BALTIMORE, MD. (OCTOBER 29, 2012) - Today, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake provided residents with an update on the city’s efforts to respond to Hurricane Sandy. City officials are in the Emergency Operations Center monitoring the storm and conditions on the ground in Baltimore. City offices are closed tomorrow, and trash pickup is postponed. Residents are asked not to put out trash cans. The city is beginning to receive reports of downed power lines. High winds and downed lines create dangerous conditions for motorists and pedestrians. Residents are being asked to shelter in place indoors. According to the National Weather Service, Hurricane Sandy is expected to bring rain, winds and a storm surge to the Baltimore region today and continue through Tuesday. During the height of the storm, sustained winds of 40 mph, and gusts of up to 60 mph, are expected. Heavy rain and winds will cause disruptions to power and access to roadways. Residents are urged to stay away from downed power lines and should not drive through standing water. “Our number-one focus throughout this storm is public safety,” said Mayer Rawlings-Blake. “As always, we are hoping for the best, but have prepared for the worst. We fully expect weather conditions to deteriorate rapidly going into this afternoon and evening.” At the Mayor Rawlings-Blake’s direction, police officers and emergency responders will be deployed throughout the city and are able to respond to any incident, and forestry and public works response crews are on stand-by.  911 and 311 are fully operational. Use 911 for emergencies only. Police officers are deployed throughout the city and able to respond to any incident. More than 2,000 police officers are working overnight with majority on patrol, with Marine, Aviation, and Tactical units are on stand-by. At the Mayor’s request, the Maryland National Guard strategically positioned humvees across the city with police officers. The Fire Department has increased operational staffing around the clock with firefighters, paramedics, and special teams including swift water rescue, special rescue operations, and urban search and rescue teams. For the duration of the storm, the Fire Department will have 87 fire suppression companies and 37 advanced life support medic units available to respond.   The Department of Recreation and Parks will deploy more than 42 forestry crews to clear downed trees from critical roadways. Baltimore Housing staff is deployed to public housing projects to monitor conditions through storm. Code Enforcement and Housing inspectors are on hand to inspect damaged properties. Department of Public Works has confirmed that drinking water facilities are operational, and they deployed street sweepers deployed today to clear leaves from the street so inlets are clear. The Mayor reminded residents that the storm can cause numerous dangers on city streets, including flying debris and flooding. People should not drive or walk through standing water, even if it appears shallow. The state announced that the Port of Baltimore is closed, and waterway traffic is restricted in and around the Chesapeake Bay. While citizens are encouraged to shelter in-place during the Hurricane Sandy storm period, six shelters will be available throughout the city at the following locations:

•     War Memorial Building, Lexington and Gay Streets
•     Baltimore Junior Academy, 3006 West Cold Spring Lane
•     Oliver Community Center, 1400 East Federal Street
•     Edmondson-Westside High School, 4501 Edmondson Avenue
•     Patterson Park High School, 100 Kane Street
•     Forest Park High School, 3701 Eldorado Avenue

Citizens using shelters should bring needed supplies, including medications when necessary. The shelters are staffed by Baltimore Housing and the American Red Cross. Due to the effects of Hurricane Sandy, the Baltimore City Department of Transportation would like to advise citizens that the Charm City Circulator will be suspending operations beginning on Monday, October 29, 2012 and during the storm period.  Charm City Circulator service will be cancelled on all routes, including the Purple, Orange and Green routes, along with the Banner route.  Citizens can visitwww.CharmCityCirculator.com for additional information. The City Department of Transportation has closed the following intersections and roads due to potential and expected flooding:

•     Clipper Mill at Meadow Mills Business Park
•     1900 block Falls Road (near Streetcar Museum)
•     Monument Street at Pulaski Highway
•     Aliceanna at Caroline Street
•     North Point at Kane West

At the Mayor Rawlings-Blake’s direction, police officers and emergency responders will be deployed throughout the city and are able to respond to any incident, and forestry and public works response crews are on stand-by.  911 and 311 are fully operational. Use 911 for emergencies only. Police officers are deployed throughout the city and able to respond to any incident. Citizens are also reminded they can call 311 for the latest information about the City’s storm response and recovery efforts. BGE Customers should report outages by calling 877-778-2222. Any residents in need of non-emergency social service resource assistance can call Maryland 211 service. The city will be making additional announcement throughout the day. Please stay tuned to local news, television and radio.