CLEVELAND — Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb and other Northeast Ohio leaders held a press conference on Thursday afternoon to discuss preparations for the April 8 total solar eclipse.
During the press conference, officials shared news, updates and tips on how to prepare for the total solar eclipse as large crowds are expected to come to Northeast Ohio.
“For Cuyahoga County, it’s a special occasion to be at the center of all of this. As the Mayor said, we are expecting upwards of a couple hundred thousand people when you add in the sporting events that are happening the same day on April 8 and when you add in the other things like coming right off the Women's Final Four on that Sunday just before the Monday of the solar eclipse. We expect to have a good crowd of people here in Greater Cleveland,” said Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne.
Here are things that officials want you to know ahead of the solar eclipse:
FINDING THE RIGHT SOLAR ECLIPSE GLASSES
Dr. James Kenyon, Director of NASA's Glenn Research Center noted that it is not safe to look directly at the solar eclipse without some sort of eye protection. However, when getting solar eclipse glasses, it is essential that they have an “ISO” marking on them in order to meet the ISO 12312-2 standard.
Here are some “trustworthy sources” to get solar eclipse glasses, according to Dr. Kenyon:
Museums
Libraries
Vendors listed on the American Astronautical Society's website
SAFETY DURING THE ECLIPSE
Law enforcement officials are asking the public to say something if they see something during the solar eclipse events in downtown Cleveland in order to keep the public safe.
“We have a lot of things in place, but we need our biggest partner, which is the public, to let us know if something doesn’t look right,” said Sheriff Harold Pretel.
Cleveland's Interim Safety Director, Wayne Drummond, shared what visitors need to do ahead of time in order to be prepared:
Have breakfast, lunch and dinner packed because of the congestion that is expected
Those driving in the area should have a full tank of gas and their electric vehicles charged
Cell phones should be charged sufficiently
Allow extra time for getting to work due to expected traffic
The full press conference can be watched below:
UNIFICATION CENTERS
Law enforcement officials are asking families to come up with a plan ahead of the solar eclipse. Officials are offering tips such as writing parents' phone numbers on their children or having them wear an air tag tracker to keep track of their location.
Additionally, the city of Cleveland will have three unification centers open during the solar eclipse:
- DOWNTOWN: Tower City Center
- WEST SIDE OF CLEVELAND: Our Lady of Mount Carmel
- EAST SIDE OF CLEVELAND: Fifth District Cleveland Police headquarters
“We want to make sure everyone has a good time. This is really exciting for us. I’m really proud of the effort of our Division of Police, EMS, fire, and Emergency Operations Center for all of the planning that has gone into place," said Drummond.
The press conference came just two days after the city of Cleveland announced its safety plans, asking travelers to plan ahead as there will be many road closures and parking restrictions on April 8. A list of road closures can be found HERE.
The following individuals spoke during the press conference:
- Mayor Justin M. Bibb
- Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne
- Dr. Kirsten M. Ellenbogen, President and CEO, Great Lakes Science Center
- Dr. James A. Kenyon, Director, NASA’s Glenn Research Center
- Cuyahoga County Sheriff Harold Pretel
- Mark Christie, Cuyahoga County Emergency Manager
- Interim Safety Director Wayne A. Drummond, City of Cleveland
- Traffic Commissioner Gordon Holmes, City of Cleveland
- Joel Freilich, GCRTA Director, Service Management
2024 SOLAR ECLIPSE TIMELINE
- Eclipse starts: 1:59 p.m.
- Totality begins: 3:13 p.m.
- Maximum totality: 3:15 p.m.
- Totality ends: 3:17 p.m.
- Eclipse ends: 4:28 p.m.