Baltimore opens emergency shelter, prepares residents for flood waters of Tropical Storm Ophelia
BALTIMORE -- City officials took precautions ahead of Tropical Storm Ophelia, which was predicted to be capable of producing damaging winds and flood waters.
On Friday, they canceled some of the events tied to Artscape 2023. On Saturday, they announced that they would be converting a West Baltimore recreation center into an emergency shelter.
The Robert C. Marshall Recreation Shelter was made available to the public on Saturday and will remain open until 8 a.m.
All across Baltimore, people braced for potential impacts to their property, especially those who live in low-lying areas that historically flood.
Some people moved their vehicles to one of three city-owned garages that city officials made available to them prior to the storm.
The parking garages are located at 501 S. Eden Street (Fleet & Eden Garage), 805 S. Caroline Street (Caroline Garage), and 400 S. Central Avenue (Little Italy Garage).
The only requirement for taking advantage of the parking option is proof of residency, such as a driver's license or a utility bill.
That free parking is available until 7 a.m. on Monday.
People who live in areas that are susceptible to flooding began putting out sandbags to protect their homes and businesses ahead of the storm.
Many people expressed concern about flood waters creeping into their basements.
"I just don't want any of the water to get into our basement and flood that out, so I got the sandbags, the tarps—got that all ready to save our basements," Adam Williams, a Fells Point restaurant manager said.
City officials say their agencies are on standby to respond to any impacts from the storm.
