In the United States, hundreds of thousands of people will travel to the cities and towns selected by experts as prime viewing locations for the April 8 solar eclipse.
As Oklahoma is in the line of totality, when the moon completely blocks out the sun, the National Guard has decided to deploy to the state to assist local authorities and citizens with the expected surge of visitors.
Nonetheless, a flurry of dubious social media posts ensued following a local allegation that an elite chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear unit would oversee the event.
More than 3.2 million people have watched a TikTok video that user WFFnews uploaded on March 15. The video shows a local newspaper article about a state of emergency in Oklahoma regarding the eclipse. It states that Broken Bow will serve as a base for 110–150 Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers and 22 members of an elite CBRN group.
Their other advice is for people to fill up their gas tanks and have a food supply for at least a week or two before the catastrophe. Additionally, they have mentioned that communication facilities would be overwhelmed, which might make cell phone calls problematic.
Similar news releases and conspiracy theories are being sent to various regional first responders.
The articles in the viral videos were first published in the McCurtain Gazette, a daily newspaper covering McCurtain County in Oklahoma. Idabel is located in this county, and according to NASA, it will be one of the thirteen greatest places in the United States to view the complete eclipse.
A division of the National Guard in Oklahoma, the 63rd Civil Support Team, is prepared to offer specialized assistance in scenarios involving high-yield explosives, chemical, biological, nuclear, or radioactive hazards.