LINCOLN — From wildfires to traffic snarls to private airplanes descending like sandhill cranes in April, Nebraska’s top emergency officials say they’re ready for the solar eclipse.
Bryan Tuma, assistant director of the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency, said Thursday that months of preparation have gone into efforts to ensure the safety of those planning to watch Monday’s total eclipse.
Wildfire-fighting equipment has been staged, extra state troopers have been scheduled for duty and state aircraft will be in the sky with cameras to send live video to the state’s emergency center on the Nebraska Air National Guard base in Lincoln.
Tuma offered some advice to the hundreds of thousands of Nebraskans planning to join a swarm of up to 500,000 eclipse tourists: Watch the weather closely, get to your viewing spot no later than Monday morning and don’t pull over on Interstate 80 or you and your eclipse glasses will be told to “move it along” by someone in uniform.
“I think it’s unique. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event,” Tuma said. “The governor has stated several times this is probably the biggest tourism event this state has ever seen. It’s unprecedented. We have devoted a significant amount to time and attention to planning.”
Potential traffic jams on highways rank as one of the top concerns, especially if cloud cover somewhere along the 468-mile eclipse path sends sky watchers scrambling elsewhere to get a look. Another major concern is wildfires, especially in the Panhandle region that has been dealing with dry conditions in recent weeks, Tuma said.
In addition, officials anticipate heavy air traffic from small planes landing at airports along the eclipse route, Tuma said.
Cody Thomas, spokesman for the Nebraska State Patrol, said Nebraskans who plan to travel to watch the eclipse really need to depart early in anticipation of hordes of tourists who’ve never been to the state. I-80 is expected to be very busy, especially in the Grand Island area. Heavy traffic also is expected on U.S. Highway 77 between Lincoln and Beatrice.
Thomas highly recommended that eclipse-viewers who plan to be on the road check the State Department of Transportation’s traveler information site at 511.Nebraska.gov. The site, which includes a mobile-friendly version as well as a link to an app, will be updated throughout the day with road conditions.
