WHAT IS an eclipse? WHAT CAN I EXPECT?

Keep It Real Beautiful and Frank Freeman, Emergency Management Coordinator for Real County, want everyone to be safe and secure during the busy eclipse weekends of October 14, 2023 (annular eclipse), and April 8, 2024 (total eclipse).
 

1. Fuel—fill up your vehicles with fuel early in the week before the eclipses. The increased traffic could place stress on local gas stations.
2. Food and Medicines—plan your grocery and pharmacy shopping early in the week before the eclipses. Not only will traffic be increased, but some food supplies may sell out in a way not usual for our canyons. Restaurants may be extra busy, with wait times possible. You may want to eat at home on the day prior, day of, and day after the eclipse. Have your prescriptions filled as you may not want to drive to Uvalde or Kerrville in heavy traffic on eclipse event days.
3. Traffic—there may be traffic that increases travel times. Stay home if you can, and plan for additional travel time if you do have to go somewhere, especially on the day of and day after the eclipse.
4. Signage—whether you are inviting visitors to use your property or not, have clear signage at your property entrances. No trespassing signs, closed gates, or directions signs will help people stay where they need to stay and away from where they need to be away.
5. Security—repair gates or locks or fences to keep your location secure. If you’ve been considering cameras or security doorbell, put it in place prior to that weekend. Know that internet capacity will be taxed this weekend and prepare for lag time or slow loads over internet connections.
6. Money—in many areas, ATM machines ran out of cash on the days of the eclipse, because so many additional visitors are in the area using the ATM machines. Go to the bank early in the week if you can.
7. Water—depending on the drought conditions, local water resources may be maxed out during the eclipse events. Stock up on bottled water and consider some water storage in case of emergency so you can still flush toilets if water service is delayed or lost.
8. Emergency Services—Our small EMS and fire departments will be busy and overwhelmed during this time. Please conserve our services and only dial 911 if you have a true medical or fire emergency. 

Complete the web form located HERE and add your listing to the Official Real County Eclipse website to match with potential visitors. One-time renters for the eclipse are exempt from charging the new Real County Hotel Occupancy Tax. Make your listing detailed and specific so you can attract the right kind of eclipse visitor for you and your site(s).

Repair or add gates to all entrances to your property and have clear signage about where people are allowed or not allowed to be.

1. Cell service-unless you have AT&T or Cricket wireless, your cell phone is likely not to get coverage and calling in and out may be impossible. Bring a temporary phone with one of those carriers, consider a satellite phone, or check with your lodging company to see if they have a landline, if you need to call someone. There are areas with free Wi-Fi, but internet systems are expected to be at capacity and will probably move slowly. You may want to screenshot your map or directions in case your phone can’t pick up a signal to show you where to go. Also, there is a pay phone located at the Leakey Post office on FM 337.
2. Wi-Fi-There are several areas that offer free Wi-Fi in Nueces Canyon and Frio Canyon, but our infrastructure is limited, and internet may move really slow in our county with so many additional visitors. Might be best to use phones only as necessary and stay off Wi-Fi whenever possible. Plan an unplugged weekend and enjoy the beauty our canyons offer. A map to free Wi-Fi locations is here (include link).
3. Water-it is highly recommended that you bring your own drinking water with you. Our communities have limited capacity water supplies and depending on the drought conditions during the eclipse timeline, our water table may be low or in critical stages. For up-to-date drought conditions, follow this link: LINK TO TX DROUGHT MONITOR HERE
4. Emergency Services-Emergency response in Real County is almost 100% voluntary. Our sheriff’s departmentis small, our local Fire Departments are volunteer, and EMS services are small and run partially by volunteers as well. It is not like the city where there is a fire station in multiple locations across town. Please be cautious with any open fires or grills, be aware of your surroundings, and drive safely at all times. Our emergency services are preparing to be maxed out during this time, so please only call 911 for an actual emergency.
5. Distance and Travel-Our community is RURAL and REMOTE. Please plan ahead so you do not runout of fuel, food, diapers, medicines, or water as you travel. We have limited stores and restaurants, and our towns are far apart with no stores in between. Fill up in Junction, Rocksprings, Uvalde, or Garven Store before dropping down into the canyon, and fill up before leaving the canyon. AAA and towing services can take hours to reach you here, and remember, cell service is not good in many parts of our county.

1. Stock up on supplies if you can the week prior to the eclipse.
2. Restaurants-consider a limited menu, and stock up on food in anticipation of larger crowds.
3. Prepare staff and plan for enough staff to accommodate larger crowds. 
4. Make plumbing or other repairs in preparation for the eclipse weekends. This is not a time to have a failure of a system.
5. Plan for additional trash and offer trash receptacles if you can for visitors to use. Real County is providing additional dumpsters to help accommodate the additional trash, and we all need to help out to keep it clean in the canyon.
6. Go to the bank early in the week and plan for payday in advance of the arrival of visitors.
7. List your special hours, special menu, or sales and events on the Keep It Real Beautiful official Real County Eclipse website at www.theRealEclipse.org.