Seneca County is anticipating roughly 10,000 visitors for the April 8th solar eclipse. The county’s Office of Emergency Management released details of its preparation for the event in less than two weeks. You can read that information below:
“After thorough and comprehensive collaboration with our highway, law enforcement, fire, and EMS partners, the Seneca County Office of Emergency Management is prepared to welcome thousands of visitors to our region for the Total Solar Eclipse occurring on April 8, 2024. Western New York and the Finger Lakes region expect 300,000 to 500,000 visitors, with Seneca County expecting roughly 10,000 or more visitors as the county is in the direct path of totality.
The eclipse will begin partially at about 2:07 pm and end at 3:24 pm, with the total eclipse beginning between 3:20:43 pm and 3:22:22 pm, depending on where you are located within the county.
While our office has been planning for this event for the past year, we ask for your patience as we coordinate and monitor expected traffic congestion on our roadways and urge residents to prepare themselves accordingly. Please understand that this effort will include a significant increase in the presence of public safety personnel. It is recommended that if you are traveling for the Eclipse, you do so on a full tank of gas with drinking water and any
necessary medications. To facilitate orderly traffic flow, we also ask that you pick a permitted parking spot and park there for the duration of the Eclipse. If possible, we suggest that our residents do not schedule appointments on April 8th, avoid all unnecessary travel, and shop for groceries and necessities, such as medicines, a week or so prior to that date.
We also urge residents to obtain proper viewing glasses, as viewing a solar eclipse can be damaging to their eyes if not done safely. Sunglasses will not offer the needed protection.
Additionally, if you have not already done so, you can sign up for our Hyper-Reach notification system for any public safety-related alerts at https://signup.hyper-reach.com/hyper_reach/sign_up_page_2/?id=51683
