THIS MAP IS AVAILABLE AT WWW.GREATAMERICANECLIPSE.COM/ECLIPSE-MAPS-AND-GLOBE/TEXAS-2024-STATE-MAP

“The Central Texas area is expected to see a large influx of eclipse tourism and that could put a strain on emergency response personnel who will be needed to assist with traffic control and other crowd management in parts of our county,” [Hays County school district spokesperson Tim] Savoy said.

Source: Newsweek

Schools in a Texas district will be closed for the upcoming solar eclipse at the request of local emergency officials.

On April 8, the moon will be positioned in such a way that the entire disc of the sun will be blocked out in several U.S. states, plunging millions of people into darkness during the early afternoon. The path of totality will start in Mexico and extend across Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine before heading out over the North Atlantic.

The spectacle is expected to draw crowds from around the nation as people flock to areas in the path of totality to witness the eclipse. In Texas, several counties have already issued disaster declarations in advance of the event, and multiple schools will close because of safety concerns for students.

The Hays County school district is among those closing, citing its concerns for students, according to an Austin American-Statesman report. The school previously planned to be open for the event and even purchased enough viewing glasses for all students so they could safely observe the eclipse. Glasses will now be sent home with students, along with “fun activities and assignments for eclipse day,” Hays school district spokesperson Tim Savoy told Newsweek in a statement.

The Del Valle, Manor and Lake Travis school districts will also be closed.

“The Central Texas area is expected to see a large influx of eclipse tourism and that could put a strain on emergency response personnel who will be needed to assist with traffic control and other crowd management in parts of our county,” Savoy said.

The impact on the county’s roads from the influx of visitors is expected to be substantial, and school traffic could complicate the situation. Mike Jones, Hays County’s director of the Office of Emergency Services, encouraged county residents to stock up on groceries and gas to prepare for the event.

Read more: Save Money at the Grocery Store

“I recommended visiting the stores and gas stations in advance to simply reduce traffic flow the day of the event and manage individuals’ expectations that we will have a few more visitors in our county than normal,” Jones previously told Newsweek. “I always encourage [people] to keep your fuel tanks filled [half] tank or better as a standard practice.”

Newsweek reached out to Savoy and Jones by email for further comment.

A Hays County webpage dedicated to the eclipse said the county is anticipating “many thousands of visitors” to arrive for the event.

“Millions of people will travel into the roughly 100-mile-wide paths across the continent where they can see maximum coverage of the Sun by the Moon,” the webpage said.

Travis County, Kendall County and Bell County officials have issued disaster declarations in advance of the eclipse.

The former’s declaration said: “Effective Friday, March 8, 2024, Travis County Judge Andy Brown issued a Declaration of Local Disaster in anticipation of extremely large crowds, increased traffic, and enormous strains on first responders, hospitals, and roads on the days leading up to, on, and after the day of the upcoming total solar eclipse.”

The declaration added, “The large crowd may create a public safety hazard and impede or delay first responders answering calls for service.”

Update 3/13/24, 2:37 p.m. ET: This story was updated with a comment from Hays County school district spokesperson Tim Savoy.