ANNAPOLIS, Md. (September 10, 2018)โ On Monday evening, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan signed Executive Order 01.01.2018.22 declaring a state of emergency beginning Monday, September 10, 2018 ahead of the landfall of Hurricane Florence. The order allows the state to secure the assets and funding should it be needed in jurisdictions within Maryland and neighboring states.
โAt this time, there is still some uncertainty about the track of this storm and its potential impact, but we are preparing for any possible outcome, including the potential for historic and catastrophic rainfall, life-threatening flooding, and high winds,โ said Governor Hogan. โOur state is taking every precaution, and I urge Marylanders to do the same. Stay tuned to your local news stations for the latest updates, listen to state and local authorities, and most importantly, use common sense.โ
Forecasts indicate that torrential rains, tropical storm force winds, and and tidal flooding/storm surge could impact the state beginning as early as Thursday. Meteorologists monitoring the storm report that it has the potential to cause life-threatening conditions, including catastrophic flooding as well as high winds and dangerous conditions in our waterways.
The stateโs Emergency Operations Center Response Level has been elevated and center is fully staffed with emergency management personnel and state agency coordinating function representatives.
The state of emergency allows the governor to access critical resources in order to increase the stateโs response, like the Maryland National Guard. It also allows Maryland to receive assistance from other states as part of the Emergency Management Assistance Compact. This compact serves as the cornerstone of the nationโs mutual aid system and offers assistance and aid during states of emergency through member states.
โA state of emergency is a good indicator that residents should remain alert and follow officialsโ orders, news stations, and weather forecasts in order to be informed of the situation,โ said MEMAโs Executive Director, Russell Strickland. โWe encourage all residents and visitors to our State to visit www.KnowYourZoneMD.com to see if they are inside, or, if they are traveling to, a hurricane evacuation zone,โ he added.
Governor Hogan has directed state agencies to stand ready to respond to the effects of this storm, including the Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA). For more information, residents can also go to MEMAโs website at mema.maryland.gov, follow MEMAโs Twitter feed at @MDMEMA, or follow MEMAโs Facebook page at www.facebook.com/MDMEMA.
