ORONO, Maine — Flanked by leaders from several state agencies Monday, Gov. Mills detailed Maine’s preparations for next week’s total solar eclipse, in anticipation of a surge in out-of-state travelers.
“We want you here; we want you to enjoy the eclipse, to do so safely,” Mills said during the press conference, held at the University of Maine’s Versant Power Astronomy Center.
The governor estimates between 10,000 and 40,000 visitors will come to our state to view the eclipse. On Monday, much of her advice for them and locals had to do with common sense.
“Bring your boots, bring your coat, wear layers,” Mills urged.
In addition to these straightforward measures, state agencies are taking steps to keep the state from being overwhelmed.
On the roads, Maine Department of Transportation commissioner Bruce Van Note says crews will be deployed to monitor traffic, road construction will be halted, and traffic controls will be set-up if needed. “What you plan on is a range of what could happen,” Van Note said.
No matter the number of visitors, Van Note is warning against travel on backroads to catch the eclipse. As he puts it simply, “don’t go on roads you haven’t been on in mud season in Maine.”
Off the pavement, the Maine Warden Service is focusing its resources on remote sections of the path of totality, with small teams being deployed near boat launches and entrances to the remote areas to educate eclipse chasers bent on hiking or boating.
“Sometimes the trailhead may be very deceiving,” Col. Dan Scott of the Maine Warden Service said Monday. “As you gain elevation, you’re gonna find much snowier and much icier conditions.”
State officials are also working at the local level with first responders to make sure their vehicles can get through traffic in an emergency.
But as Maine nears the eclipse, Gov. Mills says she’s unlikely to declare a state of emergency, like some counties in other states and provinces—notably Texas—have done.
Mills explained, “We haven’t seen the need to do that at this time.”