-wide lane that will cut across 12 states from Oregon to South Carolina. There are an estimated 12 million people in the eclipse’s path….Several counties in Idaho and Oregon have already issued emergency declarations. Local officials are citing increased public safety risks, financial damage, and excess costs of cleanup and property damage for the alerts.On the East Coast, officials in South Carolina are reportedly stocking up on bottled water and port-a-potty services to prepare for the influx of tourists. The Red Cross is also setting up emergency shelters in the 12 affected states to help with possible emergencies that may overwhelm local governments.
I guess this is the approach our political class feels it must take, in the age of professional cuddling in the wake of political elections.
It makes me wonder how we might respond to a truly significant natural disaster:
As for myself, I am doing a little preparation as well: Gathering the ingredients together for an Eclipse cocktail!
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