Officials estimate the event could bring up to a million people to the tourism hub, and are anticipating traffic jams, possible fuel shortages and telecommunication outages
Tourists on the American side of Niagara Falls take photos in Niagara Falls, N.Y., on March 29. Ontario's Niagara Region has declared a state of emergency as it readies to welcome up to a million visitors for the solar eclipse in early April.
Officials expect hundreds of thousands of visitors to flock to the region to catch a glimpse of the rare celestial event. Niagara Falls and the surrounding communities are squarely in the path of the eclipse, and will experience around 3½ minutes of total eclipse on the afternoon of April 8.Globe Climate: How to get ready for the total solar eclipse on April 8
“For traffic, the volume will be enormous,” he added. “It will be very difficult to get a fire truck or an ambulance or a police car. So we’re going to try to proactively position them in strategic locations that are accessible. We’ll have medical stations, porta-potties. We’re trying to think of everything.”The regional government, which includes Niagara Falls, St. Catharines, Welland and a number of smaller cities, has asked the province’s helicopter ambulance service to be on alert.
“If this event was happening in Toronto, it has resources available to it,” Prof. Agrawal said. “Niagara will have to ask Toronto to help, so why not ask in advance?”
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