Rhode Island
Powerful storms in R.I. have eroded beaches and damaged properties – The Boston Globe
These sorts of storms and the erosion they bring with them are not in and of themselves unusual, especially in winter, experts say. In fair-weather periods, beachfronts and dunes recover ― beaches in weeks, dunes in years ― although the shore in Rhode Island is generally eroding more than it’s accreting.
What made the storms especially damaging is the fact that they’ve happened multiple times in such quick succession, the latest coming Saturday. The combined effect, according to some town officials and experts, is as extensive as anything since Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
“The first storm comes and removes a chunk of the dunes, overtops the shoreline, and the next storm has that much of an easier time,” said Bryan Oakley, professor and chair of the Environmental Earth Science Department at Eastern Connecticut State University.
The storms raise longstanding questions about human activity along the ever-changing shore in a time of climate change and sea level rise.
“We need to think differently about where we rebuild and where we can make changes — where we can retreat and elevate or do some other adaptation to lessen the impacts the next time they happen,” Oakley said.
These sorts of questions are front and center in the case of the damaged home at the Narrow River that Kalen — and many other people — saw.
The building is part of the Dunes Club. It is on the National Register of Historic Places, affording it special protections (to the dismay of people who are concerned about the effect of private properties along the shore). And the ocean has been creeping in for years.
By early January, the Dunes Club asked the state Coastal Resources Management Council for permission to place bags filled with sand as a temporary measure to stave off more storm erosion. To oversimplify things a little, properties close to the water have to get CRMC permission for certain activities, whether that’s rebuilding a deck or putting up barriers to keep out waves. Photographs showed the foundation of the building at risk and the dune severely undercut.
CRMC agreed to let them place the large bags of sand, issuing what’s called a letter of authorization, but imposed certain conditions on things like public shore access. Letters of authorization are for temporary fixes, like those bags.
Then Saturday’s storm rolled in. It’s unclear what difference the bags of sand made, but a comparison of before and after photos shows the latest storm took an additional toll. There was once vegetation in front of the house, according to photographs from just the past few years. The latest storm sent waves past the front facade, scattering debris in its wake.
CRMC is working with the club on a long-term solution, CRMC spokeswoman Laura Dwyer said. The Dunes Club didn’t respond to a request for comment.
For properties that have experienced structural damage, owners “should be contacting their local building official, and then CRMC and (the Department of Environmental Management) as needed,” Dwyer said.
Meanwhile CRMC staff are around the state to assess post-storm conditions, including erosion, and to make sure nobody is rebuilding or building new structures after the storm without going through the proper procedures first.
South Kingstown has also gotten a letter of authorization from CRMC to work on Charlestown Beach Road, part of which was swept away in the storm.
South Kingstown Town Manager James Manni said on Tuesday the town was looking into its options for the roadway. Repairs could run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Five properties are beyond the part of the road that got swept away, with no other outlet.
Besides Charlestown Beach Road, the South Kingstown Town Beach also experienced significant erosion, Manni said.
“The beach right now doesn’t even exist,” Manni said Tuesday. “It got washed away. Where there was sand, there are 7-foot cliffs where all that sand just got washed out into the ocean. Some will come back in the spring, but at a minimum, we can pretty much guarantee we’re going to have to bring in tons of sand to offset that.”
The areas around East Matunuck and Matunuck Beach Road were also hit hard, according to photographs. Some homes were swamped with water.
“We’re trying to go house by house, trailer by trailer, cottage by cottage,” Manni said.
The storms also took a toll in Westerly, where in some areas 16 to 18 feet of dune were lost and deposited onto Atlantic Avenue and the coastal pond behind it, said Town Manager Shawn Lacey. The town has taken tens of thousands of yards of sand out of the roadway already.
As for state Department of Environmental Management properties, the damage seemed limited mostly to a lot of sand being moved around. Salty Brine State Beach in Galilee experienced some damage, which the DEM will likely handle in-house, said department Director Terry Gray.
Anecdotally, Gray said, the storms over the last few years have been particularly bad.
“I really think this is something we’re going to see going forward — I’m not prepared to say this is an anomaly and we’re going to have to get through it,” Gray said. “It’s something we really need to think about.”
Advocates for the environment and for the public’s right to use it are closely watching what happens next. Building or rebuilding along the coast — whether with CRMC permission or more of the wildcatting variety — is always a contentious issue.
To Topher Hamblett, the executive director of the environmental group Save The Bay, the storms represent stark reminders of the choice between armoring the shore — which keeps people away from it — or making a managed retreat.
“Planning for (public) access to the shoreline in the age of climate change is a significant challenge for the state,” Hamblett said.
Brian Amaral can be reached at brian.amaral@globe.com. Follow him @bamaral44.
The Rhode Island Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Nov. 14, 2025, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from Nov. 14 drawing
01-08-11-12-57, Mega Ball: 07
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Nov. 14 drawing
14-19-34-42-43, Lucky Ball: 13
Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Numbers numbers from Nov. 14 drawing
Midday: 2-1-0-8
Evening: 2-6-8-7
Check Numbers payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Wild Money numbers from Nov. 14 drawing
04-05-12-14-23, Extra: 31
Check Wild Money payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize
- Prizes less than $600 can be claimed at any Rhode Island Lottery Retailer. Prizes of $600 and above must be claimed at Lottery Headquarters, 1425 Pontiac Ave., Cranston, Rhode Island 02920.
- Mega Millions and Powerball jackpot winners can decide on cash or annuity payment within 60 days after becoming entitled to the prize. The annuitized prize shall be paid in 30 graduated annual installments.
- Winners of the Lucky for Life top prize of $1,000 a day for life and second prize of $25,000 a year for life can decide to collect the prize for a minimum of 20 years or take a lump sum cash payment.
When are the Rhode Island Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 10:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 11:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: 10:30 p.m. ET daily.
- Numbers (Midday): 1:30 p.m. ET daily.
- Numbers (Evening): 7:29 p.m. ET daily.
- Wild Money: 7:29 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Rhode Island editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Newport Hospital was among several hospitals in Rhode Island that achieved an A rating from the hospital watchdog group Leapfrog in its fall ratings. Three hospitals – Roger Williams Medical Center, Kent, and South County were awarded C or below, a pattern of declining ratings over the last few years.
Additionally, Women and Infants Hospital declined to participate in Leapfrog’s survey, according to Leapfrog. The group surveys more than 2,000 hospitals nationwide twice a year.
Both Fatima and Roger Williams are owned by California-based Prospect Medical Holdings, which filed for bankruptcy several months ago. There have been efforts to sell the hospitals while maintaining both of them open.
Women and Infants is part of the Care New England Group, which also includes Kent Hospital, whose safety rating has steadily declined over the last few years.
Leapfrog, which conducted the survey, is a well-respected hospital watchdog group that describes itself as “the nation’s gold standard in evaluating hospital performance on national measures of safety, quality, and efficiency in both inpatient and outpatient areas.”
Hospital safety is critical, with surveys suggesting that as many as 440,000 patients die annually because of hospital safety errors. Studies suggest that preventable medical errors are the third leading cause of death in America.
Leapfrog assigns rankings, A to F, based on issues involving infections, surgical problems, safety concerns, and practices to prevent errors. Within each of these areas are also several measures.
Earning A ratings for the fall of 2025 were Newport, Miriam, Rhode Island, and Westerly Hospitals. Newport, Miria,m and Rhode Island are part of Brown University Health (formerly Lifespan), while Westerly is part of the Yale/New Haven group. Landmark Hospital in Woonsocket received a B rating; Kent, Fatima and South received C ratings; and Roger Williams Medical Center received a D rating.
Several trends were also evident. Newport and Miriam Hospitals have been trending up, scoring B in the spring and fall of 2022, but in 2023 reaching an A rating, and remaining there. Rhode Island fell to a C in the fall of 2023, rising to B in both surveys in 2024, and in the two reports in 2025 have achieved an A rating.
Landmark has been consistently A-rated since 2022, with the only exception being a B in one of the reports in 2024. Westerly has been rising, from a C in the spring of 2022 to an A in 2025. Fatima has been C-rated with only one exception, a B in the fall of 2022. Roger Williams also consistently received a C until this fall, when its ranking dropped to D.
South County had ranged between A and B, falling to C this fall.
For those hospitals that trended lower, a significant problem appears to be effective leadership to help prevent errors. “Effective leadership to prevent errors: Errors are much more common if hospital leaders don’t make patient safety a priority. Leaders must make sure that all hospital staff know what they need to work on and that they are held accountable for improvements.”
South County, which is Rhode Island’s only independent hospital, experienced a disruption among physicians several months ago, in a rift with the administration that apparently has yet to heal.
Leadership, or lack of leadership, was also noted for other hospitals not performing well.
Meanwhile, other issues remain: healthcare – the lack of primary care physicians (nationwide); the study to determine whether to build a second medical school at the University of Rhode Island; and the threatened closure of Roger Williams and Fatima Hospitals.
Providence, R.I.- The Providence College volleyball head coach Margot Royer-Johnson announced today (Nov. 12) that Ellie Chu, Lyla Buser, Aubrey Easterwood, Ava Dyer and Gwen Koss each signed a written offer of athletic aid to attend Providence College beginning in the fall of 2026 and compete as members of the Friars’ volleyball program.
Chu is a 5’9 setter from Sierra Madre, Calif. She plays for Polytechnic School, where she serves as captain and has recorded 1,703 assists, 583 digs, 345 kills and 215 aces. Chu made First-Team All-Conference in the 2025 season and holds the school record for serving the most consecutive points (24). She plays club for SC Rockstar Volleyball Club.
“Ellie is an extremely fundamentally-skilled player as both a setter and defensive specialist,” Royer-Johnson said, “Her serve is a huge weapon and she is a spitfire on the court. She will help us defensively and give us depth at the setter position. She is a perfect fit for us.”
Buser is a 6’3 right side from Wellington, Fla. She plays for Cardinal Newman High School and is a three-year captain. Buser has recorded 809 career kills, 82 aces, 205 blocks and 287 digs. She led her team to two District Championships and was named Best Offensive Player in 2024. She plays club for Jupiter Elite Volleyball.
“Lyla is a killer on the right side,” Royer Johnson said. “Her length allows her to put up a big block and her tenacity and speed will allow her to be an immediate offensive weapon for us. We are so happy she is a Friar!”
Easterwood is a 6’4 middle blocker from Dallas, Texas. She plays for John Paul II High School, where she served as captain. She helped lead her team to the State Semifinals in 2024. She has recorded 341 career blocks and posted a .378 pct her sophomore year (2023), a .422 pct as a junior (2024) and an impressive .466 as a senior (2025). Easterwood was named to the 2025 AVCA All-American Watch List. She plays club for TAV.
“Aubrey is a massive presence in the middle. She transitions well to hit and her reach will make her difficult to defend,” Royer-Johnson said, “Her strength as a blocker will make an immediate impact on our team. We are pumped to start working with her in Friartown!”
Dyer is a 5’8 libero from Fort Worth, Texas. She plays for R.L. Paschal High School, where she is a four-year captain. Dyer holds the record for most digs in a single game (39) and has recorded 1,580 career digs. She is a three-time All District First-Team selection, two-time Paschal Volleyball MVP and the 2025 District Defensive Player of the Year. Dyer plays club for TAV.
“Ava is super quick and reads hitters better than anyone we have seen at her age,” Royer-Johnson said, “She never gives up defensively and will provide a spark for us immediately. We look forward to her contagious energy on the court right away.”
Koss is a 6’0 outside hitter from Houston, Texas. She plays for Stratford High School, where she has recorded 1,252 kills and 1,173 digs. She helped lead her team to the State Finals in 2024 was named to the State Championship All-Tournament Team. Koss was named to the 2025 AVCA All-American Watch List. She plays club for Houston Skyline Volleyball Club.
“Gwen is a solid six-rotation hitter. Her passing and hitting efficiency are due to her strong platform and ability to read the game,” Royer-Johnson said, “She is a smart hitter, who is comfortable hitting every shot. Welcome to Friartown, Gwen!”
-GO FRIARS!-
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