Chautauqua County leaders wear solar eclipse glasses during a press conference last month. From left are Visitors Bureau Director Andrew Nixon, Chamber President Dan Heitzenrater, Emergency Services Director Noel Guttman, County Chief Physician Dr. Michael Faulk, Public Health Director Lacy Wilson, and County Executive PJ Wendel. P-J photo by Gregory Bacon

More than 10 months ahead of Monday’s solar eclipse, Chautauqua County’s Noel Guttman was already taking control of preparations for the historic event. During a Public Safety Committee meeting in June, the emergency services director was one of the first officials across the state and nation to note the calamity that could come with the celestial happening that is only four days away.

“This is going to be a monumental and significant event for our county as well as 29 other counties in the state and others in the path of the eclipse across the country,” he said.

Guttman also dropped one more significant statistic during the presentation. He predicted the region’s population could swell between 50,000 to 1 million tourists who come to the once-in-a-lifetime occasion.

His remarks at that meeting set a number of key stakeholders in motion.

Within weeks, the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce began planning forums to help businesses and merchants prepare for the days surrounding April 8. Our county’s Visitors Bureau also ramped up planning bolstering its calendar of events that surround this weekend through its partnerships.

There is plenty of anticipation and excitement. There also are true worries as well. One March chamber discussion in Jamestown noted how the last major eclipse in 2017 took one Midwest location in Nebraska by storm.

“The town I went to had a standing population of around 9,000 residents. During the eclipse, that number swelled to 48,000 and then more than 124,000,” said Tom Traub, chair of the Martz-Kohl Observatory, solar eclipse committee and NASA Eclipse Ambassador member. “Tourists basically drained all the gas pumps, ate all the food out of the restaurants, left grocery stores bare and basically overran the town.”

That’s a worst-case scenario that cannot be ruled out. But who really knows?

Other than the 3:16 p.m. time Monday and the nearly four minutes of darkness between the 2 to 4:30 p.m. sky performance, no one is quite sure what will happen and we’re still trying to figure out what the weather conditions will be.

Area emergency responders, after Guttman’s bold proclamation, also began preparing for what could be a maze of traffic as well as a swelling of tourists. Less than a month ago, Guttman made a presentation at Brocton Central School that outlined what he considered a “planned emergency.”

His message was simple to those living here. Treat it like a major lake-effect snowstorm. Have your vehicle’s gas tanks filled. Get your grocery shopping done early — like yesterday.

Forget our rural lifestyle — at least for this weekend and on Monday. There could be a lot of big-city inconveniences that include traffic congestion. This includes the major highways, such as Interstates 86 and 90, and the back roads that lead to major county landmarks and locations that include the Dunkirk Pier, other popular Lake Erie destinations that include the wineries, Midway State Park, the Chautauqua County Airport in Jamestown and the Audubon.

“The thing to remember is, we don’t get a do-over on this,” Guttman said during the Brocton gathering. “This is one-and-done. This is a one-time, once in our generation, once in our lifetime event.”

Guttman has led others in understanding the importance of the coming days. He’s even talked about the obvious issue of eye safety using glasses specifically made for viewing the eclipse.

Chautauqua County is on the cusp of a historic event. No matter what happens, Guttman’s efforts make sure that no one has been left in the dark — with the exception of the nearly three and a half minutes that will take place on Monday.

John D’Agostino is the editor of The Post-Journal, OBSERVER and Times Observer in Warren, Pa. Send comments to jdagostino@observertoday.com or call 716-487-1111, ext. 253.