we are starting to see the arrival of the storms. i think we're going to start seeing some outages. by the time people wake up tomorrow, we will see measurable outages. >> we want people to know you have crews in place. you cannot expect them to work in 15 mile an hour wind. >> that is right. -- you cannot expect them to work in 50 mile an hour wind. >> that is right. we will have them working in the storm. they are challenged with anything over 25 miles an hour. customers will see them in the community. they will see them sitting still. they are waiting for a wave of whether to pass so they can do their job. it is better than bringing them back from a staging area. we have not done that regularly. against.hat we're up

there is a balance. you want to make sure the customers are getting served. you also want to make sure the crews are safe. we're going to try to put them out there to the extent operating conditions allow. we will not put them in their the conditions. we want to be sure they are close to the work to restore as quickly as possible. >> when my power goes out and my neighbors power goes out, we should both call? >> both call. until we have smart meters deployed which will let us know what is going on at the other end of your reader, we do not know. letting us know you have an outage lets us trading delay. we know it is not just your home. is the feeder impacted as well. >> is there any way for you to begin to compare this to something else, what it might be like? >> that was a difficult

challenge. we have had some storms, but there has been no foliage on the trees. some storms have come through in october with foliage. this is unusual because we have a mix of trees with leaves. think of them as an umbrella. the wind pulls them in an unusual directions. >> it is an unprecedented storm. with it is. we will be out there. patients will be key. this will be a long event. >> we appreciate your filling us in on what bge is doing before the storm hits. stay with us. 11 news at 6:00 continues after this. >> warnings are up for the state. there is a blizzard warning in the mountains. more coming up. >> i am sheldon dutes with tips on how to get ready for the approaching storm. >> i am lowell melser in ocean

city.

>> welcome back to the extended edition of the news at 6:00. >> thousands are being told to evacuate coastal areas of delaware, new jersey, connecticut, and other areas. cancelednes have k more than 5000 flights. tom tasselmyer has been tracking the storm all day and the past several days. >> it seems to be behaving the way the models indicated. the critical part will be tonight into tomorrow morning. that is when the storm is expected to return. it is still 270 miles south of cape hatteras. it makes the turn toward us. we will be watching for the band to the northwest.

we have two weather elements. we have the front to the west. there is cold air behind it. the radar is starting to show some paint indicating snow. the cold air is dropping in. the hurricane is approaching from the south and east. that is expected to hit the coast tomorrow afternoon. when the two elements combine, sandy will not be a hurricane. it will be an even stronger nor'easter coming in from the east of the ocean into our area. for more on that, let's go to joan collins. >> there are two elements to the storm. one is the heavy rain on the eastern shore. then we have the wind. the weather service has issued a hurricane force winds warning for the day for tomorrow. by the time the storm comes in, it will not technically be a hurricane. the wind will be hurricane- force.

the wind gusts at the bridge, 21 miles an hour. at ocean city inlet, 35. 40 in the delaware bay paid in the land to, the wind is gusting to 47 miles an hour. -- 40 in the delaware bay. in the atlantic, the wind is gusting to 40 miles an hour. in the morning, we expect steady wind 30 to 35 dusting into the 50's. tomorrow night, the wind will be in the 40's gusting to the 60's. this is from after lunch until after breakfast on tuesday. we will have strong tropical force winds. temperatures will be mostly in the 50's during the daytime. at night time, they will drop into the 40's.

during this time, we will have waves of heavy rain of up to 7 inches. more details coming up. >> we have live team coverage from all over the area. residents along the coast are already experiencing hurricane sandy. >> we begin with sheldon dutes in baltimore county and on how residents are preparing. >> and rear set up along the back river in eastern baltimore county. -- we are set up along the back river in eastern baltimore county. we have seen some people. rod has been fishing. he said it has been good. he has caught two sizable fish. folks are having fun. others spent the day getting ready for the storm. hurricane sandy has not made her way to maryland to it.

she is already developing a reputation. >> it is scary. it is covering a wide area. >> with so much uncertainty, she wants to make sure she is prepared. >> toilet paper, paper towels, milk. just regular things. >> she is not alone. workers in southeast baltimore have been busy ringing up items all day. >> milk, water, a lot of batteries. >> people who live in low lying areas piled sandbags into their cars to get ready. >> to keep the water from coming in. >> people have altered their plans around the rubble. the storm has not stopped people from early voting. we caught up with workers at one precinct in eastern baltimore county about voter turnout.

>> we have had more people than ever. we have great turnout yesterday. the wines were shorter than other locations, but we did have a great turnout. >> the polls will be closed tomorrow and will not reopen until further notice. we do have an update to pass along. according to baltimore county emergency management, baltimore county has activated the emergency operation center about 40 minutes ago. they say this is a limited activation to begin coordinating response to the storm. barry sims is standing by in annapolis. >> the emergency operation center for annapolis in anne arundel county started around noon today. the big concern is storm surge. also flooding in low-lying areas.

annapolis business is making final preparations. the owner of this store is sharing sandbags with neighbors. >> if one floods, we're all going to flood. it is better for all of us to be safe. >> the city of annapolis gave out 40 tons of sand but limited businesses to 10 bags and residents to 5. >> i heard the city was out of bags. we saved some from the storm last year. we pulled them out today. >> she also purchased another 30 banks. annapolis and anne arundel county opened their emergency management centers at noon on sunday. >> the most important thing today is preparation. we have 85,000 people on well water. they should build the bathtub with water so they are prepared. >> the main concern is low-lying areas that could give a storm surge of up to 3 feet. >> we have not ordered mandatory

evacuation. the latest track is probably going to hit north of us. the storm surge may not be as bad as we were preparing for. still there's going to be significant tidal and flood action. >> we expect not to see the major brunt, but we will face heavy wind and rain. people need to be prepared. >> annapolis high school is serving as a shelter. it opened around 3:00 this afternoon. it is for anyone in the low- lying areas that may need shelter. it is pet friendly. you can bring your cats and dogs. in the city of nablus, the garages are open and free to residents. the city wants to make sure the cars are off the narrow streets so emergency vehicles can get through. in the city of annapolis, the garages are open and free to residents. let's check in with lowell

melser. >> the wind has really picked up in ocean city. we're seeing gusts up to 45 miles an hour. we're seeing waves from 9 to 12 feet. the water is starting to come up to our legs. this will likely be the last live shot on the beach. we are at 32nd street. earlier, we headed down to check out the storm watches. we hope to talk to the mayor who has declared a state of emergency in ocean city. heavy surf in ocean city. the national weather service reporting 40 mile an hour wind, 10 foot waves, and the worst of hurricane sandy is still a day away. >> we're very concerned about it

when it gets here. >> the mayor has declared a state of emergency closing the beach and initiating phase two of the emergency evacuation plan, meaning a mandatory evacuation for residents south of 17th street. we even noticed flooding by midday on the bayside. >> we think the real issues will be in the downtown areas. if we do see tide levels we expect, we could lose power in that area. that causes problems for the residents in that area. >> the threat of the impending storm is enough to get people to board up on the boardwalk. >> is going to blow. we're going to get something out of this. hope it is not too bad. >> as far as storm watches, we found many at a familiar but dangerous side. we're at the inlet at the end of

the boardwalk, typically one of the best places to watch a hurricane come in. you can see the waves crashing against the rocks. unbelievable what we are seeing. wind gusts up to 55 miles an hour counting down here. you can see the surf moving up. we understand from officials they will probably shut this area down before this airs. be careful if you are coming down to the inlet. it is very dangerous. we're noticing a lot of people coming down here to take a look. be careful if you are down here. the wind is pounding. it is a very dangerous situation. >> it is unbelievable. it is very windy. it is hard to walk. >> something as simple as taking a picture was a chore. look at that woman. >> it is bad. it is the worst i have seen.

>> ocean city officials want people to take precautions. >> we're asking people to use common sense. if ever body stays inside and follows the plan, everybody will be safe. >> back live in ocean city. the surf is coming up. the inlet has been closed. the mayor telling us they have shut down the main artery into ocean city. route 90 remains open to traffic. they are worried about flooding 17th street and south. that is the latest year. david collins is standing by. i do not know if you are seeing what we are here, but it is a mess. >> nothing like that has come close to the island.

it has been steady rain with wind gusts. that has been the extent of it since 1:00. queen anne's county is the gateway to the eastern shore. 27% of this area is surrounded by water. it is prone to flooding. authorities say it is not the amount of wind and rain, but the duration. they have requested help from the maryland national guard. military assets will include a large personnel carrier and swift water rescue equipment. a high wind warnings are in effect for the bridge area. they closed schools here through tuesday. within the hour, they have opened emergency shelters. there is one at can island high school and another at the middle school. pets are welcome until 8:00 tonight. david collins, wbal-tv 11 news.

>> a look at the doppler shows us they are dealing with the outer bands spending on shore. the wind is well over 45, near 50 miles an hour off shore. 35 to 40 along the coastal areas. it is only going to get worse. the storm is expected to get stronger as it makes its way toward us and intensified to a nor'easter. the western part of the system is the showers in the mountains. that is a cold front as they combine, that energizes the storm. you can see the two elements coming together. there is sandy, 270 miles southeast of cape hatteras. this jet stream is driving a cold into the midwest. this will move to the east.

they are starting to combine. the low pressure moves to the east. the temperature contrast energizes it. it was getting power from the warm water of the topics. as it moves north, it will get energy from the temperature contrast. it looks like this will steer it into us. the latest report has it moving northeast. we will wait to see it moved to the northwest. that will be crucial. it is 29.11 on the barometer. it is expected to become more intense. it may set records for bear much pressures as it comes onshore. -- for barometric pressures as it comes onshore. it is possible if it could very as it makes the turn to the northwest. you will see the eye on the new

jersey coast line at 3:00 tomorrow afternoon. cold air will be pulled in generating snow. it works its way and west into the mountains. the cold air strikes to sweep toward baltimore. snow could mix with rain on tuesday. they are going to measure snow by the foot in west virginia. it is possible three or 4 feet of snow could come down with the system. the wind will gradually diminish midweek. the purple areas are 50-mile an hour wind coming in with the tomorrow.marke the eye works its way over. it continues to race towards the

mountains into tuesday morning. the winds will slowly diminished. around the bay on tuesday, the wind will be out of the south beating into it. the water problems on the day may come on tuesday. it will go back to the south and push in day water into the day on tuesday. the wind will not be as strong by the afternoon. the flow will become end up -- becoming up and trapping the water. conditions may be worse on tuesday than tomorrow. tonight, temperatures holding steady. tomorrow the rain and wind increase. we're talking about the potential of six to 10 inches. high wind tomorrow gusting to 65 miles an hour in the afternoon and evening. starting late tonight, a flood watch. flooding is likely in many areas.

high wind warning tomorrow morning with gusts to 65 miles an hour. coastal flood advisories and warnings will kick in monday and tuesday when the extreme high tides occur with the new moon on monday. this storm begins to pull out on wednesday. showers taper off in the morning. we're back to a quiet whether pattern thursday into friday. it looks like temperatures will stay chilly through the weekend with highs only in the 50's. ava marie is at ocean city. you might want to get to sandbags so you do not blow away. >> the wind is really starting to dust. i recorded one at 37 miles an hour. we may be surpassing that. we are on higher ground.

we're near the northern part of downtown ocean city. they're doing restoration efforts on the beach. i am afraid the lot of this will get washed away. some of the highest waves are starting to reach the close of areas. we are reaching high tide. this is not the worst of it. we are expecting the worst of it tomorrow morning after 7:00. that is when we will reach the next high tide. that is when the surge will likely be the strongest. sandy will be approaching and paralleling the shore. all the rain could bring down trees and power lines. that is something we will continue to watch. in ocean city, ava marie, wbal- tv 11 news. >> hurricane sandy coming toward the northeast. it is expected to make landfall

near the southern new jersey coast. the new jersey governor announced widespread mandatory evacuations for areas like atlantic city and the barrier islands. the governor met with first responders and state officials. he ordered a mass transit shutdown beginning sunday afternoon. >> if you know you were going to evacuate, please evacuate today before the onset of the storm. in the middle of the storm, the first responders are putting their lives at risk to rescue. last year, we lost a first responder during hurricane irene. >> on saturday, gov. christie declared a state of emergency in anticipation of the devastating weather hurricane sandy is expected to bring. >> the tsunami warning ny has been downgraded to advisory. it appears it has -- it appears hawaii has escaped serious damage.

-- the tsunami warning in hawaii has been downgraded to an advisory. the waves were smaller than predicted. no major damage was reported. tune into wbal at 9:00 tonight for conditions and emergency response. we will continue the coverage following sunday night football for an early morning updates, we're scheduled to begin at 4:00 a.m.. coming up, we will update you on the status of hurricane sandy.

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>> what have we got? >> we have sandy moving our way. it is expected to turn to the northwest aimed at new jersey, delaware bay, may be close to ocean city. it is expected to remain a very strong storm as it makes the turn inland. we are in for all kinds of messy whether tomorrow. high wind and rain are the emphasis. it will be gusting over 60 miles an hour in the afternoon and evening with the potential for six to 10 inches of rain. flooding and heavy winds, heavy rain. it is a mess beginning tomorrow. >> we will be ready. >> we will have an update at 9:00.

>> nbc nightly news is next.