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Governor Announces Statewide Response Efforts for Winter Storm

March 14th, 2017 by WCBC Radio

With winter weather still impacting many areas of Maryland, Governor Larry Hogan continues to direct state agencies in a coordinated effort to keep Marylanders safe and informed. On Monday evening, the governor signed an Executive Order declaring a state of emergency in Maryland and allowing for the Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) to more easily coordinate with all state agencies throughout the duration of the storm. As snow or wintry precipitation continues throughout the morning and early afternoon across much of the state, Governor Hogan is urging Marylanders to avoid unnecessary travel while crews work to clear roads.

Statewide actions include the following:

Maryland Emergency Management Agency

·         MEMA continues to monitor weather forecasts in anticipation of continued snowfall and possible refreezing Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.

·         Partial activation of the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) in coordination with state agencies to monitor resource requests.

·         Monitoring approximately 46,000 power outages statewide as of 10:00 AM Tuesday morning.

Maryland Military Department/Maryland National Guard

·         Mobilized limited number of Maryland National Guardsmen to monitor and provide assistance as needed based on requests.

Maryland State Police

·         Maryland State Police has increased staffing to support patrols during the winter storm event.

·         Coordinating with Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT)/State Highway Administration (SHA) to keep roadways clear.

State Highway Administration

·         The Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) and the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) staff and contracted forces have been responding with a total of 2,646 state and contracted equipment as of 8:00 AM Tuesday morning.

·         SHA personnel, along with Maryland State Police and local law enforcement, have responded to approximately 212 incidents along state highways and interstates in Maryland since 8 PM Monday night, including crashes, disabled vehicles, and debris removal. SHA and MDTA crews continue to respond to traffic incidents and assist motorists.

·         SHA is encouraging citizens to completely clear cars of snow and ice and to make sure tailpipes are not clogged with snow.

Maryland Transportation Authority

·         The Maryland Transportation Authority has enacted limited wind restrictions at the Bay Bridge. Strong winds remain in the forecast making additional warnings/restrictions likely as the storm passes. 

·         House trailers, empty box trailers or any vehicle that, in the opinion of law-enforcement personnel, may not safely cross the bridge will be prohibited from traveling the bridge. Motorists who are denied passage will be assisted with safely turning around.

Maryland Transit Administration

·         Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) is responding to potential delays with Light Rail due to icing conditions.

·         Mobility/Paratransit service has been suspended Tuesday, March 14 and will resume on Wednesday, March 15 at 6:00 AM. The call center will open Tuesday at noon.

·         MARC Train is operating on the reduced "R" schedule on all three lines.

·         All Commuter Bus service is suspended Tuesday. Local bus service continues to run with diversions on many lines.

·         Light rail is experiencing system-wide service outages. As of 10:00 AM Tuesday there is no movement throughout the light rail system due to freezing rain impacting catenary lines. MTA is working to establish bus bridges to help service key stops at the following locations: North Ave to Lutherville, North Ave to Camden Yards, Camden Yards to BWI.

·         To get the latest on the status of MTA services from MARC and Commuter Bus to buses, mobility vehicles, Metro Subway and Light Rail, check on for updates on twitter, radio and MTA’s website at www.mta.maryland.gov.

BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport

  • BWI’s snow team continues working to clear the airfield for airline operations, along with public roadways and parking lots.
  • A small number of flights are operating this morning, but the majority of flights were cancelled by the airlines. Some airline activity is expected to increase throughout the day, however no Southwest Airlines flights are scheduled to operate for the majority of the day.
  • Only the C and D/E TSA security checkpoints will be open this morning (A and B to remain closed).

Port of Baltimore

  • Port operations personnel are working 12-hour around-the-clock shifts on snow removal. The emphasis is on clearing the cargo terminals.
  • The Port of Baltimore is actively working ships today.

Motor Vehicle Administration

  • The following MVA branch offices will be open for limited services today: Largo, Beltsville, Easton, Waldorf, Loveville, Salisbury. Driver skills tests may be impacted and customers who want to reschedule will be accommodated at a time of their convenience.
  • The following VEIP Stations are open: Clinton, Glen Ardennes, Grasonville, Waldorf, Prince Frederick
  • The MVA Call Center is closed.
  • Remember, many MVA services are offered online and can be accessed at your convenience. Please check www.mva.maryland.gov for further updates.

Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

  • Health and Mental Hygiene’s Office of Preparedness and Response will be monitoring developments and coordinating any needed emergency response.
  • Via Preparedness and Response’s website, Marylanders can download cold weather tips at http://goo.gl/qNn8Xx, a home-care emergency preparedness guide at http://goo.gl/v9hfl8 and get updates at facebook.com/MarylandOPR.      

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