Ohio Gov. DeWine says precautions ensure ‘a great day’ in leadup to eclipse

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  • Ohio is taking quite a few precautions in the leadup to Monday’s whole photo voltaic eclipse because it anticipates an inflow of up to 500,000 vacationers.
  • Republican Gov. Mike DeWine has already activated Ohio Emergency Operations Center, efficient Sunday, to put together the Buckeye State to help its communities with any points that will come up in the course of the celestial occasion.
  • “Again, this is simply a precaution. We think it’s smart to be ready,” DeWine mentioned of the measure.

Ohio is pulling out all of the stops for Monday’s whole photo voltaic eclipse, because it braces for probably a whole bunch of hundreds of tourists.

“I have to say, we don’t always get a lot of time leading up to events,” Ohio Emergency Management Agency Director Sima Merick mentioned at a information convention Friday. “Right? So having 200 years in the making has been very beneficial.”

Gov. Mike DeWine has activated the Ohio Emergency Operations Center starting Sunday, in order that it will likely be up and working earlier than, throughout and after Monday’s celestial occasion to assist communities navigate any points that come up.

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Adding someplace between 100,000 and 500,000 vacationers to the state’s present inhabitants may stress authorities companies. He may have the National Guard on standby all through the weekend,” he mentioned.

“Again, this is simply a precaution. We think it’s smart to be ready,” he mentioned.

Mike DeWine

Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine sports a pair of eclipse glasses while talking to reporters at the Ohio Emergency Operations Center in Columbus, Ohio, on Friday, April 5, 2024. DeWine activated the center on Friday to assist communities before, during and after Monday’s total solar eclipse, which could draw hundreds of thousands of tourists to the state. (AP Photo/Julie Carr Smyth)

A host of other state agencies — the state departments of Transportation, Public Safety, Health and Natural Resources, the Ohio State Highway Patrol and the Ohio National Guard — will all be present at the emergency operations centers, and most are also surging resources toward the event.

If emergency officials are viewing the eclipse as they would a major weather event, the Department of Natural Resources is looking at it as if a major fireworks display were taking place in each of its 23 state parks and five wildlife areas all at the same time, director Mary Mertz said. All 300 of the state’s commissioned wildlife officers will be on duty this weekend. Extensive park programming around the eclipse, including hundreds of activities and viewing events, begins Saturday.

Ohio is curtailing highway construction projects headed into Monday, so that maximum lanes are available to accommodate heavy traffic, Transportation Director Jack Marchbanks said. Officials encouraged travelers to pack extra snacks and water, for both themselves and any pets they have along; phone chargers; and paper road maps in case of cell service disruptions.

Besides traffic, eye damage is the other major risk associated with the eclipse. Marchbanks also noted that people should not drive in their eclipse glasses.

Col. Charles Jones of the Ohio State Highway Patrol advised “planning, preparation and persistence” in relation to the eclipse. Stopping along the highway to view the eclipse is both illegal and dangerous, he said.

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Travelers may think about delaying their journeys dwelling for a number of hours after the eclipse, to enable crowds and visitors to dissipate, if not staying in a single day, DeWine mentioned.

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