Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake declared a state of emergency in Baltimore ahead of the expected arrival of Hurricane Sandy.
The move was made to make the city eligible for federal funds to reimburse for any potential cost of the storm, according to a news release.
Baltimore’s Emergency Operations Center will open at 7 a.m. Sunday so city officials can track the storm and stay in touch with other relevant agencies such as the Maryland Emergency Management Agency and the National Weather Service.
Residents in areas prone to flooding are also being encouraged to pick up sandbags by 9 p.m. Saturday at Rash Field, the Broadway Pier in Fells Point or the parking lot of 401 Thames Street.
The National Weather Service is predicting the storm will make a direct impact on the Mid-Atlantic region by early next week. Strong winds, torrential rain and wide spread power outages are expected.