TOLEDO, Ohio — The total solar eclipse is just days away and cities and counties in northwest Ohio are getting ready for their population to quickly rise.
Wood County Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn wants the public to know that his deputies are ready for the large numbers of people expected to travel through the area for this event.
"So, we have great infrastructure in Wood County; we have I-75 with three lanes throughout the county. We have another state route, 25, a beautiful 4-lane going through the county. Even if our traffic doubles, our roads can handle the doubling of traffic," Sheriff Wasylyshyn said. "We are not going to have gridlock, we are not going to run out of gas."
Wood County has an extra hands-on workforce due to schools being canceled for the eclipse.
Additionally, more dispatchers will be working leading up to the eclipse to account for the uptick in people projected to be in Wood County. This would help to alleviate some of the staffing pressure.
"So far as my office is concerned, the schools are closed. We have three DSROs (Designated School Resource Officers) who will be available to assist with any traffic issues. I have four civil deputies who will be there that day, plus all of us administration people. In addition to all the deputies, we are all on the road, and the sky is not falling," Sheriff Wasylyshyn said.
He further encourages the public to safely enjoy the historical solar eclipse event.
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