I wondered about this too. Everything is a crisis or an emergency lately. I wonder if they're just doing it to get tax money or emergency services. It's either a money thing or a psyop or possibly a little of both.
It does seem like they're trying to make the general public afraid of everything and it's really getting out of control now.
This wasn't my first eclipse either, and I never remember them making such an issue of it. They certainly didn't cancel school or declare a state of emergency. These are bizarre times we're living in. People need to start asking themselves what's going on and asking why are they doing it!
Great point about the tax money - it's all a big grift, generally speaking. If they can get a few psyop points out of it, then it's a bonus :-) Thanks for commenting!