Jefferson County to declare state of emergency for eclipse

WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) - Jefferson County intends to declare a state of emergency Friday as it prepares for an influx of tourists coming to the area for the total solar eclipse.

“This is nothing negative about the eclipse, rather it becomes a useful tool for the county to secure necessary resources in short order if called to respond to any emergency that could arise at the height of our dramatically expanding tourism population Monday,” said county administrator Robert Hagemann in an email.

The county will open its emergency operations center on Monday.