The New Way Times Square Will Be Secured for New Year's Eve

Communities the world over are ringing in 2020 with spectacular firework displays and by gathering with loved ones and strangers alike. 

Never has that been more true than in New York City, where an estimated 1.5 million people will pack Times Square to celebrate the New Year.

"I can't wait for the ball to drop at midnight! It's gonna be crazy!" one reveler told Inside Edition. 

"I got my spot here and I'm ready to go!" another said, joining the masses who began flooding in the area in the early morning hours to be sure they had a good spot to celebrate. 

At the top of law enforcement’s priorities is safety, as the NYPD plans to monitor more than 1,000 security monitors that cover every inch of Times Square. 

Manhole covers were sealed and radiation detectors were deployed, and for the first time ever, thermal imaging drones will be watching from the sky. Everyone entering times square is screened and banned items include backpacks, chairs, umbrellas, coolers and alcohol. 

Bathrooms are not accessible from the area, and those who leave will not be permitted to reenter, so some people got creative in case they had to go.

"We've got some diapers just in case!" one man said with a laugh. "Diapers, we're ready, just in case and we've already got some on. You've gotta do what you gotta do!"

Revelers stocked up on hand warmers, candy and water.

But in Australia, the new year started under a state of emergency. Heart-stopping footage shows firefighters braving their way through devastating brush fires that have left at least 12 people dead and more than 46,000 people without power.

"We've all just been evacuated, we're on red alert, we're evacuating to the beach,” one evacuee said, as thousands sought shelter on beaches. The New Year's fireworks in the capital city of Sydney went on, despite calls to cancel it due to the humanitarian crisis.

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