R.I. deals with damage from Sandy

GOV. LINCOLN D. CHAFEE surveys the damage done to the Ocean Road area of Narragansett and the Coast Guard House.  / COURTESY THE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
GOV. LINCOLN D. CHAFEE surveys the damage done to the Ocean Road area of Narragansett and the Coast Guard House. / COURTESY THE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

(Updated, 4:30 p.m.)
PROVIDENCE – With more than 110,000 still without power, Rhode Islanders are working to repair the damage inflicted by Hurricane Sandy.
As of 3:45 p.m., National Grid’s website reported 110,534 residents without power. In Bristol County, Mass., 17,155 customers were without power.
Before the storm hit, Rhode Island issued mandatory evacuations for low-lying parts of Bristol, Charlestown, East Providence Middletown, Narragansett, Newport, South Kingstown, Tiverton and Westerly. Some residents in Newport, Portsmouth and the Oaklawn Beach area of Warwick were also urged to move to higher ground. As of 10:30 a.m., there was still not a total count of how many residents were evacuated, according to the state’s Joint Information Center.
The shelter at the Warwick Veterans Memorial High School closed on Tuesday at 4 p.m. and the city’s Oakland Beach, Conimicut Point Park, Rocky Point and City Park have reopened.
The Roger William Park Zoo was excited to let everyone know that both the Zoo and the Jack-O-Lantern spectacular will reopen on Wednesday, Oct. 31, in time for Halloween. The intricate pumpkin art was stored indoors for the storm. The city of Newport issued a statement assuring residents and potential visitors that it was open for business as usual. The Breakers, The Elms, Marble House, Rosecliff and Chateau-sur-Mer opened at noon on Tuesday.
Throughout the day on Tuesday, Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee toured the storm-damaged communities in southern Rhode Island. Chafee’s schedule includes the Coast Guard House/Ocean Road area of Narragansett, Matunuck, Charlestown and Misquamicut.
More than 50 feet of coastline was washed away from the Misquamicut area, news sources report. Many cottages at Roy Carpenter’s Beach were either washed away or suffered severe damage. The Joint Information Center declined to say which Rhode Island areas suffered the most damage until it had completed an official assessment.
The R.I. Emergency Management Agency issued safety warnings as Rhode Island residents, municipalities and emergency crews work to remove debris. RIEMA recommended worker wear sturdy boots and leather gloves to protect against nails and glass as well as long pants to protect against cuts, scraps and animal bites. They also recommended face masks, safety goggles and a hard hat as well as an updated tetanus vaccination.
The emergency group reminded residents to never approach a downed power line, but rather assume the line is still live. In spite of fallen tree limbs, RIEMA also asked residents not to attempt chainsaw use if they did not have training or experience using one.
Although the storm has passed, the majority of Rhode Island schools were closed Tuesday in light of power outages and debris. All colleges and universities in the state also canceled classes for Tuesday, except for the New England Institute of Technology, which held classes at its Warwick campus only. As of 4:15, according to Turnto10.com’s listing of school cancelations, only Narragansett and South Kingstown have canceled school on Wednesday. The list of colleges and universities was not updated.
All non-essential state offices and agencies were closed for the first shift on Tuesday, with only essential state employees reporting to work. The U.S. District Court for Rhode Island also stayed closed on Tuesday.

Those Cox Communications customers who have power but no internet, cable and/or phone services should contact Cox Customer Care at cox.com/support, the company said in a statement Tuesday afternoon.
The R.I. Public Transportation Agency resumed bus service on Tuesday morning, but warned travelers that some service would have to be rerouted due to flooding and debris. The state’s RIde Program is suspended on Tuesday, except for vital medical trips. The program will resume on Wednesday.
Limited ferry service to Prudence Island was restored, but ferry service to Block Island remained canceled. Normal ferry service is expected to resume on Wednesday.
Due to storm debris, mainly downed trees and power lines, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority had suspended commuter rail service on the Providence/Stoughton Line on Tuesday, encouraging customers requiring service to Boston to park at the Route 128 Station in Westwood, Mass. However, as of noon, service had been restored. Amtrak service to Boston and Washington D.C., was still canceled on Tuesday.
Flights in and out of T.F. Green Airport resumed on Tuesday, though due to the inclement weather at other airports, many flights were delayed or cancelled. The T.F. Green website recommended passengers check with their airlines for the most up-to-date flight information. Normal operations are expected to resume on Wednesday.
In light of the storm, Job Lot pushed a major food delivery or 14,000 boxes of cereal forward on Monday in order to deliver supplies to the R.I. Community Food Bank ahead of the storm. “This is classic Job Lot – totally foregoing their publicity opportunity but making sure the product gets to people in need,” Cindy Heller, director of communications for the Food Bank, told Providence Business News.
If Providence residents were concerned about the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier holding, they needn’t have been. The 3,000-foot-long tidal flood barrier, built in the 1960’s after the devastating 1954 Hurricane Carol, held back the 9.4 foot storm surge brought on by Hurricane Sandy coinciding with high tide.
“The hurricane barrier performed flawlessly,” David Ortiz, spokesperson for Providence Mayor Angel Taveras’ office, told Providence Business News. “The mayor is thankful that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was at the helm and coordinated closely with the city to ensure that we did not sustain serious flood damage during this terrible storm.” Providence did see some flooding in the Allens Ave. area.
In an e-mail statement to city residents, Taveras extended his gratitude to those who worked to help prevent disaster, especially the Providence Emergency Management Agency. “I toured the city earlier today, and I know there are a number of trees and branches that still need to be cleared,” said Taveras in the message. “We will not stop until all the work is done and every resident has had their power restored.”

The Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce issued a statement offering its 6 Blackstone Valley Place Suite office conference room to anyone in the area who needs to use it as a temporary hub to gain access to the internet or conduct any other business related activities.

President Barack Obama will remain in Washington D.C. on Wednesday in order to monitor the response to Hurricane Sandy and ensure all available federal resource are available to support ongoing state and local recovery efforts. As a result of the decision to oversee the disaster response, the president will not participate in Wednesday’s campaign events that were scheduled in Ohio.

- Advertisement -

No posts to display