Total Solar Eclipse 2017
Monday, 21 Aug 2017
Public Officials!

Eclipse2017.org will be there to assist you in providing your citizens safe viewing areas!

All public officials should be aware that on eclipse day, there will be intense interest in viewing the total eclipse. Preparedness seminars and notices provided to the public beforehand will go a long way toward enhancing the experience for everyone. Eclipse2017.org recommends that official viewing areas be designated in each community along the path, to accept the influx of viewers and provide proper protection for eclipse-seekers who choose your community for their viewing experience!  (The influx of visitors may also provide a lucrative influx of capital to the communities who have properly prepared to receive them!) Eclipse2017.org will be in contact with all locales along the path to offer assistance in setting up these official viewing areas, and to suggest appropriate events for the entire eclipse weekend! But don't wait for us to contact you - contact us with any questions you have, or especially to let us know of your viewing site plans so that we can share them with everyone! Whatever you do, please do not lose this opportunity to have your citizens participate in a most awesome and wonderful spectacle!

 CONSIDERATIONS FOR ECLIPSE DAY

There will be considerable interest in the eclipse as eclipse day approaches.

Individuals and businesses owning large land areas may feel compelled to offer these as suitable viewing sites;
however, they may be unprepared for the safety and liability considerations that will accompany their generous offers!

The safest place for the public to view the eclipse will be in a regulated environment,
managed and controlled by trained public officials whose first duty is to public safety!

Therefore, the following considerations must be observed:

1)  Crowd and traffic control protocols must be maintained, and communicated in the local media well prior to eclipse day
2)  It is recommended that the number of persons allowed to enter a particular viewing location be limited, though as long as mobility within the viewing area is limited, the number of viewing individuals should be able to be large.
3)  Eclipse viewing glasses should be made available for purchase by all individuals entering the viewing area.  This cannot be overemphasized - it is imperative that all persons seeking to view the eclipse be properly outfitted with the only tool that will make such observation safe.  Solar viewing glasses MUST be worn for direct solar viewing whenever the sun is not totally eclipsed.  During the brief period of totality, it is safe to directly observe the sun with no eye protection whatsoever - but ONLY during TOTALITY.
4)  Special consideration must be given for scientists and advanced, experienced amateurs who have applied in advance for dedicated viewing locations within the official area.
5)  Rules must be implemented among the general public regarding flash photography (forbidden!), very young children and pets (not recommended!), and general milling about immediately prior to the total eclipse.  Many of the individuals mentioned in (4) above will have equipment and experiments set up that have been years in the planning and testing.  There is only one opportunity for these individuals to enjoy success, and while they will be very accomodating to the inquisitive public, no excuse can be made for the (even inadvertent) upsetting of this equipment by a member of the general public.
6)  Proper expectation must be set in the local media as to what will be experienced during the eclipse
7)  Public order must be maintained at all times to ensure the complete enjoyability of the eclipse for all innocent, law-abiding citizens
8)  Peace officers must understand the emotion that will be released during the event, and maintain professionalism at all times to ensure an enjoyable experience for all participants
9)  Traffic control must be observed at all times; "safe times" must be maintained (based on local eclipse circumstances) where movement of persons and vehicles is curtailed or forbidden.  It is a very common occurrence during totality that cars will stop along roads, as people are entranced by the experience.  Appropriate notice must be made to the general public so that the events of the day will not catch them off guard (leading to a possible breach of safety).


Eclipse2017.org will be available to help you plan and organize your community's plans.  Simply contact us on our web form.