"Preparing for 2024 Total Solar Eclipse: Tips to Navigate Traffic and Stock Up on Supplies"

Small towns and rural areas along the path of April's total solar eclipse are bracing for huge crowds and disruptions, urging residents and visitors to stock up on groceries, fuel, and provisions, and prepare for traffic delays and potential communication issues. Emergency officials are recommending a "solar eclipse survival bag" with a mobile phone, charger, maps, and compass, while schools in several states are closing or switching to remote learning. Tourism and community leaders are taking measures to avoid a repeat of the chaos experienced during the 2017 eclipse, including trucking in extra fuel and port-a-potties, issuing disaster declarations, and preparing for an influx of visitors at airports and on the water.