Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Many different municipalities across the United States continue preparations for the Total Solar Eclipse to roll through their region come Monday, April 8, along with the massive influx of people into their region to take in the once in a lifetime celestial event.
Some places along the eclipse's Path of Totality are already taking some extra precautions weeks in advance of the event. This includes officials in Bell County in Texas declaring a state of emergency to better prepare themselves for the influx of visitors expected for the eclipse.
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While at an Eclipse Emergency Preparedness Workshop at the Buffalo Convention Center on Thursday, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz says a state of emergency declaration ahead of the Total Solar Eclipse on April 8 is something he is considering.
"I may declare it, just so that we have additional resources that we potentially can put out. We have a lot of resources coming in," said Poloncarz with the assembled media. "You have the ability to declare a state of emergency for, basically, two major things: One, which is an ongoing disaster, or an imminent threat of harm to the public. We don't believe it'll be a disaster, but there could be an imminent threat of harm to the public if we have so many people in the community that just allows us to not do our work as we normally would. It prevents us from getting out there and doing the work that we would like to."
If Poloncarz were to declare a state of emergency for the day of the eclipse, he says it's not something the general public would even notice much.
"It's not like there'd be driving bans, the roads will be open. We want people to traverse on them," Poloncarz explained. "What we're afraid of is there's gonna be so many vehicles on the roads, they're just going to come to a standstill, which is OK unless you have to get someone to the hospital because they had a stroke, heart attack, major injury. That's where the concern [is], because it happens every day in our community. There is not a day in which somebody is not taken to our hospital for a heart attack, for a major injury, a car accident. If the ambulance is stuck on the road and can't get to the individual, and then can't get them to the hospital because our roads are bogged down because there's so much traffic when we could try to control it... someone's life could be at risk."
Poloncarz advises residents to consider treating the Total Solar Eclipse as if it's a major weather emergency, especially if you don't have any plans to be anywhere for the eclipse that afternoon.
"If you think about it, there are a little less than a million people that live in Erie County every day. We're going to double that, probably is what we're hearing, if only for four or five hours. But if we doubled every person in Erie County, doubled every vehicle, it is a serious situation as it pertains to trying to respond to an emergency. So the less people that are on the roads, the better," Poloncarz said.
During Thursday's event at the Convention Center, government officials and others in attendance wanted to get the message across that if you don't have anywhere to be, the best place to watch the eclipse may very well be from the comfort of your own home.
Poloncarz added on Thursday for anyone, especially organizations that want to have a multi-person event, if you haven't already scheduled an event, the recommendation right now is to not move forward with anything.
"We've had hundreds already scheduled all across Erie County. That doesn't include Niagara County, and they've had many as well. And we're asking organizations that if you were planning a multi-person event, don't," he said. "Watch the eclipse from your house, watch the eclipse from your neighborhood, a local public park. But it doesn't make sense now after everything that we've done and gone through in the preparation that we've done."
The same message goes for many local businesses throughout Western New York. Poloncarz feels it's important for them to shut down for the eclipse, if they can.
"This is something that is awe inspiring. People are coming thousands of miles to Buffalo to see this, and I would be very upset to hear that somebody wanted to see the eclipse, but they were stuck inside because the business owner said they had to work and they couldn't even go outside and see it," Poloncarz noted. "Just getting people to-and-from work is not going to be easy. ... Businesses have to use common sense. Yeah, you want to be there, but if your workers want to witness it, if you can't get your people to-and-from work, why even fight it? Our recommendation is close."
Hear more from Thursday's Eclipse Emergency Preparedness Workshop available in the player below: