Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has announced mandatory travel restrictions starting at 6 p.m. and in effect until noon tomorrow.

This means residents will not be allowed on Baltimore roads except for emergency personnel, hospital employees and medical providers.

The worst of Hurricane Sandy is expected to strike the area between 6 p.m. and 3 a.m. tonight, with heavy rains and dangerously high winds.

“We need folks to stay off the roads so that our first responders can focus 100% on real emergency incidents as they may occur,” Rawlings-Blake said in a media release.

Police, firefighters and other emergency responders have been deployed throughout the city and will be able to respond to emergencies.

Forestry and public works crews are on stand-by. Residents are asked to use 911 for emergencies and 311 for non-emergencies during the storm.

Area hospitals and emergency rooms will remain open. “We are working closely with our hospitals and medical providers to ensure that their employees have safe routes to work,” the mayor said.

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