- Canada's Niagara region has declared a "state of emergency" ahead of the solar eclipse on April 8.
- Niagara Falls is expecting 1 million visitors that day.
Canada's Niagara region has declared a state of emergency in preparation for some 1 million tourists who are expected to descend on the area to witness the upcoming total solar eclipse.
Niagara Falls, situated on the US-Canada border, is on the eclipse's path of totality. It will be one of the best places to witness the rare event on April 8.
In a total solar eclipse, the moon appears to blot out the sun entirely.
In preparation for the influx of visitors, Jim Bradley, the Niagara Region chair, declared a state of emergency "out of an abundance of caution" to prepare for this "once-in-a-lifetime event."
The declaration, which came into effect on Thursday, "strengthens the tools the Region has at its disposal to safeguard the health and safety of residents and visitors and protect our critical infrastructure in any scenario that might arise."
Bradley continued: "The spotlight will be on Niagara as thousands of visitors join us to share in this once-in-a-lifetime event, and we will be ready to shine."
Jim Diodati, the mayor of the Ontario city of Niagara Falls, estimated that up to 1 million people would be there that day — usually, 14 million people visit the waterfall over the course of a year.
T-Mobile is deploying additional cell sites to help handle the surge of visitors.
The region will modify some of its events and services and close some facilities to keep traffic off the roads, the region's declaration said.
Over 30 million people in the US will be able to see the total solar eclipse on April 8.
NASA has predicted the celestial event will be spectacular due to abundant solar activity.
US residents who miss this year's eclipse will have to wait another few decades for a similar event. The next total solar eclipses visible in the contiguous US will be in 2044 and 2045.