County to prepare for total solar eclipse

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

It may be over a year away but local planning will soon begin for the April 8, 2024 solar eclipse.

A total solar eclipse is a rarity and Van Wert County Emergency Management Agency Director Rick McCoy said the last one in Ohio was in 1806. The next one won’t be until 2099, which has prompted the need to plan ahead for next year’s event.

Ohio is within a one-day drive for 70 percent of the U.S. population, which makes it a target destination for people who want to view a total solar eclipse.

“Ohio will be a focal point for populations across the world to observe and I will need you to be part of this planning process,” McCoy said in a letter to local elected and business leaders, law enforcement agencies, school officials and others.

The first planning meeting will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 29, in the First Federal Lecture Hall at the Niswonger Performing Arts Center in Van Wert. McCoy said his office and the Ohio Emergency Management Agency will share information about preparations.

He also stressed the need to adequately prepare for the once-in-a-lifetime event.

“When looking back at he eclipse which occurred in the western United States in 2017, it was noted that communities similar to ours experienced a massive surge in population, which led to numerous problems with water and food supplies, medical care, traffic hazards, property damage and crime,” McCoy said. “The population influx expected for this event is going to result in extreme demands and stresses on every aspect of local infrastructure and governmental capabilities.”

“The State of Ohio is projecting that Van Wert County’s population will double that weekend into Monday for the event, which can become a logistical nightmare with a lack of preparation,” he added. “The benefit it provides though can be a great economical boost for the community and local organizations.”

The eclipse will occur on April 8, 2024 beginning in the early afternoon and will reach a period of totality at approximately 3 p.m., lasting nearly four minutes at which time the sun’s corona will be visible around the jet-black sphere of the moon.