Officials focusing on public safety ahead of eclipse
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) - We are just 60 days away from the total solar eclipse.
Wednesday, first responders met for a safety planning meeting, finalizing details for the event that’s expected to draw 10′s of thousands of people to the area.
“Each meeting more people come to the table with more information, which is great,” said Explore Evansville CEO Alexis Berggren. “At this point I think we are checking the boxes on some details, which is a great place to be.”
First and foremost comes safety. More people in the area means increased traffic and slower cell service. First responders are combating that with extra patrols and mobile command posts.
But some safety can’t be controlled. Our own 14 first alert meteorologist Arden Gregory has been chosen as the official eclipse meteorologist. She says first responders need to be ready with contingency plans in the event of severe weather.
Another safety issue at hand is how to manage big crowds.
To prepare, first responders are bringing out plans they’ve used many times before.
“We’ll just put together our 4th of July traffic plan,” said Evansville Police Lt. Jason Thomas. “We’ve already done that before, we know what to do, we know what streets to block off.”
That means Riverside will be shut down from Court to Cherry. Berggren says that will allow for a festival style event in the heart of downtown. But after the the sun reappears, first responders turn their focus to getting people home safe.
Thomas says it typically takes about 30 officers and 45 minutes to clear people out after July 4th festivities downtown, he’s expecting the same for the eclipse.
No matter what you do, there’s gonna be a lot of traffic on eclipse day, but officials are doing their best to keep things moving.
Most area schools are closed that day to keep busses off roads. They’re also encouraging people to get their optional trips like grocery trips and doctors appointments done before eclipse day.
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