Here is a summary of the meetings. The Sheriff's Office and the Booneville, Paris, and Magazine Police Departments will be working all of their employees through double shifts on the Sunday before the eclipse and the Monday of the eclipse. We will also have all of our part-time and reserve deputies working those days and nights as well. We will have deputies assigned to specific regions in the county for quick response and for visibility so the visitors will know we are close by. We will have all three dispatch stations within our Dispatch Center staffed throughout the period. Logan County E.M.S. will also have ambulances stationed around the county and many of the fire departments will have their volunteer firefighters at the stations. The Logan County Office of Emergency Management (O.E.M.) will have their emergency operations center activated.

 

The Arkansas State Police will have all of their troopers out in the post that covers Logan, Franklin, and Scott counties including their special agents who will assist the troopers. Since there are going to be several weddings and other events on Lake Dardanelle, the Arkansas River, and the Shoal Bay area, Arkansas Game & Fish game wardens will have extra game wardens out on boats to patrol the waterways. The Arkansas Department of Transportation will have two of their road-side assisting trucks in Logan County and they will be driving around to assist drivers who get stuck on the side of the highway or have a flat tire. As you can see, every public safety agency is taking this seriously and will have extra support during these days.

 

One of the main choke points for traffic will be Mt. Magazine. The lodge, cabins, and campsites are completely booked and a lot of people will be heading up there on eclipse day for the view. If you plan on going up there, leave early and plan on getting home late.

Since there was a similar solar eclipse in 2017, I spoke with two Sheriffs in Oregon, two Sheriffs in Missouri, and two Sheriffs in Tennessee who are in small, rural counties that either have an interstate near a boundary or close by in a neighboring (like Logan County). All of these counties were in the path of totality in 2017 like Logan County is now. They all said the main issues were traffic and some littering and trash but generally the people who came were law-abiding and wanted to enjoy their time away from home. There may also be some cell phone issues if a lot of people are using their cell phones at the same time.

 

We have a lot going on with events throughout Logan County so enjoy this very rare event and we will try to make it as safe as possible!