Emergency operations plan ensures ‘a great day’ for Monday’s eclipse, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine says WSOC TV [Video]

COLUMBUS, Ohio — (AP) — Ohio is pulling out all the stops for Monday’s total solar eclipse, as it braces for potentially hundreds of thousands of visitors.

“I have to say, we don’t always get a lot of time leading up to events,” Ohio Emergency Management Agency Director Sima Merick said at a news conference Friday. “Right? So having 200 years in the making has been very beneficial, I have to say.”

At the event, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine said it was 1806, just three years into Ohio’s statehood, when a total eclipse last crossed the state’s path. The next time will be 2099.

He has activated the Ohio Emergency Operations Center beginning Sunday, so that it will be up and running before, during and after Monday’s celestial event to help communities navigate any issues that arise.

Adding somewhere between 100,000 and 500,000 tourists to the state’s existing population could …