Small communities in northeast Kansas are bracing for a massive influx of visitors for Monday's total solar eclipse. Atchison County officials expect as many as 35,000 visitors.
"It is just a guess. It really is," says Jacque Pregont, president of the Atchison Chamber of Commerce. "We really don't know. I mean, we know there's probably going to be 10,000 or more at Benedictine [College], we know there's going to be at least 5,000 at the airport. Beyond that? It's all guesswork."
She says area law enforcement officials -- as well as local hospitals and emergency responders -- have beefed up staffing levels to deal with heavy traffic and the throngs of additional people coming to the area.
Schools in Atchison and other towns in the path of totality have cancelled classes Monday so school children can watch the eclipse.