A man used a boat to ferry residents and supplies in Westerly, R.I., yesterday. (Brian Snyder/Reuters)
"R.I. businesses, residents may face daunting task; Damage from storm expected to cost millions" by Milton J. Valencia, Globe Staff | April 2, 2010
CRANSTON, R.I. — The Pawtuxet River raged so powerfully that it threatened to break through a bridge and dam on Laurel Avenue in Coventry, forcing the evacuation of dozens of residents living downstream and along its shores. In Warwick, parts of a mall and surrounding stores and hotels were submerged in flood water.
Across Rhode Island, it was much the same, with flood waters drowning neighborhoods in Westerly and destroying basements in Cumberland and Lincoln.
Days after a historic, multiday rainstorm ended, Governor Donald L. Carcieri declared yesterday that its aftermath has caused damage that could reach tens of millions of dollars and possibly hundreds of millions, as it has closed businesses, put people out of work, and destroyed homes, buildings, and the state’s infrastructure.
In an economy that is sinking.
Yeah, I know what the lying, agenda-pushing papers say, but THEY LIE!!!!
“It has been the worst, worst flood in our state’s history, and more people have been affected than ever before,’’ the governor said at an afternoon press conference at the Rhode Island National Guard headquarters.
Rhode Island saw a record 16.34 inches of rain in March, according to Neil Strauss, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Taunton, Mass. The state received 8.8 inches during this week’s storm.
President Obama, who declared several counties as federal disaster areas Tuesday, called Carcieri yesterday and offered federal help to contend with the crisis.
The governor implored residents to file claims with the Federal Emergency Management Agency so that the state could seek federal disaster relief funds. The state had gone through the same process after an earlier storm flooded streets and neighborhoods last month.
The storm that drenched Southern New England wreaked havoc at a level that many here said they have never seen before, as flood waters continued to rise even after the rain had stopped by Wednesday morning.
US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is slated to visit the area today to view the damage.
So she is going to add more carbon to the taxpayer-funded footprint, 'eh?
Officials stressed that the storm will have long-term effects on a state that already ranks among the top of those struggling financially in the United States.
Major expenditures are expected on a number of fronts. The Laurel Bridge is eroded and will have to be replaced even if it does not give way, the governor said. A sewage treatment plant in Warwick was covered in flood water and may need repairs.
Then fix that first.
And the local business community will suffer a significant financial loss because they were forced to close.
“We need help,’’ Carcieri said. “The recovery effort is going to take a long time. It’s going to be slow. We’ve been inundated with something we haven’t seen in 200 years.’’
Gee, given all the earthquakes and floods recently, maybe God is trying to tell us something.
The storm also created a logistical nightmare: Portions of Interstate 95, which cuts right through the state, were closed in both directions from Wednesday until yesterday afternoon. National Guard soldiers and police officers were stationed in the border areas of Coventry, Warwick, and Cranston, along the Pawtuxet River, directing traffic away from flood zones....
In Warwick, the water seemed to carry so many pollutants that it had visible, white slicks running through it. Where the waters receded, cakes of mud were left in parking lots and the streets, and the air had an odor of sewage mixed with sitting water.
The governor warned of environmental and health dangers.
“This is contaminated water,’’ Carcieri said. “Minimize your contact with it, because who knows what’s in it.’’
Well, the STATE is SUPPOSED to KNOW!
Isn't that one of their PUBLIC SERVICES?
Yesterday, businesses were reeling, cleaning up, and wondering when the district would be able to open again. Officials from the Warwick Mall set up a command center at the Halloween Costume store in the mall parking lot, as security guards and construction workers tried to assess the damage.
Ponds of water remained there yesterday, and in some areas elevated concrete sidewalks crumbled into the street. At Twist Restaurant, which sits on a small island across from the mall, crews were trying to pump water that filled the basement and started creeping toward the first floor.
“It just started flowing; you couldn’t even see the tops of cars,’’ said Cheryl D’Arezzo, the general manager....
Looks like I'm going to have a hard time driving out.
So don't go near the rivers:
"Man found in river was drunk, police say
A Massachusetts man found dead in a Providence river was “highly intoxicated’’ when he was last seen leaving a city bar, and there is no evidence to suggest he had been involved in a fight, police said.
Related: Search On For Missing Navy Man
Missing Sailor's Body Washes Ashore
Sailor Can't Walk on Water
But the family of Gregory Hart, 23, of Dedham said he had injuries that prove he was murdered and have upped the reward in the case to $70,000. The family said Hart had a broken jaw, broken eye socket, and other injuries. The medical examiner determined that Hart drowned.
That way the authorities don't have to investigate and can get back to what they do best: loot
The family has been critical of the way police have handled the case. Hart was last seen leaving a bar on March 14, and his body was found in the Woonasquatucket River two days later. (AP)."
My suggestion, kiddos?
DON'T DRINK!
"Field to be renamed after fallen Marine
The football field at Tolman High School in Pawtucket is being renamed in honor of a former player and Marine who died in Afghanistan.
Yup, another American kid dead over lies.
But hey, he gets the football field named after him!
Great.
I'd rather he still be here alive, but....
The Times of Pawtucket reported that the School Committee voted unanimously last week to name the field after Private First Class Kyle Coutu.
Related: Slow Saturday Special: Sending Off the Guard
Coutu, 20, a 2009 Tolman graduate and football captain, was killed on Feb. 18 during combat operations in Helmand Province. He also was captain of the wrestling team in high school. School administrators described him as a “good kid’’ and natural leader. (AP)
I'm sorry, I no longer believe in leaders.
Why should we, readers?
"Police look into ‘record-keeping problems’
Four Providence police sergeants have been suspended with pay during an investigation into record-keeping problems, the department announced yesterday. Police Chief Dean Esserman would not identify the officers, but said the department was conducting an administrative probe into “record-keeping discrepancies’’ and was in the process of auditing records. He did not elaborate. The suspensions are the latest black eye for the department. Three other officers — Patrolman Robert Hamlin, Joseph Colanduono, a narcotics detective, and Sergeant Stephen Gonsalves, a former driver for Mayor David Cicilline — were arrested on drug charges this month in an investigation that authorities said was continuing. (AP)
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I think those guys are in here somewhere:
Also see: Around New England: Rhode Island Comes Up Short
Around New England: Forgotten Rhode Island Post
Around New England: Silent On Rhode Island Speaker
Around New England: Forgetting About Rhode Island
Around New England: Obama Takes Rhode Island to Task
Gee, he didn't do that to Maine.
Related(?):
"Teacher hung effigy of Obama in his class; Union president says, ‘No excuse for what he did’" by Associated Press | March 19, 2010
Maybe that is why.
CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. — A teacher at a failing school where he and his colleagues are all being fired hung an effigy of President Obama in his classroom, apparently in reaction to Obama’s support of extreme measures to ensure accountability in schools.
A hate crime, right?
Yesterday, the teachers union condemned the effigy, saying it was wrong and cannot be condoned under any circumstances. The image was discovered Monday in the teacher’s third-floor classroom at Central Falls High School.
The effigy was found by Superintendent Frances Gallo, Nicole Shaffer, spokeswoman for the state Department of Education told the Associated Press. Shaffer said the department would not have further comment.
Gallo said that the foot-tall Obama doll was hung from its feet from a white board and was holding a sign that said, “Fire Central Falls teachers.’’
**********
She said that the teacher had been issued a “strong letter of reprimand’’ and that she considered it an internal matter.
One begins to wonder if the unidentified teacher is Jewish.
That's the only reason the identity would be concealed here in AmeriKa and why this isn't being taken seriously by authority. I've been reading jewspapers long enough to recognize certain characteristics of AmeriKan Journalism.
Obama had called the firings an example of holding failing schools accountable. The White House declined to comment yesterday....
Several students and recent graduates interviewed by the AP yesterday said they had not heard about the effigy, which was hung in an area used for the English-as-a-second-language program. They said they had not heard anyone express anger about Obama’s comments.
Yeah, who cares about their job?
From what I've been hearing lately, teachers are nothing but s** scum anyway!
“A lot of teachers supported Obama,’’ said Karen Zuniga, who graduated last year and started a group to protest the firings.
Maybe rethinking that one, 'eh?
Don't worry, you are hardly alone.
The American people are feeling the same way.
“He hasn’t even been here,’’ said Jonathan Beltran, another 2009 graduate. “He doesn’t know what’s going on.’’
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