2024 Eclipse: Oklahoma National Guard called to help with crowds
MCCURTAIN COUNTY, Okla. - The Oklahoma National Guard has been called to help deal with thousands of visitors coming to help with next month's solar eclipse.
McCurtain County, less than 100 miles northwest of Texarkana on the Texas-Oklahoma border, is in the path of totality for the April 8 total eclipse and expecting more than 100,000 visitors for the once-in-a-lifetime event.
READ MORE: When will the solar eclipse happen near me?
Members of the Oklahoma National Guard's 63rd Civil Support Team will be on hand to take care of any potential HAZMAT response, allowing local teams to continue to assist citizens and deal with the crush of tourists looking toward the sky.
"This influx of visitors has the potential to overtax local resources and thanks to the training and experience our Guardsmen have working alongside local agencies all across Oklahoma, the [Civil Support Team] is uniquely qualified to support our fellow Oklahomans," said Lt. Col. Jabonn Flurry, of the 63rd Civil Support Team.
On April 8, the moon will move directly between the Earth and the sun, casting a shadow across a wide swath of North America.
Featured
2024 Eclipse: Where to watch the solar eclipse in Dallas
North Texas is lucky enough to be in the path of totality for the eclipse happening in the afternoon on Monday, April 8. So where do you plan to be that day?
The path of totality, where the moon will completely block out the sun, will be 115 miles wide and cut diagonally across the country.
Thousands of people are expected to travel to cities in the path of totality to see the sky go dark.