CLEVELAND, Ohio — The countdown is officially on to the total solar eclipse.
We are a little more than one week away from the historic event.
The impact is already being felt here in Northeast Ohio.
From airports to grocery stores—officials are preparing for potential delays and issues caused by it.
Ahead of April 8's total solar eclipse, the Federal Aviation Administration is issuing a travel notice.
The organization warned of possible impacts to overall air traffic and airports along the path of the eclipse.
This includes Cleveland Hopkins International, Cleveland Burke Lakefront, Akron-Canton as well Toledo Express and Dayton Airports.
Officials want you to be prepared for potential delays inside of the airports as well as heavier traffic and limited parking outside.
The event could create a backlog.
Folks flying out are being told to be ready for potential airborne holding, reroutes and delayed take off and arrival times from April 7-10.
Area pharmacies and grocers are also anticipating a surge in customers and travelers.
Discount Drug Mart is coordinating product delivery plans to guarantee they have the necessary volume of products ahead of time.
More than a dozen stores are rescheduling their standard Monday deliveries and drop-offs.
This is an effort to prevent product from being stuck in traffic.
"One of the decisions that we made was we have 16 of our store locations that get a warehouse delivery on a Monday. We made the decision to pull our trucks off the road and have those stores get delivered on the preceding Saturday. That way our stores are better stocked and prepared for the weekend and the day of the eclipse," Todd Bahler, Buyer Supervisor Discount Drug Mart said.
Stores have added additional staff as well to meet the demand.
Officials are stressing to plan ahead and allocate additional time for travel, errands and other necessary appointments throughout the day.
