Klamath County, OR — Klamath County will be one of the best viewing sights for the ring of fire appearing behind the darkened moon. The peak of the eclipse will be 9:15 a.m. and the eclipse will last for four minutes 24 seconds.
“We learned a lot from the 2017 total eclipse,” said Klamath County Commissioner Dave Henslee. “Even though Klamath was not the best viewing location, we were on the path to the best location. We experienced a shortage of gas and diesel, but we are working to be better prepared in October.” Henslee went on say that two events in the community will draw thousands of people. “We will see an economic boost from those going to the Running Y’s celebration and the Eclipse Fest in Fort Klamath,” Henslee said. Projected attendance of both is 10,000. This will bring extra traffic to the area and greater demands on cell towers, other technology and first responders. “Please be patient and kind to our guests and be prepared ahead of October 14. In addition to the fuel shortage in 2017, Klamath also ran out of bottled water,” Henslee said.
He went on to encourage local residents to:
- Stock up on staples, such as food, medication and toilet paper, ahead of October 14.
- Fill your gas tank early in the week of October 14.
- Be prepared to pay with cash the weekend of the eclipse, as the extra use of cell towers and other technology may slow credit and debit purchases. The worst case scenario is payment systems may fail with extra use.
- Enjoy the experience, but be prepared for extra traffic.
Information updates about eclipse preparedness can be found at the Klamath Eclipse 2023 Facebook page and at KlamathEclipse2023.wordpress.com.