Maryland Declares Emergency, Elkridge Houses Power Personnel Before Hurricane

Gov. Martin O’Malley issued a state of emergency for Maryland Thursday afternoon, calling the National Guard into service and authorizing the Maryland Emergency Management Agency to use whatever resources are necessary to ensure public safety.

“Although the precise path of Hurricane Irene is uncertain, the entire state of Maryland must take steps to prepare…for hurricanes, severe weather, flash floods, and other disasters,” said O'Malley in a statement.

The executive order came several hours after Ocean City declared a state of emergency and urged people planning trips there to cancel them this weekend.

According to the National Weather Service, the eye of Hurricane Irene was over Abaco Island in the Caribbean as of 2 p.m. Thursday.

Howard County officials said the storm could hit residents over the weekend and urged citizens to take action.

"This will have a significant impact on HoCo, putting us on the border [between] a hurricane and tropical storm force winds, beginning on Saturday evening and reaching full force Sunday morning....Now is the time to prepare," read a message on the Howard County Facebook page Thursday afternoon.

Foreseeing the potential for power outages, utilities provider BGE has been lining up resources since Tuesday. As of Thursday afternoon, BGE said it had requested 850 additional personnel.

Some of those people were staying in Elkridge. Crew leader Dave Reed of Reading, PA, said he was in his truck on the way to Florida on Tuesday to help out with possible hurricane damages there when he got the call to divert. Instead, he was dispatched to Elkridge, where Patch found him getting ready to roll his suitcase into the .

Nick Austin, director of operations for Reed's company—Met-Ed, a utility business primarily in Pennsylvania and Ohio—said BGE had deployed approximately 250 other employees from Met-Ed's parent company, First Energy Corps. "With utilities, it's key to secure the resources," said Austin.

BGE said it planned to mobilize personnel for "restoration work as soon as the storm has cleared central Maryland and it is safe to do so," according to a press release. In the event of disruptions in service, the utilities company advised residents to prepare in advance.

Here are tips from the Red Cross to stay ahead of the hurricane:

• Bring in things that can be picked up by the wind (lawn furniture, bicycles, etc.).
• Turn the fridge to the coolest setting so if power goes out, items will stay cold.
• Ensure you have extra batteries and flashlights; don't use candles.
• Keep your cell phone charged.
• Have a camera handy to take pictures in case there’s damage.
• Store three gallons of water per person and three days’ worth of nonperishable food.

Get tips for handling your pet in an emergency from Howard County Animal Control here.