Our Ohio and Pennsylvania operating companies are preparing for the total solar eclipse taking place on Monday, April 8, to help ensure safe and reliable service during this unique event.

“Hundreds of thousands of visitors are expected to flock to the region to witness this rare event, and we believe our system can handle the additional electrical load and deliver safe and reliable power to our customers and visitors,” said Pat Mullin, Acting President, Ohio Operations. “In recent months, we’ve put together a plan to address the heavy traffic we anticipate in the communities we serve to help ensure swift response to any potential outage calls our crews could receive.”

The area where the total eclipse can be viewed – also known as the path of totality – is expected to be roughly 124 miles wide and span from Texas to Maine in the United States. Portions of FirstEnergy’s footprint, including most of our Ohio service territory and northwestern Pennsylvania, will be within the eclipse viewing area.

Preparing for a once-in-a-lifetime event

We are treating this eclipse like a severe weather event and have activated the company’s Incident Command System (ICS) and Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to ensure thorough coordination, planning and communications among the entire organization and with local government partners. Because of the anticipated traffic and congestion, we also are increasing staffing levels across Ohio and western Pennsylvania and strategically spreading out electric company personnel at various substation locations to help ensure timely response to potential outages.

In addition, our in-house meteorologists will be closely tracking the weather as we get closer to April 8. If severe weather is forecasted before, during or shortly after the event, we will activate FirstEnergy’s storm response plan. This will allow the company to secure additional resources, including contractor crews and personnel from mutual assistance organizations, and mobilize personnel to areas that are likely to be impacted by potential weather ahead of the event.

Shining a light on safety

If you are planning to view the eclipse, please keep the following tips in mind to help reduce your exposure to injury and to keep our customers safe:

• Use proper eyewear to safely view the eclipse and be sure to inspect your eclipse glasses or handheld viewer before use. If torn, scratched or otherwise damaged, discard the device.
• Always supervise children using eclipse glasses or solar viewers.
• Stay far away from electrical infrastructure when scouting locations to view the eclipse. This includes substations, transmission rights-of-way, utility poles, pad-mounted transformers and all other equipment.
• Choose open-area locations that are far away from electrical infrastructure if you’re planning to host a gathering to view the eclipse.

Did You Know?

The last total solar eclipse in Ohio was in 1806, and the next one won’t come until 2099. For this year’s eclipse, the longest duration point will be in Avon Lake, Lorain County, which is preparing for upwards of 900,000 tourists (according to the Lorain County Visitors Bureau).