LORAIN COUNTY, Ohio — The Elyria Township Fire Department is asking residents to stay home for the total solar eclipse on April 8.
Captain Thomas Elliott told 3News they're expecting thousands of visitors in their area and are planning ahead.
"It's not going to be normal," Elliott said
Last week, 3News' Neil Fischer reported on Summit County's preparations, which included officials advising residents to stay home.
"It's great that this is happening," Elliott admitted, but safety is a top priority.
The department typically staffs three people per day, but plan to increase that by 500% for the eclipse.
"We're looking for around that weekend, and especially the day of, to try to go to as many as 15," Elliott said. "May be a little bit overzealous in that, but we're going to try to get as many people staffed as we can."
The department released the following statement on its website:
"On Monday, April 8, 2024, at approximately 3:15 p.m., people within a 124-mile band in Ohio will experience a Total Solar Eclipse. An event such as this has increased the population of this area by 300,000-600,000 people. The entire eclipse will take about two hours. Yes, we will be dark for about three minutes, but folks will be here early and will be looking up from 2 p.m. until after 4 p.m. It will be crazy especially after the event is over.
"Elyria Township is responsible for protecting our residents and visitors to our community. Therefore, we have joined forces with our communities to maintain our services during this event. We are still in the planning phase, which will continue until the day of the event.
"To properly prepare for this event, it is essential first to prepare our residents. In these early stages, we can pass along information that we have.
"Past events have shown spectators will trickle in throughout the weekend of April 5th, 6th, and 7th. This may or may not cause traffic congestion.
"Spectators will be utilizing stores, restaurants, gas stations, hotels, and other small businesses, showing a significant increase in business. All hotels within 100 miles have been reported as completely booked.
"The number of spectators to attend this event depends on the predicted weather.
"With an increased population, cell phones, the internet, and other services may be overwhelmed. We anticipate our most significant problem to be on April 8th following the eclipse. History has shown that most spectators will immediately attempt to leave the area. This event, given good weather, will bring traffic to a crawl. This will increase response times and possibly block our crews from responding to emergencies involving our residents and their homes. For this reason, we are attempting to add extra manpower for the duration of this event.
"It is in the best interest of our residents to prepare for this event in the weeks prior. This includes stocking food, picking up prescriptions the week before, keeping your cell phone battery charged, and scheduling all appointments before or after the event's weekend.
"PLAN TO STAY HOME IF POSSIBLE!
"If you plan to view this event, please get the best eye protection for you and your family. Solar eclipse glasses are available online and may be available at local retail outlets as we get closer to the event.
"Like most Fire Departments in this area, we will plan for the worst and hope for the best. We would rather over-prepare than explain to our residents why we were underprepared. We will always exhaust all measures to keep our residents and visitors safe. I encourage our residents to research this event online and its effects on local communities in the past."