Rhode Island Swamped by Record Rain - Warwick, RI - News Article Locations on Waymarking.com

It was the third of three storms in March that finally did it. All of eastern New England experienced heavy rains and there were reports of significant floods everywhere in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and eastern Massachusetts. Areas that had not seen flooding in over 50 years were flooded. Luckily, major rivers like the Merrimack River or the Connecticut River did not flood their banks, but dozens of smaller rivers did.

One of the worst floods to happen was the flooding of the Pawtuxet River in Cranston, West Warwick and Warwick, Rhode Island. The Pawtuxet is a meandering river that flows into Narraganset Bay. The location of the waymark is on the Greenwich Road bridge over the river, near the old Pontiac Mills. To the west (upstream of the river) is the Warwick Mall. About a half mile east on Greenwich Road is I-95. Nearby is an office park. These all were affected were flooded by the swollen river.

These floods received the attention of the New York Times. The article is titled, "Rhode Island Swamped by Record Rain" and was printed on March 31, 2010. Other sources will be provided as well.

The article stated, "The Pawtuxet River burst from its banks Wednesday, flooding basements and backyards, shopping malls and train tracks, and scattering people from their homes and their routines...The Pawtuxet crested at 20.79 feet, more than 11 feet above flood stage, hitting the towns of Cranston and Warwick the hardest. But the effects rippled far beyond, shutting down a segment of Interstate 95, strangling local traffic and disrupting train travel between New York and Boston. Amtrak said service would remain suspended into Thursday morning on the Acela between New Haven and Boston, and on regional trains between New York and Boston because of flooding near Kingston, R.I. It was just Tuesday that Rhode Island and Massachusetts were granted federal relief from a storm that struck two weeks ago, but the second pounding this week was worse, especially in Rhode Island. The governor said the level of flooding might have been a record. More than 4,000 customers in Rhode Island were without power. The Red Cross helped set up a shelter here, taking in 100 people Tuesday night and preparing for more Wednesday night..."

For more, see "Other Coverage" at the bottom of this post.

The day that I visited the location, 04/03/2010, the flood levels had receded around the Warwick Mall, but the entrances were blocked off and "No Trespassing" signs were posted. However, the remains of the devastation could be seen. The parking lot at several locations was cracked and broken up. Trailers were set up with people donning hazmat suits. On West Natick Road, an insurance company was pumping out the basement of its office (oh, the irony!). River levels were still very high.

At the time of writing the post (04/22/2010), the mall has yet to be opened.

Other Coverage

The Providence Journal has a section devoted to the flood on their web site and has many images in their gallery.

(visit link)

NECN:

Warwick Mall flooding article:
(visit link)

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano speech from Rhode Island:
(visit link)

I-95 Flooding
(visit link)

Type of publication: Newspaper When was the article reported?: 03/31/2010 Publication: New York Times Article Url: [Web Link] Is Registration Required?: no How widespread was the article reported?: national News Category: Weather

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