‘Come early. Stay late.’ Ryan McMahon explained how the county will handle the solar eclipse

ONONDAGA COUNTY, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — County Executive Ryan McMahon and Commissioner of Emergency Management Dan Wears addressed Onondaga County’s plan for the solar eclipse.

From inside the Emergency Operations Center, McMahon explained how even though this is a once in a lifetime experience, there are safety precautions to be taken.

The EOC will be staffed with emergency management consisting of, fire personnel, EMS, Department of Transportation, 911 operators, the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office, Syracuse Fire and Police, New York State Police, NYSDOT, Centro, and the National Weather Service.

The county’s biggest concern is traffic. They emphasize to not get out of your car when the eclipse is happening.

The goal is to keep roadways clear as there is belief the eclipse will cause a lot of traffic. This includes speculation about heavy backups on I-81.

Fill up your vehicle before the event. In case of traffic, you don’t want to be stuck with an empty tank.

There are multiple location throughout where you can watch it safely. And for some, that includes from the comfort of your own home.

McMahon says that you can go to a county park and watch through your certified eclipse glasses.

It is imperative that you DO NOT look directly at the sun.

The EOC is usually meant to serve the county incase of emergency — like the Covid-19 pandemic — or in this case, an upcoming large scale event.

“What we are most excited about is our new Emergency Operations Center where we are now. This expanded space will provide us additional capabilities and allow us to bring in additional organizations into our emergency preparedness efforts and response. As we’ve added positions to be able to provide a better work environment for everyone involved,” said Commissioner of Emergency Management Dan Wears.

McMahon explained the brother and sister agencies that will be staffed on April 8 will be there to pick up any slack.

Adding that this new location is better than the basement of the OnCenter.

“Come early. Stay late. Expect heavy traffic. Ensure you have a full tank of gas,” said McMahon. “We encourage everybody to enjoy it, but enjoy it safely.”

You can watch the press conference in the player above.

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