JACKSON COUNTY, Ore. — The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said its preparing for an increase in traffic for the annular eclipse on Oct. 14.
“You have car crashes, you have people that could potentially break down, people who want to go off the road to go view the event,” said Sergeant John Richmond with JCSO. “You have a lot of different scenarios that you have to think about and get ahead of with a plan.”
While Jackson County itself won’t be the top eclipse destination, JCSO is expecting lots of people to pass through. Aside from an increase in traffic, JCSO said the local food and gas supply, as well as local lodging, could be impacted come Oct. 14.
Richmond said if you do plan on making a trip up to the mountains to view the eclipse, make sure you’re prepared for an emergency. The eclipse is scheduled for Oct. 14, which means there’s a chance higher elevations could see snow.
“Take provisions, make sure your car is full of gas, that type of thing, cell phone, cell phone charger,” he said. “Be prepared for weather if it does come. Be prepared for maybe the roadways being clogged with other vehicles and things like that.”
Jackson County isn’t the only spot in Southern Oregon preparing for an increase in visitors. Klamath County is hosting Eclipse Fest and expects to bring in thousands of people each day through the weekend. JCSO said it’s prepared to help out in Klamath County if the event is busier than expected.
“If they ask for our assistance, we would definitely help them…” Richmond said. “It could be search and rescue, which we often do. It could mean patrol deputies go over there and assist.”
Richmond said JCSO is working with other county agencies to prepare for any kind of emergency situation. JCSO will also be teaming up with the Oregon State Police to help keep the roads safe.
Makenna Marks is a reporter/producer at NewsWatch 12. You can reach Makenna at mmarks@kdrv.com.