Chautauqua County Senior Paramedic Tim Carlson, left, and Chautauqua County Fire Coordinator Noel Guttman, right, attended a Brocton Village Board meeting a year ago. File photo

BROCTON — “We hope for the best and prepare for the worst,” Brocton Fire Chief Bill Hussey said of the upcoming solar eclipse set for April 8.

Tonight, residents from the Village of Brocton, the Town of Portland, and beyond are encouraged to hear more about what the region is doing to prepare for the area’s impending unprecedented event.

An information meeting regarding the April 8 eclipse is scheduled for 6 p.m. tonight at the Brocton Central School Auditorium.

“There’s over 500 seats in the auditorium. I’d like to fill them,” Hussey said.

Hussey noted that a coordinator from Chautauqua County Emergency Medical Services will be on hand to discuss what could potentially happen to the area during the eclipse and the weekend leading up to the event. Hussey has been in contact with Chautauqua County Fire Coordinator Noel Guttman and also reached out to the State Police and the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office to invite them to attend the meeting, as well.

Hussey noted that even on “an ordinary day” his department sees delays when transporting people to nearby hospitals. With the potential for over a million people visiting the region the weekend prior to the eclipse through the following day, Tuesday, April 9, Hussey anticipates a much bigger strain on his department.

“You can imagine, from that Friday until Tuesday, with all these people coming here, it’s going to be chaos,” Hussey said. “We’re planning for that.”