Baltimore's health department issues Code Blue declaration as Arctic chill sweeps through
BALTIMORE -- The Baltimore City Health Department issued a Cold Blue Extreme Cold declaration as Arctic winds sweep through the city.
The Code Blue alert begins on Friday night and will go through Saturday as the arctic air moves into the area.
The declaration helps the city keep some resources in place to ensure everyone can stay warm throughout the night.
Under Code Blue, the Mayor's Office of Homeless Services works with shelters to extend hours so people can stay the night. Also, they make sure there are enough beds for people who need them.
The cold prompted many people to bundle up throughout the day. WJZ's First Alert Team predicts that the wind chills will dip into the single digits by Saturday morning.
Bundled up is how the Baltimore City Health Department would like to see people outside, but preferably want people to stay indoors if possible.
Since we've had a pretty warm winter, and it's the weekend, the city health department worries people may not be as careful with the cold.
"It can catch people off guard, I think," Kimberly Eshleman, director of the Office of Public Health, Preparedness and Response at the Baltimore City Health Department, said. "It's the start of the weekend, people might be wanting to walk to some of their destinations that they're going to get their weekend kicked off at. It might be time to rethink some of those transportation plans,"
Dr. Mark Goldstein, the chief of emergency medicine at Sinai Hospital, warns hypothermia is possible with the cold we're expected to get. So, if you do head out, remember to bundle up.
