By JONATHAN SNYDER
Wells County is expected to see an influx of traffic and tourists thanks to the solar eclipse on April 8.
In an interview with the News-Banner, Sheriff Scott Holliday shared how the Sheriff’s Department will react to the potential increased traffic, some of the cooperation between Wells and other surrounding counties and some things to know about eclipse preparation.
Holliday noted that there is not much data to base travel estimates. Because of this, the Sheriff’s Department is taking a mindset of preparing for the worst-case scenario.
“It’s kind of like planning for … a big snowstorm,” Holliday said. “And it could be anywhere from five inches to 12 inches, and you don’t know. So we plan best we can.”
Deputy James Agler mentioned that even though the official number is not confirmed, he expects nine deputies will be on-call that day.
Other cities in Wells have also have an increased amount of officers on the eclipse day. Bluffton Mayor John Whicker noted that every officer available will be on call. Markle Operations Manager Mike Grant said Huntington County was willing to send some of their officers to help out with any traffic issues for Markle. The Wells County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page notes that citizens should allow extra time for travel on eclipse day.
“Flexibility and adaptability will rule the day,” said Bluffton Police Chief Kyle Randall.
Since it is unknown how heavy the traffic will be, Holliday is stationing deputies in every area of the county. Holliday further emphasized that people should find a parking spot to view the eclipse, not just pull off to the side of the road, as that could cause a hazard.
“It’s going to be our priority to get those things cleared up as fast as we can so that we can get people in and out,” Holliday said.
Agler further stated that in the buildup to the eclipse, the expected tourism increase could see essential supplies run out. Holliday encouraged people to pre-plan trips to the gas station and groceries before the eclipse as a precautionary measure.
The surge of people using cell phones could strain communication lines as well. While the Sheriff’s Office and police have priority on those lines, the office’s Facebook page stresses that citizens should try to keep 911 lines as open as possible.
“A lot of our job is reactive, but we’re doing our part to be proactive in what we can do,” Holliday said.
A major event such as the eclipse has seen a collaboration between Wells, other counties, and state departments over the past year. Holliday mentioned that he’s had conversations with Adams County about their plans for dealing with people. Agler further noted that the Department of Natural Resources is bringing multiple officers to help deal with traffic at the state parks.
Since there are no clear estimates of how many people will be here, the office has tried to get the word out about potential issues through its Facebook page.
“We have a pretty good following on our Facebook page, so we’ve been putting stuff out to try to get people to pre-plan,” Holliday said. “We’re doing as much as we can on our social media to get information out to the public.”
jonathan@news-banner.com
