Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Tropical Storm Irene rolled into Rhode Island a year ago today. Have you taken any steps to be ready in case of another storm?
It's been a year since Tropical Storm Irene roared into Rhode Island, leaving thousands without electrical power for up to a week — and costing Portsmouth businesses thousands. Many folks will also probably remember the run on batteries, especially D-types, that emptied nearly every local store. Utility company National Grid, which officials and residents criticized last year for delays in restoring electrical service, this year issued a list of steps it's taken to be in better shape to respond to potential problems. Now that we're back in hurricane season — although there's no immediate threat of a storm of Irene's power — it's a good time to ask: Have you done anything to prepare for another hurricane or tropical storm? Did you go out …
Friday, July 13, 2012
Boaters will pay anywhere from an extra $2 to $20 for the state to recover abandoned boats.
Boaters throughout the state will have to pay extra fees in order for the state to fund the removal of abandoned boats, reports The Providence Journal. The state hopes to create a $100,000 yearly fund to remove waterway obstructions, according to The Journal article. Boaters will have to pay an extra $2 to $20 yearly. There have been a couple sunken vessels in Portsmouth in the last 12 months, especially after Hurricane Irene. In March of this year, Portsmouth Patch blogger Doug Smith reported a boat still remained sunk in The Cove, just south of Spectacle Island, more than six months after the hurricane. This boat is believed to still be in the water.
Friday, December 2, 2011
A National Grid leader says the company will be more active in trimming trees around electrical wires, if towns give them permission.
After a litany of speakers criticized National Grid's preparation for Tropical Storm Irene and the Halloween weekend storm Thursday night, the president of National Grid Massachusetts said her company would get more aggressive at trimming trees, if towns let them. National Grid Massachusetts President Marcy Reed said to the audience during a public hearing: "Last year new legislation passed, which allows us to present an annual tree-trimming plan to a town or city's tree warden. If the tree warden approves the plan, we can then go into the town and do our work without the need to attend weekly meetings and talk about particular areas of concern." How do you feel? Should National Grid get more aggressive at cutting back trees located near …
Friday, November 18, 2011
The Portsmouth Town Council once again tabled a discussion about a Reverse 911 system on Monday. What do you think? Does the town need a reverse 911 system?
Despite overwhelming support from both the police and fire chiefs, the Portsmouth Town Council once again postponed voting Monday on a CodeRED or reverse 911 system. A CodeRED or reverse 911 system has been proposed several times, with more emphasis since Hurricane Irene, when many residents criticized how the town handled communications during the storm. "The major complaint we had (during Irene) was the notification process," said Portsmouth Police Chief Lance Hebert at Monday's council meeting. "Some people believe it should be more of the town's responsibility to notify them of evacuations for low-lying areas instead of tuning into one of the three-major channels and radio." Both Hebert and Portsmouth Fire Chief Jeffrey Lynch spoke …
41.58976
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Portsmouth Town Hall
2200 E Main Rd, Portsmouth, RI
/articles/poll-does-portsmouth-need-a-reverse-911-system
226776
/locations/5823210
Sunday, September 25, 2011
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved a disaster declaration that will benefit local farmers who suffered damages from Hurricane Irene.
- GOVERNMENT
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Sunday, September 25, 2011
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Jack Reedand Sheldon Whitehouse announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved a disaster declaration for nine Massachusetts counties, which will also benefit farmers in the adjacent Rhode Island counties of Bristol, Newport, and Providence with damages as a result ofHurricane Irene, which was downgraded to a tropical storm designation.The declaration paves the way for farmers in those counties to seek financial assistance for their losses due to the severe weather. “We are pleased the Obama Administration has once again taken steps to help the state and we urge the USDA to expedite disaster assistance to our hardworking farmers who need assistance,” Reed and Whitehouse stated in a …
Friday, September 16, 2011
Cox Communications customers could be entitled to a refund from outages caused by Irene.
Did you lose internet service and cable during tropical storm Irene? Did your phone lines cut out during the storm? If you are a Cox Communications customer, you may be entitled to a refund for service outages from the storm. According to Amy Quinn of Cox Communications, the company will supply reimbursements for customers whose internet, cable and/or phones were down as a result of tropical storm Irene. "We will credit their account based on the number of days they were out," she said. Bristol resident Cynthia Osmanski is one of thousands of customers who lost internet and cable during the storm, so after a friend told her to call her provider, she discovered she could get credited for the lost service. "They were very nice and gave me no…
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
The Portsmouth Department of Public Works asks all residents to leave any storm debris as soon as possible on the curb. There will be no schedule released for the collection.
Portsmouth Department of Public Works (DPW) Director David Kehew says he wishes town officials decided on a storm-debris collection plan sooner. "We're in a tough position now," Kehew said Wednesday. "We have our work cut out for us." The Portsmouth Town Council approved a plan Monday evening to pick up fallen trees and branches, more than three weeks after Hurricane Irene brought destruction along the East Coast. The DPW will now be allowed to collect unbundled tree limbs and branches left on the curb, a plan Kehew proposed following the storm. Kehew drafted a press release following the storm that asked residents to leave storm-related debris curbside with a deadline of Sept. 6. While DPW workers were clearing town roads of fallen …
41.591921
-71.258123
Portsmouth Public Works Garage
143 Hedly St, Portsmouth, RI
/articles/dpw-to-residents-dont-expect-a-schedule-for-irene-debris-collection-video
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/locations/5350703
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
The Department of Public Works (DPW) will collect storm-related debris from Irene left on the curb.
Correction: The collection of storm-related debris will only cover tree limbs and branches. Leaves will not be collected. The Portsmouth Town Council approved a plan Monday evening to pick up fallen trees and branches in residents' yards, more than three weeks after Hurricane Irene brought destruction along the East Coast. Storm-related debris from Hurricane Irene, such as fallen branches, will now be collected in Portsmouth by the Department of Public Works (DPW). In the days following Irene, many residents left bags of debris curbside for collection. Town officials made it clear there would be no collection of debris. Residents were asked to bring their yard waste to the transfer station. On Monday, the town council voted 5-2, with Joe…
41.58976
-71.25351
Portsmouth Town Hall
2200 E Main Rd, Portsmouth, RI
/articles/council-approves-irene-debris-pickup-3-weeks-after-storm
226776
/locations/5346373
Thursday, September 8, 2011
The loss of food and customers for days made an impact on area businesses.
Hurricane Irene not only cost Portsmouth damage in the way of trees and branches, but also cost local businesses "green" as in loss of income. Many businesses were forced to throw out food after electricity spoiled the goods. Businesses also lost customers in the days when they were forced to close due to loss of electricity and, for some, water. The town of Portsmouth is also conducting an assessment of damage to local businesses. The assessment may be used later to apply for federal aid. Any Portsmouth business, who experienced physical damage not covered by insurance, is asked to call the Portsmouth Fire Department at (401) 683-1200 and ask for Chief Jeffrey Lynch or Capt. Mike Cranson. So how much did local businesses lose? We asked…
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Custom House Coffee
W Main Rd & King Charles Dr, Portsmouth, RI
/articles/how-much-portsmouth-businesses-lost-during-irene
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/locations/5291977
41.60004
-71.25022
Clements' Marketplace
2575 E Main Rd, Portsmouth, RI
/articles/how-much-portsmouth-businesses-lost-during-irene
226587
/locations/5291978
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
The Portsmouth Economic Development Committee has posted a new survey to gauge the opinions of Portsmouth residents about the town’s response to Hurricane Irene.
- GOVERNMENT
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Wednesday, September 7, 2011
The following was submitted by the Portsmouth Economic Development Committee in a press release: The Portsmouth Economic Development Committee is seeking participants for a new survey about the town of Portsmouth’s public information response to Hurricane Irene. How do you think the town responded? How well do you think town officials communicated with residents before, during and after Irene passed through? What could have been done differently? Some residents have criticized the town administration for neglecting to tell residents what was going on, calling for more public announcements using a variety of public media to keep citizens informed during the next storm emergency. While Portsmouth’s emergency responders all seem to have …
John McDaid
4:03 pm on Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Here's a recent story about what the Town is doing to prepare: http://www.torvex.com/jmcdaid/node/1931 more ›