KILLEEN, Texas (April 12, 2024) – The City of Killeen welcomed visitors from several countries and more than two dozen cities and states during the historic April 8 total solar eclipse.
They include Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Mexico, Maryland, California, South Dakota, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Washington, New York, Washington, D.C., New Jersey, Louisiana, North Carolina, Arizona, Utah, Oregon, New Mexico and more.
“We are thankful for all the visitors who journeyed to our city to witness the awe-inspiring spectacle of the total solar eclipse,” City Manager Kent Cagle said. “Their presence added to the vibrant energy of our community, and we hope the memories they made here will be cherished for a lifetime. As we wish them safe journeys home, we also thank our citizens for adhering to our recommendation to enjoy the eclipse from their homes and neighborhoods.”
Mayor Debbie Nash-King issued a disaster declaration on April 2, announcing that the proactive measure was not meant to instill fear or panic, but rather was a procedural method to ensure the City is fully prepared to handle any contingencies that may occur.
Killeen’s population of 160,000+ was projected to nearly double during the weekend of the total solar eclipse, but early numbers indicate that many residents took the City’s advice to stay off of the roads and stock up on enough gasoline and groceries for four days.
The City’s Convention and Visitors Bureau will not get final hotel occupancy data for April until mid May. Preliminary data shows that some reservations were canceled due to weather forecasts, but hotel occupancy still remained higher than usual. April sales tax revenue information will not be received until June.
The City’s premiere Picnic in the Park event at Lions Club Park boasted about 1,300 registered guests and hundreds more who viewed from the park at no charge (and did not receive the items of those who registered).
Killeen’s Aviation department reports that the Killeen Regional Airport had one charter flight and three private flights that canceled arrival, due to weather. At Skylark Field, four of 25 reservations for small general aviation aircraft arrived.
The Killeen Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management oversaw an Emergency Operations Center from Friday – Sunday with minimal staffing, monitoring traffic, special events, calls for service, neighboring city partners, and severe weather, etc. On Monday, the day of the total solar eclipse, the EOC was fully staffed through the end of the business day, fielding calls from out of state visitors, etc.
Peter Perez, Director of the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, said the disaster declaration, “Assisted our teams in our coordination and collaboration efforts with the Texas Division of Emergency Management. If state assistance was needed, having this declaration in place shortens the time frame needed of those resources being deployed. State resources were also mobilized around the eclipse path in the state to better respond if requested by locals. Activating the Emergency Operations Center also gave staff the opportunity to test processes and procedures in a non-emergency event environment to better prepare for an emergency incident.”
The City also partnered with Central Texas College, as they hosted a full weekend, packed with eclipse events and welcomed hundreds of visitors, as well.
Many visitors praised the City of Killeen for the wealth of information on the City’s eclipse webpage, www.KilleenTexas.gov/Eclipse, where travelers were happy to get necessary updates and information to prepare for their trips.
Videos and photos from the event are on our YouTube channel and social media platforms below:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5gxrRyJQ-D/?igsh=MTNjN2NzZzFmeGcwcA==
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/7wTK9dCExtZNSvPF/?mibextid=oFDknk
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/3zyfT9QMDBdgeqBG/?mibextid=oFDknk
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/tVSPA1nPYJCLkm5e/?mibextid=oFDknk
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/ZFK9J1CFBotCJ887/?mibextid=oFDknk
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/UsEPeeXaH1WGZVdS/?mibextid=oFDknk