GETTING READY
State task force on solar eclipse highlights fun and safety
ALBANY, N.Y. >> The interagency task force for the April 8 solar eclipse passing through New York has three words for residents to remember: prepared, patient, and protected.
“We have been planning for this for 18 months,” said Director of State Operations Kathryn Garcia, at a press conference Monday detailing the state’s work. “We are prepared for problems in areas around transportation or cell service or, goodness gracious, what’s going to happen if there’s not enough bathrooms on the Thruway.”
Garcia spoke alongside a few state commissioners from the other 20 departments on the task force. Gov. Kathy Hochul appeared virtually, broadcasting from the Capital to UAlabny’s Emerging Technology and Entrepreneurship Complex where the conference was held. While discussing some of the more fun elements of the eclipse, they also delved into safety tips and their plans and preparations for two weeks from now.
The eclipse will have a path of totality through New York State — an area where the sun will be entirely blocked by the moon — for over 2 hours between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. depending on where viewers are located. The fullest eclipse will be in West and Upstate, the path bisecting New York at a diagonal, but the Capitol Region will still have over 95% obstruction.
Hochul and Garcia called it a once-in-a-generation event and organizations like I LOVE NY and the state parks are stepping up to it, highlighting and hosting events. Many state parks like the Adirondacks and Niagara Falls — which NASA has also chosen for their special programming — will be in the path of totality and have events accordingly ranging from viewing gatherings to eclipse crafts.
I LOVE NY has a couple of projects, including the solar eclipse glasses that are purchasable at state welcome centers and along the NYS Thruway that are licensed and genuine. Fake glasses will not protect viewers, Garcia said, warning residents that looking at the eclipse for any amount of time can cause permanent damage.
To ensure eclipse glasses are genuine, residents should put them on and if they can see a hand held up in front of their face, they are not safe, Garcia said, demonstrating with a pair of her own. In the same vein, viewers should wear sunscreen.
To help New Yorkers and visitors set the tone for the eclipse, I LOVE NY has
also created the I LOVE NY Eclipse Playlist on Spotify. Songs range from “A Sky Full of Stars” by Coldplay, “Black Hole Sun” by Soundgarden, “Take a Break” from the Hamilton musical, “Ring of Fire” by Johnny Cash and “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler.
Garcia also encouraged visitors to take advantage of the tricks eyes will start to play as the sky begins to darken. In an effect called Purkinje, colors will change; reds will fade while greens and blues brighten and she encouraged viewers to have people in their groups wear those colors to watch the change happen.
If people want to experience that shift, they’ll need to prepare just like everyone else whether they’re leaving their homes to visit the eclipse or not. Jackie Bray, Commissioner of the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, said they are prepping for the mass influx of people and New Yorkers should too, especially as it concerns traffic
“We absolutely expect significant gridlock. You will be in traffic for several hours,” Bray said. “Do not assume that you are going to leave home two hours before the eclipse and get home two hours after the eclipse.”
The eclipse also falls around the time of typical rush hour and Bray said residents should cancel appointments for that day and telecommute to work if they can. Garcia said school districts will make their own decisions regarding that day — several are deciding to close — and if they are continuing full operations, they have to have a plan regarding moving those students, she said.
Bray and Garcia likened it to a severe weather situation, just with a much more interesting view. In those terms, Bray also said residents planning to travel need to have things like water, food, and blankets in their cars and to have their gas tanks full and electric batteries fully charged.
They are also expecting problems surrounding cell phone coverage, taking lessons from the 2017 solar eclipse that traveled from Washington State to Florida. 911 will still be operational as it is, but Bray urged residents to only use it in true emergencies.
Similarly, do not park on road shoulders, she said, as emergency vehicles will need to use those, and only park in designated areas. If people are visiting places like the Adirondacks, she also asked them to stay out of the backcountry as they want to keep search and rescue crews as available as possible.
They have already begun to deploy extra emergency vehicles and tow trucks in places they believe will be highly congested, Bray said, and have been working with Applegreen C-Stores and private gas stations to make sure they are topped up on Monday. She also stressed using 511 NY, a phone number and website on traffic that visitors can use to find alternate routes.
The state is also opening three operation centers: the Albany Emergency Center, one in the Buffalo area, and one in the Lake Placid area. Bray said those will be fully staffed through the event until everyone is off the roads and home safely. Many counties will also open their emergency centers and they will staff those as well, she added.
“We saw from the last experience many years ago that there were a lot of traffic jams and people running out of gas,” Hochul said through her virtual, though live, presence. “We’re not going to let that happen in New York because we’re New Yorkers and we’ll be prepared.”
To people looking to avoid some of the traffic, Garcia and Bray said they should “come early, stay late” and take the eclipse as an excuse to explore upstate. Many parks opened their campgrounds early, though Garcia said they are 100% full for Sunday night (April 7) and 90% full Monday night (April 8).
This will bring hundreds of thousands of people to the state, Garcia said, and though it will tax the infrastructure and their state services, it is an event entirely worth it.
“Eclipses have captivated humanity; they offer a rare glimpse into the workings of our solar system,” Garcia said. “From a public safety perspective, we are treating this as a statewide event and studying other states’ plans on how they handled 2017.
“Prepared, patient, protected,” she continued. “We’re just gonna keep saying it. Prepared, patient, protected.”