Arkansas Governor, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, has declared a state of emergency ahead of the highly anticipated 2024 solar eclipse. The announcement was made in a press release, where Governor Sanders stated that funds from the Response and Recovery Fund have been released to ensure the smooth transportation of essential items during the eclipse.

To alleviate potential hardships caused by the expected increase in travel to Arkansas, the state government aims to support the transportation of crucial supplies by commercial carriers. These items include groceries, pharmacy items, medical equipment, goods, commodities, fuel, poultry, livestock, and feed.

A.J. Gary, the director of the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management, expressed fuel costs as the primary concern leading to the declaration. To address this, the state of emergency allows fuel trucks to operate for extended hours, ensuring local service stations remain fueled throughout the eclipse event.

In response to the situation, an executive order (E.O. 24-04) has been issued, formally declaring the state of emergency for the upcoming eclipse. The order appropriates $100,000 from the Governor's Disaster Response and Recovery Fund to cover program and administrative costs, with oversight by the director of the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management.

Gary emphasized that the funding stream is crucial for operational expenses, stating, "Any time we do a state of emergency, we have to have a funding stream to operate the state emergency operations center and to be able to quickly get into any resource that we might need to gear." He further assured that no additional resources would need to be purchased in this incident.

The state of emergency will remain in effect until April 10, as mentioned in the release. In preparation for potential issues during the eclipse, crews in various Arkansas counties are on standby and closely monitoring the situation.

With this proactive approach, Governor Sanders and the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management aim to facilitate a smooth and successful solar eclipse experience for residents and visitors alike.