AUSTIN (KXAN) — For many Central Texas counties, the eclipse experience went “better than expected.”
“We didn’t have any issues,” said Lampasas County Judge Randal Hoyer. “It was a magnificent eclipse.”
KXAN Investigates checked in with nearly 20 county judges. More than a dozen, and Austin 311, reported zero formal complaints filed following the eclipse. While we previously found sky-high hotel prices, the main concern Monday was traffic.
“It’s a lot of people all leaving at the same time,” said Matt Purcell, who was stuck in traffic on the way out of the eclipse festival in Burnet County. “Tens of thousands of people.”
Milam and Lee Counties reported heavy traffic jams. So did Blanco, where officials say “less than a hundred” motorists called the county “frustrated.”
Crowds not as ‘intense’ as anticipated
Travis County Judge Andy Brown — who, along with other county judges issued an emergency declaration prior the eclipse — said it “seemed like everything went really well” during Commissioners Court on Tuesday. Photos were shown of traffic hot spots, which officials anticipated and likened to “rush hour.”
Officials said preparation and planning paid off.
“If we had not prepared,” said Travis County Chief Emergency Management Coordinator Eric Carter, “what we did experience would have been a challenge.”
Carter noted a “pretty moderate” level of traffic and crowds across Texas’ path of totality.
“Overall, the eclipse operation, you’re right it went well,” said Travis County Chief Emergency Management Coordinator Eric Carter. “I think we all benefited as a community from the … weather forecast. We had 24-48 hours of notice and warning that it might be a potential for clouds, rain. I think that mitigated some of the rush of folks coming in potentially. We did have some crowds here but they weren’t as intense as we anticipated.”
The county will conduct a survey to review its planning and see what went well, what didn’t and how departments can “continue to improve in the future,” Carter said.
County judges reflect on eclipse
KXAN reached out to 18 county judges to get their reflection on how things went. Of the 14 that responded, all said no formal complaints were filed.
KXAN did not immediately hear back from officials in Burnet, Hays, Kendall and Kerr County. We will update this article when we do. Here’s a sampling from the counties that shared an update on how things went:
- Austin 311: “Austin 311 does not have service requests set up to take complaints regarding the eclipse. However, I completed a search for Austin Transportation and Public Works Department’s Parking Violation Enforcement service request and searched the requests with the keyword, ‘eclipse.’ I could not find any service requests for the search I made,” said Public Information Specialist Marisa Potter.
- Bell: “I don’t have any numbers that I can share. I checked with our Emergency Management Coordinator several times during the day and he reported no significant issues. The day was uneventful …from [an] emergency management point of view,” said County Judge David Blackburn.
- Blanco: The county judge’s office said while there were traffic backups, it went “better than expected.” EMS Chief Ben Oakley said there were no formal complaints but “less than 100” people called the county “frustrated” with traffic.
- Caldwell: “At this time, it would appear that Caldwell County officials received no such complaints,” said Director of Communications Miles Smith.
- Fayette: There were “no problems with traffic.” I-10 was “relatively light.”
- Gillespie: “My office has received no complaints related to the eclipse,” said County Judge Daniel Jones.
- Lampasas: Crowds were “down significantly” and not what was “anticipated.” County Judge Randal Hoyer said: “We didn’t have any issues … it was a magnificent eclipse … it was a good day.”
- Lee: Traffic was “pretty rough,” according to the county judge’s office. Giddings Police took control of traffic lights and tried their best to keep the flow going. While it was “inevitable it wasn’t going to be perfect,” no complaints were filed.
- Mason: The county judge’s office said the county received “very positive” feedback. “Everything ran very smoothly. We were definitely inundated.” The only concerns their office was aware of involved the city park charging for admission. “People didn’t think that was necessary.”
- Milam: “The eclipse went well here in Milam County. We had several visitors from as far away as Sweden who came in early and spent time with us at our Jubilee Days event. They were made BBQ cookoff judges, enjoyed the rodeo, and then stayed for the music as well. Downtown Cameron was packed with visitors with the new venues open and chair[s] laid out all over the town square. Traffic prior to the event was not too bad; however, following the eclipse the traffic was heavy on the major highways into the evening as folks made their way back towards Houston and other points south and east of the area. Our Emergency Management group was located in the Emergency Operations Center and the first responders were well prepared for whatever might happen. But all in all, we had an enjoyable day here in Milam County with only some minor traffic issues on the major highways,” said County Judge Bill Whitmire.
- San Saba: Everything went “very smoothly,” according to the county judge’s office.
- Travis: There were “only a few traffic delays that weren’t out of the ordinary. No complaints on price gouging or any other issues,” Judge Andy Brown’s office said.
KXAN previously reported “price gouging” protections did not apply to the eclipse because a state of emergency was never declared by the governor or president. We reached out to Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office to see if they received any complaints. Unfortunately, for months, Paxton’s office has repeatedly ignored our requests for comment.
KXAN filed a public records request to see what, if any, complaints were made statewide.