"Code Blue Alert Issued For Baltimore City" (ABC 2, January 6, 2015)
Tuesday Jan 6th, 2015
Tuesday's snow was just part of the winter weather the area is in store for the first full week of the new year.
Temperatures are expected to take a dramatic drop prompting city officials to declare a Code Blue Alert. It begins Wednesday.
"I'm hoping that everyone is already practicing safety around the weather today (Tuesday) in terms of staying indoors and able to get this message but also make preparations for the anticipated cold weather that we expect on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of this week," Dr. Jacquelyn Duval-Harvey, Interim Health Commissioner for the Baltimore City Health Department, said.
The Health Commissioner can declare a Code Blue when temperatures, including the wind chill, are expected to be 13 degrees or below or when other conditions, like strong winds or extended periods of cold, are determined severe enough.
"We want to make sure that everyone is safe and that we do not run the risk of individuals being exposed to hypothermia and potentially the worst case scenario people not being protected which essentially can lead to death as well," Duval-Harvey added.
Part of preventing that includes providing services and shelter for the homeless. Private shelters across the city are encouraged to extend their hours and keep people inside. Dr. Duval-Harvey says it's also a time to be a good neighbor.
"We want to make sure that individuals, such as individuals who may have no heat in their homes, people who may have pets that stay outside, young children and the elderly, that you look out for those individuals and make sure that they have heat and they are safe," she said.