Niagara Falls declares state of emergency ahead of April 8 total eclipse as 1M expected

Niagara Falls, Canada, has declared a state of emergency ahead of the April 8 total eclipse as 1 million people are expected to flood the area.

The Ontario side of the falls has started to prepare for the expected influx in visitors coming to see the total social eclipse in early April.

The famous falls have been listed by National Geographic as one of the best places to see the eclipse – a phenomena not seen in the area since 1979. The city is within the path where the moon will entirely block the sun for a few minutes.

Mayor Jim Diodati estimated the city would see the most visitors in a single day on April 8 with an estimated 1 million expected. On average, the city see 14 million visit per year.

The state of emergency, which was announced Thursday, will allow the city to execute additional planning to help prepare for traffic jams, cell phone network overloads, and a higher need for emergency services, and more.

The emergency was declared “out of an abundance of caution,” according to The Telegraph.

“The spotlight will be on Niagara as thousands of visitors join us to share in this once-in-a-lifetime event, and we will be ready to shine,” Jim Bradley, Niagara Region chairman, said.

The eclipse cross Mexico’s Pacific coast in the morning, before cutting diagonally across the US from Texas to Maine, and exit in Eastern Canada by late afternoon.

Most of the rest of the continent will see a partial eclipse.

With Post wires.