Unprepared for flooding in R.I.
AFTER TWO days of intense rain in late March, Rhode Island received a wake-up call over the disastrous state of its infrastructure. A few areas in Massachusetts and Connecticut also received the same wake-up call.
As has been reported widely, some areas of Rhode Island were almost completely underwater after two days of intense rain. One-third of the state's annual average precipitation fell in just two days, which made many major rivers and streams rise far above flood-level stage.
In Warwick, the local sewage treatment facility was flooded and was therefore forced to shut down. Warwick homes were unable to flush their toilets or use any of their water. In numerous instances, raw sewage spilled into homes. Many other homes were forcibly evacuated, as countless basements were flooded by multiple feet of water.
Throughout all of Rhode Island, highways and many roads that had been flooded were shut down. Dramatic images, reminiscent of an apocalypse, showed people being pulled from their cars after being overwhelmed by torrential downpours. Frantic residents from Warwick and Cranston were rescued by boats floating in roads that had turned into rivers.
Many of these residents were taken to shelters or relatives' homes, as they worried in a state of terror of the fate of their beloved pets left behind. The televisions became a frightening 24-hour press conference of local officials using dire language about the abysmal situation.
All state colleges and most schools in the state were closed for the remainder of the week. In photographs, ducks could be seen nonchalantly swimming by homes in suburban neighborhoods.
It will take many days of steady sunshine and pleasant weather for Rhode Island's watersheds to return to their normal pre-flood levels. The clean up will take months and cost millions of dollars, assuming all normalcy resumes.
With climate change becoming a more monstrous threat by the day, I shudder thinking about the horrendous state of Rhode Island's infrastructure.
Greg Morse, Providence, R.I.
