This Is Weird: City Officials Warn Residents in Elyria Township, Ohio to Stockpile Supplies and Stay at Home During the Total Solar Eclipse in April

Elyria Township Fire Department is urging the local community to make unusual preparations for the upcoming Total Solar Eclipse scheduled for April 8.

The statement released by the officials highlighted the importance of being well-prepared weeks in advance of the eclipse. It recommended that residents stock up on food, ensure they have a sufficient supply of their prescriptions picked up the week before, keep cell phone batteries charged, and schedule any necessary appointments for before or after the eclipse weekend.

The message was clear: PLAN TO STAY HOME IF POSSIBLE!

Elyria Township Fire Department issued the following statement:

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.

Officials have not suggested any other impending event but have cited traffic concerns as a significant issue.

According to Daily Reporter, the 2017 total solar eclipse saw a considerable influx of visitors in areas within the path of totality, and local law enforcement wants to ensure that residents are not caught unprepared.

Deputy Chief Chuck McMichael of the Greenfield Police Department in Indiana stated, “We want to make sure people are prepared for what we believe will be very heavy traffic.”

Indiana, in particular, is expecting around a million visitors to observe the eclipse, and preparations are underway to manage the crowds and traffic effectively.

“Traffic will be very heavy immediately after the event is over,” McMichael said. “We want people, especially those who are traveling, to be prepared and expect to be stuck in traffic.”

“Have ways to charge your portable electronics and have water and snacks,” McMichael said.