Niagara Falls declares ‘state of emergency’ ahead of solar eclipse viewing
Canada’s Niagara region has declared a state of emergency as it prepares for an estimated one million tourists to descend on the area for an imminent total solar eclipse.
Niagara Falls, situated on the US border, is along the path of totality for the eclipse, making it one of the best places to view the rare event on April 8.
In preparation for the influx of visitors, Jim Bradley, Niagara Region chairman, declared a state of emergency “out of an abundance of caution” to prepare for this “once-in-a-lifetime event”.
The declaration, which came into effect on Thursday, “strengthens the tools the region has at its disposal to safeguard the health and safety of residents and visitors and protect our critical infrastructure in any scenario that might arise”.
Mr Bradley went on: “The spotlight will be on Niagara as thousands of visitors join us to share in this once-in-a-lifetime event, and we will be ready to shine.”
Jim Diodati, the mayor of the Ontario city of Niagara Falls, predicted “by far the biggest crowd that we’ve ever had” on the Canadian side of the popular waterfall for the eclipse.
Mr Diodati estimated that up to a million people will be there that day - usually 14 million typically visit during the course of a year.
The region will be modifying some of its programmes and services and closing some facilities to keep traffic off the roads on the big day.
Phil Gavin, Niagara Regional Police Service constable, told Global News: “As you can imagine, there is a finite amount of space, whether it be for vehicles or what have you in Niagara.
“Certainly, the consideration is that we may exceed that limit, so we’re certainly doing as much planning as we can.”
