Sep 5, 2008 3:18 pm US/Eastern
O'Malley Issues Pre-Disaster Emergency Declaration
REISTERSTOWN, Md. (WJZ/AP) ―
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The Maryland Emergency Management Agency or MEMA has been swamped.
CBS
The Maryland Emergency Management Agency or MEMA has been swamped.
Communication in all forms is key as staff members watch Hanna, Ike and Josephine, three chances for disaster to hit home.
Maryland's hurricane planner says Tropical Storm Hanna could bring 2- to 4 inches of rain to the state on Saturday.
Robert Ward also says it appears Hanna will be a fast moving storm. He says it could bring wind gusts from 30- to 40 miles per hour, with sustained winds of up to 20 miles per hour.
Jessica Kartalija reports Ward briefed Gov. Martin O'Malley and other state officials Thursday at the State Emergency Operations Center in Reisterstown.
Ward says the storm could cause some coastal flooding, raising waters about 1 to 3 feet above normal.
Inland flooding took over many parts of the state after Hurricane Isabel whipped through in 2003, destroying homes and displacing families.
"We still have our work cut out for us in communicating to citizens, making sure they take this seriously," said O'Malley.
Richard Muth, the director of the Maryland Emergency Management Agency, says the storm will probably cross the Chesapeake Bay Saturday afternoon and could affect the Ocean City area.
"We don't want to let our guard down just because it may or may not be a hurricane at that time," said Muth.
O'Malley has issued a Statewide Emergency Declaration in anticipation of the storm's impact on Maryland's Eastern Shore.
O'Malley says the declaration was made in an abundance of caution.
The move provides for additional resources to emergency planners and first responders in case the storm is worse than expected. The declaration affects all of Maryland.
"You never really know where these hurricanes are going...the only thing we know from the models is four out of four of them say they are going to brush by the mouth of Chesapeake Bay," said O'Malley.
Residents in Maryland are being asked to have food and water for at least three days.
The best way for people to prepare is by keeping the following items on hand should they be needed:
· Flashlights - not candles
· Fresh batteries
· Battery-operated clock radio
· Corded telephone
· Fully charged cell phone
· Non-perishable food
· Bottled Water
· Blankets
Winds from Tropical Storm Hanna likely will force the Bay Bridge to close for some period of time on Saturday.
The bridge is sometimes closed temporarily when high winds blow over the Chesapeake Bay, even when there are not tropical storm conditions. O'Malley says it's reasonable to expect the bridge will have to close for awhile when Hanna comes, likely on Saturday afternoon.
BGE is also monitoring Tropical Storm Hanna. In anticipation of the storm's arrival, the utility has already identified available storm-related resources and field crews. Currently more than 1,500 BGE employees and contractors are prepared to work around-the-clock to safely and efficiently restore power.
MEMA officials plan to call on help from surrounding states.
"Because this is a coastal event, people are far more willing to deploy or pre-deploy if they are called upon to do that from other states," said O'Malley.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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