SWANTON, Ohio — Fulton County has been preparing for the total solar eclipse on April 8 for over a year, and the visitor's bureau held a meeting Thursday to ready residents for the expected influx of people to the rural area.
"We're going to walk down to the winery so we can be safe," Swanton resident Lillian Thomas said, explaining her plans for the big day.
Julie Brink, director of the visitors bureau, said while most of the county is not in the path of totality, Swanton is and she wants residents to be prepared.
"We are trying to make people aware of what's really going to be happening on April 8," Brink said. "A lot of people I think are complacent because we are northwest Ohio, we are rural, but we could be heavily impacted. Nobody really knows what's going to happen as far as northwest Ohio."
Brink thinks people might be attracted to the area for experiences like camping.
But even for the people who are trying to go to a bigger city, they might get stuck while trying to get through Swanton.
"We anticipate seeing people coming down from Adrian, Lenawee County or other places in Michigan and they may have no choice but to stop here," Brink said.
Both Swanton's police and fire chiefs say it will be all hands on deck if an emergency does arise.
The fire department is looking into partnering with other departments in the state, said Swanton fire chief Cuyler Kepling.
"It's honestly been a hard thing to plan for. It being so close to our area, the concerns are it can tax a lot of our local agencies," he said.
Kepling is working with the Ohio Fire Chief Association to be sure Swanton has backup.
Thomas said she's excited and hopes everyone thinks the solar eclipse is a big deal.
"I think it is because I want to be around for the next one," she said.
Everyone in attendance left with a free pair of eclipse glasses for the big day. Click here for a list of places to get a pair yourself.