ALLEN COUNTY, OH (WLIO) - We are one week away from the total solar eclipse, and Allen County EMA continues to review and fine-tune its action plan for that day.
Allen County is double-checking its communication plan and making sure all the T's are crossed and the I's are dotted for the big day. EMA director Tom Berger says that officials have been meeting since November 2021 to develop their plan for the April 8th eclipse. Since Allen County is in the path of totality, officials are planning that an additional 100,000 people could come to see the moon block the sun.
"We are anticipating up to a doubling of the population here in the county," says Berger. "Making sure that our plans are in place and we are ready to make sure that all of our visitors here are safe and first responders can respond in the event of an emergency as well."
Officials have talked to other parts of the United States that have been in the path of totality to develop their plan, plus they continue to think about other issues that could arise with this many visitors. But one major issue that is on their minds is traffic.
"We have some options in place to be able to help our first responders get around the county if the roads are congested," adds Berger. "And we know just the influx of people out and around the fairgrounds is going to be an issue for us too. We have some options to be visible out there, and have some good visibility on the roadways to be able to respond appropriately."
Cell phone towers could be overwhelmed if Allen County gets a large number of people, but 9-1-1 calls will get priority to handle any emergencies.
