Final Thoughts on the Flood

The sun is out, it was a gorgeous day. I knew that the waters had receded alot, even though the levels are still above flood stage. I went back down to the Village to take a look/see. I saw that many of the docks had been washed away from the Cove. I saw less of a crowd. In fact, there was no crowd at all, except for this one woman. I couldn't help but notice her, as she stood alone looking over the Bridge at the water, which had just done so much damage. I couldn't help but think, that she was thinking about her parents, grandparents, and great great-grandparents. She just witnessed something which possibly none of them was party to. You could feel her thinking about them. So, I stood back, not wanting to disturb her, and snapped this photo.

I was glad to see some swans on-land, but I have been wondering about their nests and the signets which are soon to follow. How were thy effected, if at all. Did they sense the danger which was coming, and move the eggs to safety. Time will tell.
No, this was not Haiti, this was not New Orleans, but my local supermarket is still underwater, and FEMA has heard from over 5,000 families so far. The clean-up is just getting started, but we will be talking about the flood of 2010 for many years to come.

A Happy Easter and final nights of Passover!

The Still Raging Pawtuxet River...Much Worse Today

The Pawtuxet River crested this morning at around 9AM. When I left the Village yesterday the River was at 17', and today when it crested it was close to 21'. These pictures show just how much worse the raging river was today. I was not able to get as close as I was yesterday, because the area had been cordoned off by the police...simply too dangerous. Notice that the first couple of docks have been swept away by the fierce current. Malls are underwater, highway 95 going south is closed, driving is a nightmare, our local supermarket is underwater. This is a very bad situation. Schools are closed and the damage is extensive. Please keep the good people of Rhode Island in your prayers.

The Raging Pawtuxet River

Let me start this post by telling you that we are fine. We do not live on the river or in a flood zone. That being said, Pawtuxet Village, where we bank, frequent our local watering hole, have my cards for sale in some of the quaint shops, is watching, and hearing this landmark river RAGE! This is the end of the River which empties into the Stillhouse Cove (the photos), which empties into the bay, which empties in to ocean. The flood levels are normally 9 feet and by tomorrow morning the Pawtuxet River is getting ready to crest at 20 feet! The sound alone is deafening. I'm not sure if these photos capture how deadly this current is right now. I will go back again tomorrow to take some more shots! Everyone on the East Coast, be careful out there!

Post script: Sam Champion from Good Morning America was on ABC World News w/ Diane Sawyer, reporting on the floods from Cranston, RI...emergency news conference going on as we speak!

Ahhh, Signs of Spring....

Seeing the terrible damage the nor'easter caused this past week in the Northeast, I think that we are all very grateful for this stretch of stunning weather. The bonus is that Spring is very much in the air, even if it's a temporary reprieve, we'll take it. I went for a walk by the water yesterday, and took these couple of shots of the same stretch of the Pawtuxet River by the bridge. You can see the water is still furiously rushing into the Stillhouse Cove, however, it is clear that the current has become less fierce.The top photo is looking back into the Cove, where you can see the water becomes quiet. There were also some signs of Spring, little though they may be, are a real standout. I also found some great weeds, which caught my eye.

Wordless Wednesday

Bridge over Troubled Waters

Overflowing Pawtuxet River reached record highs not seen since 1982!
Pawtuxet Village, RI