Eclipse 2017 & IEEE-USA MOVE Support

WLOSAugust 23 Update – After supporting Red Cross efforts and The Western Carolina Regional Airport, IEEE-USA’s MOVE truck headed to Asheville, NC where it was toured by the local community.


August 21 – The Cherokee County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) has requested the assistance of the IEEE-USA MOVE truck at the Western Carolina Regional Airport. The Airport is very busy and land line phones have failed. The team is supplying IP phones for emergency communications.

  • Note: The Red Cross agreed to release the MOVE team from the Safe and Well operation to support the airport operations. 

Planning on viewing today’s eclipse, but you were unable to find solar glasses?

Eclipse Pinhole Projector
Eclipse Pinhole Projector

Looking at the sun essentially cooks your retina.  A few seconds are enough for retinal sunburn.  Be safe and consider creating a pinhole projector.  Here is a link from NASA showing you how to create a simple alternative viewer.  There are other creative ways to create viewers with many household items like a cereal box, for example.

Another alternative is to view the eclipse online. Visit this site for details.

Have fun and be safe!


August 20 – The team is in In Andrews NC parked at the town’s EOC (Emergency Operations Center). Town population is normally 1,800. Last night 18,000 people arrived with estimates of 750,000 for the eclipse on Monday. Cell phone system designed to support 10,000. MOVE is supplying internet, power, and IP phone support to the Red Cross who is providing Safe and Well services to the public. Using our services, the Red Cross can register and search to reunite family members that get separated. Our phone support allows communications between Red Cross teams and Red Cross Headquarters.


August 18, 3:15 pm – The team just picked up the Red Cross equipment in Asheville, NC…headed to Murphy, NC 16 miles southwest of Andrews…They will stay in a Red Cross staff shelter (cot sleeping at its finest) there tonight, and drive back up to Andrews tomorrow…the staff shelter there is the high school.


August 18, 2:04 pm – The IEEE-USA MOVE truck left today with 3 team members to support the RedCross at the Eclipse watching. There are several small towns where they expect to be overrun with eclipse watchers. Cell service is expected to be taxed so MOVE’s satellite communications capabilities will be there to help with health and safety of the eclipse watchers near Andrews NC.


IEEE-USA MOVE is funded by donations like yours.

Your support is greatly appreciated. Please consider helping the MOVE Community Outreach program by donating to the cause.

Interested in volunteering? Please visit our volunteer information page.