“We’ve got two main east-west roads and five or six north-south roads,” said Anthony Verno, supervisor of the town of Williamson and chair of the Wayne County Board of Supervisors, “so that’s the concern.”
As a result, the rural county has issued a state of emergency for eclipse day, April 8.
It will go into effect at noon and be lifted when traffic congestion eases, Verno said.
Basically, it gives officials the ability to temporarily close roads and change traffic patterns — like making a two-lane, two-way road one way — as needed.
Residents who are able to stay home are being advised to observe the eclipse from there.
Also, “They should make sure they’ve got enough food and medicine,” Verno said. “It’s the same kind of precautions you would take for a snowstorm.”
Around 90,000 people live in Wayne County and by one estimate, up to 50,000 tourists could descend to experience totality.
It’s impossible to know how things will actually play out, though.
The Microtel in Macedon is nearly sold out, and the Best Western in Palmyra is fully booked, as are all 12 of Wayne County’s bed and breakfasts, said Christine Worth, the county’s director of tourism.
Verno has a friend who owns a field that he rents out of camping. “Typically, he doesn’t see activity until July,” Verno said.
But the field will be full of visitors (most from the New York City area) for the eclipse.
Meanwhile, an unknown number of people will be staying with family members or at Airbnbs or elsewhere in the region and driving to a picturesque setting in Wayne County for the main event.
“I spoke to someone on the phone who’s coming in from Washington, D.C., and staying in Geneva, and their goal is to go to Sodus Point to watch the eclipse,” Worth said.
She’s also aware of people who plan to come up from the Southern Tier.
“If I lived three hours away, I would make the drive,” she said.
Beyond avoiding major logistical issues, “We hope that the weather’s clear, so everybody can see what they came to see,” said Verno, who will spend eclipse day in the county’s emergency operations facility. “We’re going to partially activate that.”
Reporter Marcia Greenwood covers general assignments. Send story tips to mgreenwood@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @MarciaGreenwood.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: State of emergency order issued ahead of solar eclipse in NY county