A major winter storm is barreling toward Maryland this weekend, and snow and ice could amount to 7 to 14 inches. City, county and state officials are preparing to treat roads and mitigate emergencies during the storm.

Gov. Wes Moore on Friday declared a state of emergency and warned Marylanders to take the storm seriously.

“This storm is not a game,” Moore said at a news conference in Annapolis. “Regardless of where in the state you are, please take our instructions and please take these warnings very, very seriously.”

Millions of people are under a winter weather watch, warning or advisory as the storm travels across the U.S. The system is expected to cover much of the East Coast by Sunday.

Here’s how local and state agencies, hospitals and transportation authorities are preparing for the storm.

What transportation officials are doing

Road crews with the State Highway Administration have been preparing equipment and taking stock of materials, such as salt, brine and liquid magnesium, for the sub-20-degree ice patches, spokesperson Charlie Gischlar said.

They’ll continue to monitor the storm and will know more about deployment times in the coming days, Gischlar said.

The Baltimore City Department of Transportation will pretreat city gateways, bridges, hills and overpasses along on- and off-ramps to Interstate 83 and Maryland 295 starting Thursday, according to the mayor’s office. City-owned parking facilities will be open for residents to park their vehicles for free on a first come, first served basis.

If you are flying this weekend, airlines at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport may cancel flights, said spokesperson Jonathan Dean. Customers should check with their airlines for the most up-to-date flight status information, Dean said, and airlines may allow travelers to alter travel plans ahead of the storm.

About 150 airport employees will be working to remove snow from airport runways and taxiways, Dean said. The airport also offers covered parking spaces, and travelers should consider parking in those garages.

What hospitals are doing

Hospitals around the region are monitoring the weather and, if needed, will ramp up measures to keep the centers operating as close to normal as possible.

That mainly means preparing to house and feed staff at the hospitals or in nearby hotels to ensure they’re able to work. It also means clearing snow from parking lots and sidewalks, and coordinating with local officials to ensure road access for patients, especially emergencies — the cold and snow often bring in accident victims and people with heart troubles in addition to the regular cases.

LifeBridge Health, parent of Sinai Hospital in Baltimore and Northwest Hospital in Randallstown, said they’re preparing to open “command centers” to coordinate such operations and make sure staff have a plan if they don’t stay over at the hospital, said Sharon Boston, a spokeswoman.

Officials at Luminis Health, parent of Anne Arundel Medical Center and Doctors Community Medical Center in Lanham, also are planning for possible impacts, according to Jen Harrington, senior vice president and chief operating officer. That includes evaluating surgical schedules for Monday and rescheduling if needed.

Luminis outpatient centers plan a delayed opening Monday, and staff are rescheduling early appointments, as well as those with patients who request a change.

MedStar Union Memorial and Good Samaritan hospitals in Baltimore will hold off on specific changes while they monitor the weather, said hospital President T.J. Senker. He said all hospitals practice for big emergencies, including major snowstorms.

He recalled a massive storm years ago when he and a past hospital executive drove around to pick up patients whose care couldn’t wait, shoveling their own way out. Now, they have services to pick up patients if needed, said Senker, adding if other staff stay at the hospital, he is likely to stay, too, and “offer an extra set of hands.”

“We do a variety of emergency preparedness training over the course of the year,” he said. “The good thing is we know when storms like this are coming.”

David McCallister, a spokesperson with the Maryland Department of Health, said the Office of Preparedness and Response will coordinate with state and local agencies, as well as public health and medical partners, leading up to and during the winter storm.

Marylanders can check the department’s social media channels and the Cold Weather Safety Toolkit for winter storm preparedness.

What Baltimore and surrounding counties are doing

During a news conference Friday, Baltimore officials urged residents to prepare well in advance and avoid leaving their homes unless necessary.

Baltimore has enlisted the help of the Maryland Army National Guard for assistance with EMS calls, Fire Chief James Wallace said. Recreation and Parks facilities will close at 4 p.m. Saturday and remain closed Sunday.

City officials said they have begun canvassing the homeless population to attempt to connect people with shelters. If residents see someone unhoused, they are asked to call 311 so city crews can provide assistance.

As crews clean the snow, Mayor Brandon Scott urged residents to have reasonable expectations for how quickly services will return. “We have to be patient and realistic,” he said.

In Howard County, crews began treating roads on Friday. The county is responsible for removing snow from roughly 3,783 roadways.

Howard residents are asked not to park vehicles on the street — especially on a cul-de-sac — beginning Friday evening to help with snow removal. Ellicott City Main Street residents and visitors are advised to park in one of several downtown parking lots and not on Main Street beginning Saturday night.

An Avengers-style team of Baltimore County leaders, including County Executive Kathy Klausmeier, three councilmen, multiple department heads, Police Chief Robert McCullough and Fire Chief Joseph Dixon, offered guidance and warnings to stay home and stock up on perishable foods and water outside the Woodlawn salt dome Friday morning.

Public Works Director Lauren Buckler said her department has 600 employees, 500 pieces of equipment and 91,000 tons of salt at its disposal to treat and clear 2,700 miles of road.

Buckler urged residents to be patient with cleanup crews, stay off the roads, park cars in driveways and not to shovel snow into the roads.

“When we have snow over 6 inches, and this is expected to be that, it can take us 48 hours — 48 hours — after the snow stops to clear the roads, so please bear with us as we’re clearing the roads,” she said.

The Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works will have up to 350 employees treating and plowing roads, according to a department spokesperson. The county will focus on main roads, hills, curves, cold spots and intersections, and residential streets will be salted only if required.

After pretreating roads, the county spreads salt on main roadways and bus routes when snow or freezing precipitation begins to cover pavement. Once snow accumulates to an inch or more, crews begin plowing.

Montgomery County has 275 plow trucks ready to clear its 5,500 miles of roads, said Luke Hodgson, director of the county’s Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security.

How you should prepare

City and state officials are advising residents to stay home this weekend. Make sure you have enough food and medication, and assemble an emergency supply kit with first-aid items, flashlights, batteries, warm clothing and blankets.

If you do venture out, keep an emergency kit in your car and make sure the gas tank is full.

AAA Mid-Atlantic suggests people check their car battery and ensure all tires have deep enough tread, said spokesperson Ragina Ali. Make sure to clear all parts of your car of snow and ice (not just the windshields and windows) before driving, she said. If not, snow and ice from the top of a car can dislodge while on the road, impeding visibility or damaging nearby cars.

In Baltimore, residents can call 311 or submit a request through the app to report icy roads or sidewalks they encounter.

Banner reporters Antonio Planas, Céilí Doyle, Madeleine O’Neill and Emily Opilo contributed to this story.