TOLEDO, Ohio — You've got your glasses and you may be planning for your kids to be off school, but are you really ready for what is coming on April 8?
The total solar eclipse our region will experience that day is literally a once-in-a-lifetime event. The last such eclipse happened in 1806 and the next one won't be until 2099.
Local excitement is running high with many eclipse-themed events and watch parties planned. But even beyond that, it is important to remember that eclipse watchers from around the world are expected to converge in our region to experience the event — and we're not talking about a small crowd.
The population of Lucas County is expected to double to 860,000 people when eclipse-watchers arrive. These are people who will be booking hotel rooms, filling restaurants, creating traffic and more.
State emergency-management officials who have been planning for the eclipse for many months are urging local residents to think about a few other ways in which the eclipse — and the hundreds of thousands of people coming here to experience it — will affect our lives.
For those who remember the partial eclipse of 2017, Anita Stechschulte, an Ohio emergency management specialist, said this year's event will likely be nothing like that in terms of the crowds, traffic and other impacts.
Instead, officials are looking to communities that experienced totality during that 2017 eclipse, the closest of which was in Bowling Green, Ky., for examples of what to expect.
The path of totality for the April 8 eclipse will stretch from Texas to Maine in the United States. But our location in the Midwest makes northwest Ohio a prime location for eclipse watchers in the entire northeastern United States. Getting here is a relatively quick drive for many eclipse watchers who live just outside the path.
Because April 8 is a Monday, officials expect that visitors coming for the event will likely begin arriving our region on Friday, April 5, she said. Some may head home as soon as the eclipse is over on Monday, but some may plan to travel on Tuesday.
The Ohio Department of Transportation is preparing to have all "all hands on deck" starting the Friday before eclipse through the morning of Wednesday, April 10. The crews will be strategically stationed to help minimize impacts of the influx of drivers, said Rhonda Pees, the regional public information officer for ODOT.
"We've developed a list of equipment that we want, that we think each truck should have to be able to respond to any incidents that would happen on the highway like road flares, brooms to get any debris off the roadway," Pees said.
The trucks will also have extra fuel to help if anyone gets stranded.
If you don't need to travel, Pees suggests staying at home. If you do travel, she said people should have a paper map if they are not familiar with the area. Cell towers may be blocked with the amount of people using them.
Drivers should not stop on the side of the interstate to look at the eclipse, she said. This should be reserved for emergencies. People should plan to be in a set location before the eclipse so they can safely stop.
The department will not start any new construction projects during the time near the eclipse to ensure that roads are as open as possible.
Tips for being prepared:
- Gas up before Friday, April 5, which is when we expect many eclipse visitors to begin arriving in town
- Get to the grocery store before Friday
- Make sure you have prescription medications refilled before Friday
- If you can, avoid scheduling a medical appointment for April 8
Tips for businesses:
- Consider rescheduling deliveries -- especially for sensitive materials -- for a day other than Monday. If a traffic jam happens, you won't want the truck stuck on the side of the road for hours
- Does your company rely on security provided by off-duty law enforcement officers? Most will likely be required to work their primary job that day, making them unavailable to your business
- Does your company employee people who also serve as volunteer firefighters? Consider freeing up their schedule so they can be available to help the fire department that day
- Workers will likely want to experience the eclipse outdoors. Plan ahead so they can have a scheduled break during the time of totality
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