Hochul views eclipse at Niagara Falls State Park

Apr. 8—NIAGARA FALLS — During a pre-eclipse press conference Monday at Niagara Falls State Park, Gov. Kathy Hochul said the state took a better-safe-than-sorry approach as they prepared for the big 2024 celestial event.

She said the process of preparing for the eclipse started 17 months ago and involved multiple agencies, including the National Guard.

While the Falls and the surrounding area did not get the crush of traffic some had predicted prior to the eclipse, Hochul said her office felt it was necessary to prepare for the worst-case scenario, not unlike the way the state handles forecasts of bad weather or snowstorms.

"You have to anticipate the worst, just like any storm," she said. "If we were preparing for a blizzard, we would have brought the same people to the table."

Hochul, who conducted her afternoon press conference at Terrapin Point, a popular spot for eclipse viewers, said the event had a positive impact on Niagara Falls State Park and eight other state parks across the state. She said the parking lots at all nine reached capacity as of 2 p.m. Monday.

"For me, as the leader of this state, this is a great opportunity to promote our state in every corner, from New York City to Buffalo and on up to Plattsburgh," she said.

Hochul chose Niagara Falls as her vantage point because she said it was one of her "favorite places in all the world." She noted that representatives from NASA also were on hand for the event in the Falls because they felt it would be a great place to study the effects of the eclipse.

There was one glitch on Monday afternoon: Overcast skies that had an impact on the view.

On that point, Hochul said: "Every cloud has a silver lining and the silver lining is that at least a million new people will be introduced to our great state parks."