Monday, October 29, 2012

UPDATED: power outages spreading

Hurricane Sandy Updates – Monday, Oct. 29
Stay safe, stay inside and stay informed by reading this blog.
By Stephen Greenwell, Email the author with running updates on Charlestown by Will Collette

Power outages in Charlestown are starting to spread as more powerful wind gusts blow into the area.

 I will probably need to shut down soon - have had two flash outages in the past few minutes.




According to National Grid, 173 customers are out of power near Carolina Back Road. Another 42 around and along Sanctuary Road.

 There are two outages around Quonnie, affecting 539 households, but that's probably in the mandatory evacuation zone. 

 PC Editor's note: According to the Providence Journal (and my sister), the Patriots were able to return safely from London.

 As of 1:30 PM AM, National Grid reports two power outages in Charlestown. Click here.

An earlier outage of approximately 124 customers around the intersection of 91 and 216 has been cleared. There is now a new outage in very close nearby reported at 1 PM affecting less than five homes. Est. restoration at 4:45. The second outage affects less than 5 homes on  Wells Lane off East Beach. That was spotted at 11 AM. Est repair - 3 PM.

 Nat'l Weather Service predicts continued rain and wind for Charlestown. Click here. Rain of 1 to 1.5 inches today, wind 38-43 mph, with gusts up to 70 MPH this afternoon and 65 mph tonight.
12:18 p.m. – Governor Lincoln Chafee will also be meeting with National Grid officials at 3 p.m., according to a press release from National Grid.
11:52 a.m. – Our regional Patch team has produced another article on the hurricane. Sandy now has winds up to 90 miles per hour, unfortunately.
I’ve also added three more photos from Harry Holland’s Twitter account.
Also, I’ve learned from a staffer of Sheldon Whitehouse that the travel plans have changed for the governor because of the conditions at the Coast Guard House.
Instead, he’ll be visiting Monahan’s and the state pier. Earlier in the day, Whitehouse and Chafee were in Matunuck, surveying the damage there.
11:35 a.m. – I’ve added some great photos that people have taken on Twitter to this story. Thanks to Mike Herchen, Lucy Clarke and Harry Holland for sharing them on Twitter!
RIDOT has issued a press release, and asks people to limit their travel, noting that they expect fallen branches, power lines and trees to block access to roads and crews.
And finally, Governor Lincoln Chafee and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, along with other emergency officials, will be at the Coast Guard House and Narragansett Town Beach around noon.
The governor then plans to go to the Pell Bridge at about 1 p.m., according to a tentative schedule. A formal press briefing at RIEMA HQ in Cranston is scheduled for 6 p.m.
10:20 a.m. – More information and news releases. Also, check out the photo gallery, since we have added a few new pictures.
  • All Washington Trust branches will close at 11 a.m.
  • From The Providence Journal, most state offices are closed.
  • According to RIEMA, T.F. Green Airport is open, but all flights are cancelled for today.




9:53 a.m. – And a few more updates as a scour local media and Twitter:
  • G. Wayne Miller of The Providence Journal has a shot of the tide at Carpenter’s Beach. The water is reaching some of the summer cottages.
  • Tom Winter of NBC News is also in the area. You can follow his Twitter updates here.
  • The staff of Maury Loontjens Memorial Library in Narragansett reminds people that they’re closed today because of the hurricane.
  • According to the Providence bureau of the American Red Cross, they have started to open shelters, including one at South Kingstown High School.
  • The New England Patriots will remain in London for a few days because of the weather, The Providence Journal reports.


Charlestown flood prone zone
·         9:30 a.m. – Updating from our info earlier today:
Again, you can follow along here for information, and check out The South County Independent’sFacebook account for more. The Providence Journal also has lots of good info on their news blog.

6:10 a.m. – According to Channel 10, they’ve spoken with Narragansett Police, and they plan to limit access to Ocean Road, especially by the seawall, in the next hour.
Charlestown revised flood zone maps
Police said the water is expected to surge over the seawall at times with the waves. Last year, during and shortly after Hurricane Irene, access was cut off as well. (However, after access was re-opened, two people did enter the water – it didn’t go well.)

5:40 a.m. – Hi folks! This is our first update today, but we will be updating as long as the power situation allows.
For our updates from Saturday, which include a lot of emergency numbers and other helpful information, go here: http://patch.com/A-zbSF. The South County Independent is also updating its Facebook page with some great information.

As of about 5:25 a.m., National Grid is only reporting minor outages in the area. About 34 people lost power at about 3:42 a.m. off of Route 1 Tuckertown Road. Another 5 people lost power at about 4:28 a.m. in the Narragansett Pier area.
Channel 10 is reporting that the worst will be from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., as the storm turns toward Rhode Island. Coastal flooding and loss of power will most likely be the worst effects. The current wind gusts are between 25 and 35 miles per hour.
If it all possible, stay home today! Pretty much every single school day and other event in the state is cancelled because of the storm. RIPTA service is the only thing running, but it is expected to be cancelled at some point.
And finally – We would love to run your photos of the storm’s effect, but please, ONLY take pictures if you can do so safely! You can share them with us via e-mail – Stephen.greenwell@patch.com or Narragansett@patch.com – and you can also upload directly to the story.

About this column: Want to be fully advised of future weather watches, warnings and calamities? Keep a close eye on this column then, or subscribe by clicking the "Keep Me Posted!" button.Related Topics: American Red Cross, Coastal Flood Warning, Health, Hurricane Sandy,Narragansett flooding, Providence Red Cross, Rhode Island Department of Health, Rhode Island Special Needs Emergency Registry, South Kingstown flooding, and Washington County
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