Holcomb signs eclipse emergency response order

(INDIANA CAPITAL CHRONICLE) — Gov. Eric Holcomb on Wednesday signed a disaster order letting Indiana call on a nationwide aid compact should the upcoming eclipse stress the state’s emergency response systems.

Indiana expects hundreds of thousands of visitors for the April 8 event, plus plenty of in-state travel.

Officials anticipate “widespread and significant impact” on Indiana’s “critical infrastructure systems,” including for communication, emergency response and transportation, according to the order.

Holcomb said that could cause a “technological or other emergency.” His disaster emergency order lets the Indiana Department of Homeland Security “enlist the support” of members of the nationwide Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) to “ensure statewide preparedness.”

The EMAC, dubbed the “nation’s all-hazards mutual aid system,” has been ratified by all 50 states, the District of Columbia and a variety of American territories, according to its website.

The order also authorizes DHS’ leader to coordinate any needed assistance with other local, state and federal agencies.

The order is immediately effective and ends April 9.

Holcomb and state lawmakers have previously clashed over such orders. He repeatedly renewed a statewide disaster declaration during the pandemic with little pushback from lawmakers, who convened multiple times during the statewide emergency. But they’ve held a grudge, approving new restrictions four years after the fact this session.

A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and Earth, and completely blocks the face of the much larger sun. Hoosiers won’t be in another total solar eclipse’s path of totality until 2099.