Dallas prepares for spike in visitors ahead of eclipse [Video]

Dallas police and Dallas Fire-Rescue are working with other departments across the region as visitors start arriving this weekend for Monday’s eclipse. The city will activate its emergency operations center.

“The Office of Emergency Management has been coordinating efforts between city, county, regional, and state partners to prepare for this event,” Dallas Director of Emergency Management Travis Houston said. “Our focus has primarily been around how we’re going to communicate with the public as well as what the impacts might be to public safety on that day.”

City Council member Gay Donnell Willis said she and Houston have talked about the potential number of visitors. In 2017, she said the population of Nashville increased by 35% when an eclipse was visible there.

“If you want to translate that to Dallas, Texas, that’s about 400,000 people coming to our city,” she said. “What this means is people are going to be …