Saturday, April 3, 2010

State of Emergency Delcared as Rhode Island Battered by Record Floodwaters


(Charles Krupa/AP)

All five counties in Rhode Island were declared disaster areas in the wake of this week's earlier heavy rains and floodwaters.

The Pawtuxet River overflowed its banks and managed to shut down portions of Interstate 95, the connector road accessing Providence's T.F. Green International Airport and Amtrak's Washington D.C. to Boston Northeast Corridor. Woonsocket, RI- based CVS Phamacies [NYSE: CVS] reported that flooding from the nearby Blackstone River knocked out its computer system, temporarily affecting prescription services for the nationwide chain.

High waters from the river also flowed over the protective levee built around the city of Warwick, RI's sewage treatment plant, adding to the misery and further contaminating the Pawtuxet's floodwaters.

Governor Carcieri had activated around 220 members of the National Guard to help with evacuations, placing sandbags and detours this week. The floodwaters are expected to recede over the weekend, at which point the damage can be more thoroughly assessed.

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