The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

WASHINGTON STATE - People don't typically think of an eclipse being an emergency, but depending on where you live, it could be something you need to prepare for well in advance. According to the Oregon Department of Transportation, an estimated one million visitors are expected to arrive in Oregon to view the total solar eclipse crossing the United States on Mon., Aug. 21. The DOT expects the eclipse to be the biggest traffic event in the state's history.

Residents who live in the direct path of the eclipse have been warned for months to stock up on food and prepare to stay inside. Traffic is expected to be significantly delayed. What is normally a 30-minute trip is expected to take up to four hours.

While the Touchet Valley is not in the path of totality, we are close, and travelers should be aware and know what to expect. Officials expect significant backups throughout both Washington and Oregon, both before and after the event, with potentially thousands of people on the road driving home or to airports.

Walla Walla County Emergency Management is warning travelers to treat the three-hour eclipse as a three-day event and to plan accordingly.

No matter where you watch the eclipse from, you'll want to take precautions. NASA has put together a list of do's and don'ts for watching the eclipse here http://bit.ly/2vd8YRr.

A few tips include:

-Always use a solar filter to view the eclipse and supervise children using the filters. Homemade filters or dark sunglasses are not safe for looking at the sun.

-Do not look at the eclipse through an unfiltered camera, telescope, binoculars, or other optical device, even if you put the filter in front of the device.

-If you normally wear eyeglasses, keep them on and put your eclipse glasses on over them or hold the viewer in front of them.

Optional methods for safely viewing the eclipse can be found here http://bit.ly/2vd8YRr.