DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) -- Miami Valley residents and travelers alike could experience disruptions and delays during the total solar eclipse.
While local leaders and state agencies prepare for the total solar eclipse on April 8, officials say more could be impacted than you might think.
Based on data from the 2017 eclipse passing over Nashville, local officials are preparing to receive possibly 1 million people into the Dayton area over eclipse weekend. This can put a strain on resources and cause disruptions in daily life.
First responders
City officials are "preparing for the worst," when it comes to the influx of visitors to the area. In 2017, eastern Tennessee saw a 34-mile backup on I-75. In Salem, Oregon — a city similarly sized to Dayton — drivers sat in a 13-hour backup on their major roadways.
Traffic delays could cause issues with emergency response times. Departments and agencies are planning ahead of time to place their patrols and first responders strategically through the area to minimize issues.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol says troopers will be out on highways monitoring conditions, but advise everyone to drive cautiously to prevent road hazards and back-ups.
“Those actions also could prevent first responders and public safety vehicles from quickly responding to an emergency,” said Colonel Charles Jones, OSP.
Trash removal services
For residents with Monday trash collection times, doublecheck with your city to see if trash removal will be altered due to the eclipse.
Rumpke released a statement asking residents to make sure trash is put out the night before since trash collectors will start earlier in the morning to get ahead of eclipse traffic.
Rumpke provides an essential, critical service, and we want to make sure your residents are provided with safe, reliable, and uninterrupted service on the day of the eclipse. To ensure this, we are adjusting our start times on Monday, April 8. Our team will start our routes at 2:00 am on this day, to beat any traffic and finish our scheduled routes. It is important that customers place material at the curb the night before collection day. We will resume normal start times on Tuesday, April 9th.
Rumpke Waste & Recycling
Business, government closures
While many businesses will be working overtime to engage with the influx of visitors, some will close their doors to enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime event, even if its just for half an hour.
Dorothy Lane Market will close for approximately 30 minutes on Monday to allow customers and employees alike to step outside and witness the eclipse.
Other small businesses will be set up at various festivals and events for the eclipse this weekend, like in Miami and Auglaize counties. Doublecheck business hours by searching online or calling them ahead of visiting.
Many government buildings will also be closed on Eclipse Day, including the Dayton Municipal Court. Check with your local city before heading out on Monday.
Communications
With so many people expected to be in the area, cell phone towers may become overloaded, causing disruptions or lagging in services.
Cell phone carrier AT&T told KXAN people across different networks saw slowdowns during the last eclipse over the U.S., in 2017. But, AT&T continues, 5G wasn't available in 2017.
AT&T expects “no direct operational impact” on its network since 5G allows nearly 100 times the number of people to be on the network at the same time compared to previous 4G capacity.
Regardless, experts are saying everyone should come up with an emergency plan now with their friends and family. Have a meet-up spot or another way to get in contact with each other should you get separated.
Click here to learn more about the eclipse and see WDTN's full coverage of the celestial event.