State Officials: Stay Off The Roads

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) -- Maryland MEMA is monitoring the storm as it moves through the state.

WJZ's Mike Hellgren is reporting from the operation's nerve center.

It's only going to get worse and officials are monitoring the increasing snowfall counts as well as the deteriorating road conditions around the state.

Snow emergencies have been issued in all counties, and a state of emergency issued in Maryland.

The snow started falling this afternoon and it stuck, accumulating fast. It'll only get worse -- making any overnight travel treacherous.

"People need to understand that this is the real deal," said Gov. Larry Hogan. "We're taking it very seriously."

A NASA image shows the powerful image from space.

State Highway Administration crews loaded up salt and plan to be clearing roads as long as it's safe, while many Marylanders plan to stay inside through the worst of it.

"Try to stay home and don't go out unless you absolutely need to," Bob Ellers, of Baltimore County.

The SHA facility in Annapolis -- they have others around the state with 2,700 pieces of equipment at the ready and 365,000 tons of salt.

At BGE's staging area near BWI-Marshall Airport, hundreds of teams are ready to go - including almost 1,000 out-of-state.

Certain potential for heavy, wet snow in portions of our territory," said BGE spokesman Justin Mulcahy. "The high winds are problematic and that combination -- so that could lead to power outages. And that's why we're preparing, that's why we do what we do that's why we mobilize."

"I have a generator, said Paul Freiert of Baltimore County. " But it's always a possibility. In our neighborhood, we lose power often. It's always a possibility, I just want to be prepared."

At the MEMA center, the National Guard and state agencies monitor conditions, second-by-second around the clock.

There might be significant break downs in transportation -- probably at the airport, trains and buses and roads," said Hogan. "And we don't want people stuck out there. So get home and stay home."

"Looks like it's going to be a bad one this time and hopefully people will get prepared so they can stay at home and ride it out -- don't go out if they don't need to," a resident said.

That's the big message from state officials -- stay off the roads right now they are icy, are getting more dangerous especially when snow starts to blow in blizzard conditions. They want to allow crews to do work that they will do as long as it's not dangerous for them as well.