Cities Watching Eclipses Will Be Completely Destroyed
The solar eclipse is fast approaching, and for cities that find themselves in the narrow 70-mile band of best observation, this means preparedness for significant influx of people and traffic.
For some cities, this astronomical event will be extremely lucrative. Brooke Young, in-house marketing and events consultant for Eclipse in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, told Fast Company , “It’s basically like having a Super Bowl without building a stadium.”
Sounds very interesting, but for small towns that are not used to hosting large sporting events, hosting so many people can put a strain on both infrastructure and resources. If you are planning to travel to one of these viewing locations, there are several issues you should be aware of:
- Traffic will be bad : According to Citylab , traffic jams are expected for several days before and after the eclipse, and entering and leaving the city may seem like a major evacuation.
- Ambulances, firefighters and police may react more slowly than usual: although some cities are bringing in additional personnel and placing them in key positions in front of traffic, it is still possible that emergency services could block and slow down traffic.
So, if you’re planning to travel to one of the best eclipse spots (or just live near one), make sure you have plenty of time, drive carefully, and consider potential infrastructure stress. Or you can just stay at home and watch the live stream . Here’s what I will do.
The dark side of this summer’s total solar eclipse | Citylab