The Canadian town of Niagara declared a state of emergency to prepare its residents for an unprecedented flood of tourists to the area for Sunday’s solar eclipse.
Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley preemptively made the declaration because it “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.” The region is recommending that locals stock up on gas and groceries and adhere to signage posted for the event.
Additionally, the Niagara Regional Police Department issued its own warning to residents on the possibility of traffic congestion. On its website, it recommended that residents carpool or use mass transit and went as far as suggesting workplaces implement flexible work hours, including construction crews. According to the department, 98% of the 14,000+ hotel rooms in the area are reserved.
Niagara Parkway will be closed to vehicular traffic from Queen Street to Fraser Hill, from 12 p.m. Eastern through midnight. Clifton Hill will also be closed at the same time frame from Victoria Avenue to Falls Avenue. Niagara Boulevard will close in both directions from Central Avenue to Dominion Road and from Dominion to Albert Street. This road is already closed from Netherby Road to Townline Road due to construction work.
April 8 will see a total solar eclipse along the path of the waterfalls on the border between the United States and Canada. It is the first time Canadians will experience a solar eclipse in their country since 1979. The next time Canada will see a total solar eclipse will be 20 years from now in 2044.
At most, the eclipse will last four minutes, beginning about a quarter after 3 p.m. Eastern and continuing until about 4:30 p.m. Eastern. Local authorities expect the crowds in the hours after the eclipse is over.
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One million tourists are anticipated to flood into the area on both sides of the border. Normally, the town sees 14 million guests over the course of a year.
The next time a solar eclipse will be visible from the U.S. will be on Aug. 23, 2044.
