Gov. Martin O'Malley just declared a state of emergency in preparation for Hurricane Irene, which could dump as much as a foot of rain on Maryland this weekend.
The executive order signed by the governor activates the state national guard and puts the Maryland Emergency Management Agency into high gear. The governor plans to give a news conference from the MEMA headquarters inReisterstown later this afternoon.
States up and down the eastern seaboard are preparing for the storm, the first to threaten Maryland this year.