National Guard, FEMA were activated for a prior eclipse, contrary to viral claim | Fact check
The claim: National Guard, FEMA, hazmat teams were never activated for a solar eclipse before 2024
A March 29 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) claims the government's preparation for the April 8 total solar eclipse is unprecedented.
“Never before has the National Guard, FEMA and HAZMAT been activated for a solar eclipse! What is going on?” text in the post reads.
It was shared more than 4,000 times in six days. Similar versions accumulated hundreds of additional shares.
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Our rating: False
Similar preparations took place in 2017 when Oregon National Guard soldiers were deployed, and four Federal Emergency Management Agency regional centers across the country were activated ahead of a total solar eclipse that year. The hazmat team involved in the April 8 preparations is part of the National Guard's response, not a separate entity.
Oregon National Guard, regional FEMA centers activated before 2017 eclipse
Officials in the 15 states located in the 115-mile-wide path of totality of the April 8 total solar eclipse expect millions of tourists. Concerns that visitors could jam highways, overload cellphone networks and overwhelm public safety resources led leaders in some places to take preemptive actions that include emergency declarations and requests for help from the National Guard.
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But the claim in the Facebook post is false. Those types of eclipse preparations have happened before – in August 2017, the last time a total solar eclipse crossed the U.S.
Kate Brown, at the time the governor of Oregon, declared a state of emergency on Aug. 14, 2017 – seven days before the eclipse – and authorized the guard in that state to deploy soldiers to assist local authorities. Six aircraft and 150 guard members were assigned, Military Times reported, and units helped manage traffic along two U.S. highways, according to an analysis of traffic data during the eclipse.
Additionally, guard members in South Carolina were on standby, according to a guard announcement.
The claim is also wrong in regards to FEMA, which announced on Aug. 18 of that year that it activated four regional response coordination centers – in Bothell, Washington; Chicago; Denver; and Kansas City, Missouri – and placed them at an enhanced watch or reporting level. It also deployed liaison officers to several states to help with communication, planning and operational readiness.
The post mentions a hazmat team being activated before the April 8 eclipse. But that development falls under the umbrella of the specific unit of the Oklahoma National Guard – the 63rd Civil Support Team – being sent to one county, not the deployment of a separate entity. Members of that unit will handle hazmat emergencies that require specialized training, keeping local first responders free to help residents and tourists, according to an announcement from the guard.
The poster also included in the comments a link to a news story that seemingly undermines the root of the claim about the purportedly unprecedented nature of the preparations for the April 8 event.
“There have been people online claiming this is an overreaction along the lines of ‘We didn't have these kinds of warnings in 2017/some previous eclipse and everything was fine!’” a paragraph in the March 25 IFLScience article states. “To which the answer is: yes we did, and no it wasn't. Ahead of the 2017 eclipse, local government planned for an increase in visitors, but traffic congestion was still a problem.”
The April 8 eclipse has spawned a significant amount of misinformation online. Among the claims USA TODAY has debunked include assertions that it will result in multiple days of darkness and that Earth, the moon and the sun are not scheduled to be aligned that day.
USA TODAY reached out to the Facebook user who shared the post but did not immediately receive a response.
Our fact-check sources:
Office of the Governor, State of Oregon, Aug. 14, 2017, Executive Order No. 17-14
Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives (ScienceDirect), Feb. 1, 2022, The 2017 total solar eclipse in the United States: Traffic management and lessons learned
Military Times, April 3, Guard units may assist with solar eclipse tourists facing dark times
National Guard, Aug. 10, 2017, South Carolina National Guard, other states, prepare for total eclipse
Oklahoma National Guard, March 18, Oklahoma National Guard to assist McCurtain County amid influx of eclipse tourism
Federal Emergency Management Agency, Aug. 18, 2017, FEMA Provides Tips on How to Plan Ahead For the Aug. 21 Solar Eclipse
IFL Science, March 25, National Guard To Provide HAZMAT Response During The Total Solar Eclipse
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: FEMA, National Guard were activated for 2017 eclipse | Fact check