Community gathers for eclipse town hall

JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) - We are less than a year away from an event projected to capture the attention of millions in Arkansas.

A town hall was held Thursday to give the Jonesboro community a look at how the city is preparing for the 2024 total solar eclipse and the impact the eclipse may have on the area.

Dr. Clay Sherrod, executive director of the Arkansas Sky Observatory, spoke about various aspects of preparation, like event space, traffic troubles, emergency service availability, and weather.

“If you are prepared, it will be successful. If you are not prepared, it will be chaos. That is, from people running out of medicine, food, and water and not enough sanitation facilities,” he said.

While Sherrod focused Thursday night on Jonesboro, he said other areas should also be prepared.

For example, he said Mountain Home could be hit with an influx of travelers.

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