Community Corner

Emergency Officials Advise 'Window for Preparation is Quickly Closing'

Officials urged inland residents to prepare for winds, flooding and power outages.

During a Friday morning press conference hosted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), officials urged those in Hurricane Irene’s projected path to quickly get ready for the storm—even Marylanders who live away from the coast.

“We are telling people inland to be prepared,” said Bill Reed of the National Hurricane Center.

As of 9 a.m. Friday, the National Weather Service said that Hurricane Irene was 610 miles south of Washington, D.C., headed for the outer banks, and was projected to pass through central Maryland with tropical storm-like conditions Saturday afternoon into Sunday morning.

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The Maryland Emergency Management Agency said via Twitter that storm winds will blast Maryland Saturday afternoon for at least 18 hours.

“The window for preparation is quickly closing,” said Janet Napolitano, secretary of Homeland Security, during the press conference. Whether Irene was a category two or three storm shouldn’t be the focus she said, because “given the amount of rain and likelihood of flooding…if you are in the storm path, you won't be able to tell [the difference].”

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from Maryland to New Jersey, and coastal areas like Ocean City and parts of New York have been evacuated.

FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate said evacuations were ordered to minimize loss. After stating power could take days to get back on following the storm, Fugate said, “The one thing we can’t change the outcome on is loss of life.”

Red Cross President Gail McGovern said her organization was sending 60,000 ready-to-eat meals to Richmond and another batch to Massachusetts to sustain people in the event of power outages. Officials urged all residents in the storm's path to stock up on nonperishable foods that don’t require cooking, batteries and flashlights.

BGE said in a press release Friday morning that it is planning for at least 500,000 customer outages beginning as early as Saturday afternoon. 

“Here’s what you need to be prepared for: power outages that could be days or longer…flooding and flash flooding…very strong sustained winds, trees down, power lines down [and] heavy rain,” said Reed.

FEMA recommends putting these in your supply kit:

  • Water (one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days)
  • Nonperishable food (at least a three-day supply)
  • Flashlight
  • Extra batteries
  • First aid kit
  • Battery-powered or hand crank radio
  • Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
  • Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)
  • Local maps
  • Cell phone with chargers, inverter or solar charger


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