Mayor Rawlings-Blake Issues a Local State of Emergency for Baltimore City In Advance of Winter Snow Storm

City leaders are urging residents to take steps now to be prepared for possible severe weather

BALTIMORE, Md. (January 21, 2016)—Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake issued a local state of emergency, effective at 4:00 pm today, as the City prepares for an upcoming snow storm. Forecasters have issued a blizzard warning starting Friday night and continuing through the weekend, with the potential for more than a foot of snow and high winds.

As a precautionary measure, City leaders are urging residents to take steps now to be prepared for the storm, as well as potential power outages. For more information on emergency preparedness, residents are encouraged to go to the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management at emergency.baltimorecity.gov.

The state-of-emergency declaration is intended to assist with preparation and activation of emergency planning. Currently, city operations are operating as normal. If there are any changes due to severe weather conditions, further notifications will be made.

The City's Emergency Operations Center will be activated starting at 9:00 am Friday. The City's agencies have been planninng and meeting all week to ensure Baltimore is prepared for the upcoming storm.

Emergency Operations Officials are suggesting the following:

• Have at least three days of water on hand for each person in your home
• Check your flashlights and battery-powered radios to make sure they have fresh batteries
• Keep your pets indoors
• Review your medical prescriptions to be sure that you have enough medications to last a week
• Check on your neighbors – particularly the elderly and vulnerable – and see if they need any help with storm preparations