Sep 6, 2008 10:39 am US/Eastern
Flooding From Hanna Expected In Md. Cities
BALTIMORE (WJZ/AP) ―
People in low-lying areas are waiting to see how bad the storm will be----expectations are always compared to Hurricane Isabel.
Kelly McPherson reports for now agencies and homeowners are basically holding their breath to see how it goes Friday night into Saturday.
Hanna left destruction behind in Haiti. Now, she's triggering big waves on the Carolina shores.
Signs of the storm are trickling into the area.
"I live on the water, so you always check your boats. Make sure your house is well-prepared downspouts, rain spouts, everything clear," said Mary Todd-Winchester of Galesville.
The heaviest rainfall is expected to come Saturday morning and Saturday mid-day.
Hanna is not expected to hit Maryland as hard as down south, but the Maryland Emergency Management teams worry about flooding and wind damage.
MEMA says it's playing the waiting game, checking each county's supplies and emergency plans.
The boating communities of Annapolis and Edgewater know the drill. During Isabel five years ago, the area experienced some flooding, but no one thinks it will be as bad as that.
"I have gasoline in the shed. I have a generator, and if it's really bad, then we'll fill the bathtub up with water and shouldn't be more than a couple of days," said Joe Quinn of Annapolis.
"We do live in a neighborhood that loses power regularly. So that's never fun, but I don't think it's going to be intolerable," said Lon Slepicka of Annapolis.
Baltimore City has personnel standing by for the weekend.
"Extra dumptrucks, bulldozers, everything is in place in case the storm packs the punch, which it could. We'll be ready to keep our citizens safe and keep the city moving," said Bob Maloney.
Some people are less concerned about Hanna and looking ahead to Ike. Some agencies say we should just be in ready-mode for the next few weeks.
Still, the city plans to impose parking restrictions as a precaution in areas around Fells Point and the Inner Harbor.
Effective 8 a.m. Saturday, parking will be restricted in certain parts of both areas. Signs will be posted in the restricted areas.
Cars that are parked in these posted locations will be removed to enable emergency workers easier access and to protect residents' safety.
If your vehicle is removed, you can call 311 to determine the location where it can be retrieved.
Free parking will be available at the following locations while the parking restrictions are in place:
Caroline Street Garage
805 S. Caroline Street
Baltimore, Md.
Fleet & Eden Garage
500 S. Eden Street
Baltimore, Md.
Little Italy Garage
400 S. Central Avenue
Baltimore, Md.
The city will also open the War Memorial Building downtown as a 24-hour homeless shelter.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
