Maryland Officials Prepare For Flooding
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Prepare for flooding. Water levels will rise in parts of Maryland. The question is, how much.
Kelly McPherson explains what's being done to prepare for possible flooding.
In Annapolis, the sandbags are out.
"They took great pains to alert me, and I'm sure other business owners and managers, of the risks involved in plenty of time," said Jeff Holland, Annapolis Maritime Museum.
At the line between Harford and Cecil counties at the Conowingo Dam, several floodgates are already open to relieve the water pressure in preparation for the storm. The Susquehanna River is swollen with runoff and melted snow from up north; opening floodgates could prevent the water from spreading onto land. Several inches of rain would mean trouble.
"The ground is already saturated with water, so any additional water on that and high winds can cause real problems with older trees, causing them to come down. When they come down, power lines are most likely to come down," said Bob Thomas, Harford County.
Officials in low-lying areas are ready to block off streets if necessary.
Havre de Grace could also be impacted this time.
"It's pretty good if you live up the hill. If you live down the hill on the main streets, you get a nice little-sized flood, maybe up to here sometimes, like when it's real bad," said Dwight Rabb.
"I work at the diner across the street over there and it will be interesting to see what happens," said Chris Flack. "I hope for my friends down here downtown that it's all right."
Most of Maryland is under a flood watch now.
