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As eclipse chasers prepare their journey into the path of totality, law enforcement and local governments in Western New York are working behind the scenes to maintain order amid the astrological madness.
According to a New York State Police spokesperson, at least half a million revelers, perhaps even a million, are expected to flock to the area, primarily in Niagara Falls and Erie County, on Monday for the event. based on hotel reservations and data from previous eclipses elsewhere. Private James O’Callahan.
But data collected on the day of the event, such as information collected from tolls, could show even higher participation. State police, along with local police, park police and the Department of Transportation, have been planning for the influx of visitors for more than a year.
About 150 additional state troopers will be brought in from neighboring areas to control traffic and crowds, O’Callahan said. Drones and boats will be deployed “to make sure we protect the waterways as well, not just for the people themselves but from the possibility of a threat.”
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Any chaos during the event – along with four minutes of reduced visibility during the eclipse itself – could present an opportunity for criminals. But most area businesses will close that day and Western New York is well prepared, O’Callahan said.
“With the number of police officers that will be in and around the area, we don’t think that will be a problem,” he told Fox News Digital this week. “If you’re going to do something ridiculous, you’re going to get caught.”
Impacted cell phone service, traffic jams, and reduced mobility of first responders in the event of an emergency are potential dangers. The Niagara region, on the Canadian side of the falls, declared a state of emergency for April 8 in light of those concerns.
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Cell phone providers on the US side of the Falls will be taking steps to improve service and while service may still be slow for large media downloads, calls and texts are expected to continue successfully throughout the day . There will also be more paramedics and firefighters available throughout the region, she said.
A large part of the preparation for the event involved analyzing previous eclipse events. That included places like Oregon in August 2017, where masses of traffic took more than 20 hours to clear in some places as tourists traveled to and from their watch locations.
O’Callahan said authorities aim to get people off the road during the two-hour event. In Kentucky, during the 2017 eclipse, a person died after being hit by a car while looking at the sky in an inappropriate location.
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Using special glasses to view the eclipse while driving could also pose a danger on the road, he said.
The region is well equipped to handle waves of out-of-towners, and the city’s entertainment district and famous Niagara Falls waterfall receive between 7 million and 9 million visitors each summer, a spokesman for Mayor Robert Restaino told Fox News Digital. .
But because the event is condensed into a short period, April 8 will pose unique challenges.
“It’s unique, given the fact that it’s for all ages, not just one age,” O’Callahan said. “We’re attracting so many people from so many places with so many different characteristics… it’s just one of those things that if you live close enough, it’s one of those things you might only see once in your life.”
“Actually, we are advocating that people not leave immediately once the entirety is completed, (but) that they stay, like when you tailgate at a football game. (This is to) let the traffic go ; sit back and enjoy the entertainment. That will be there to make it easier to get out,” said the Niagara Falls mayor’s spokesperson, mentioning that area vendors, musicians and nightly fireworks would be available.
Totality will cast a twilight-like shadow over the cities of Buffalo, Rochester, Niagara Falls, Syracuse, Watertown and Massena. Before the eclipse reaches Vermont, the Adirondacks region of New York will be the last to see a total solar eclipse.
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