LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The total solar eclipse is finally just days away on Monday, April 8, and the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management (ADEM) is the state’s first line of defense to ensure everyone has a safe experience.
Early in the year, Eric Ekhoff and his team at the ADEM were in the heat of planning for the big event, but as of now, they're putting on the finishing touches and having their final meeting before the eclipse.
"We are finalizing our incident action plan and making sure everything is how we intended it to be," said Ekhoff.
As an operation specialist with the ADEM, Ekhoff has been a leader in preparing the state for April 8. On the day of, he and a full room will monitor every second of the eclipse event.
"I’ll be next to the command staff in the Emergency Operations Center,” Ekhoff said. “So, I'll be fielding calls for the team chief, making sure that all of the pieces are moving.”
Each person in each group, whether they’re an emergency support function group or a part of operations and logistics, has a crucial role during the eclipse.
"There's a system and when that system starts to flow it's actually very efficient and we're able to get information passed along," Ekhoff described.
ADEM's initial estimate of visitors into the state was 1.5 million people, which Ekhoff said hasn't changed.
"Some people are saying, 300,000 or under, but we're still planning on the 1.5 million,” Ekhoff explained. “Whether it's 1.5 million, or if it's 300,000 coming, it's still a large event.”
He explained it as over-planning to avoid missing the mark. However, Ekhoff urged Arkansans and visitors to be prepared for anything, especially spotty cell service.
"Think of this as bigger scale and expect that the cell coverage to drop longer than expected," Ekhoff said.
He added that while spotty coverage is likely, E.S.F 2, or the state communications group is responding.
"They have been working and trying to get the cell towers amped up to where they can perform the best that they can," Ekhoff said.
Ekhoff said his team is confident in the response plan from ADEM and those they coordinate with. Ultimately, their goal is to keep everyone safe, while allowing them to enjoy the historic total solar eclipse.
"It's going to be a massive event… once in a lifetime experience for sure,” Ekhoff said.
Ekhoff said ADEM decided to activate the state emergency operations center, from Saturday, April 6 to Wednesday, April 10.
For those four days, the Emergency Operations Center will be fully staffed and ready for any type of emergency.