Rhode Island
Rainfall a big factor in future RI hurricanes | Opinion
Hurricane Milton could bring a ‘reverse storm surge’
Depending on where Hurricane Milton makes landfall, the Tampa Bay area could be flooded with a huge storm surge or it could have its bay sucked dry.
This hurricane season feels different. Early on the government predicted 17 to 25 named storms but only a total of 13 storms have occurred including Milton. The Atlantic slumbered during an August that produced a 50-year record low in the number of storms. For Rhode Island this has meant virtually no activity – so far. No big storms and no expenses. If that’s the nothing, what is the double?
In those locations where hurricanes have gone ashore this year the double whammy is ocean storm surge combined with heavy rain on land. To understand how rain plays into this, one has to look no further than the recent floods in Asheville, North Carolina. With one to almost three feet of Helene’s rainfall, areas in the region were swamped. Since Asheville is over 400 miles and about 2,000 vertical feet from where the hurricane hit land, we can be sure Helene’s water impacts there are rain. Sadly, the currently known 19 deaths in Florida and 115 in North Carolina from Helene as of midweek further emphasize the severity of rain alone as a hurricane hazard.
More: Where to find high water mark plaques from RI’s past floods and hurricanes
Rhode Islanders know about storm surges like the 1938 hurricane that landed nearly 20 feet of seawater in Providence and Hurricane Carol in 1954 which produced over 14 feet. They occurred before the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier was completed in 1966. However, sea level has risen about half a foot over the lifetime of the barrier according to the Providence tide gauge. At some point continued sea level rise will mean even past storm surges can top the barrier.
However, the idea that rainfall can be equally important as ocean storm surge may be new to many. A warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, and the rain gauge at T.F. Green International Airport reflects this with an increase in annual precipitation of about six inches since the Hurricane Barrier was completed. In a storm situation which produces the need to close the barrier to keep the sea out, pumps are required to move rainwater that has drained to the rivers behind it. Averages do not predict the impact of a storm which will depend very much on the nature of the event itself, but they indicate a trend that more easily results in flooding. More rain and rising seas mean that the Fox Point Barrier is in clear need of rejuvenation.
Not only has the average rainfall changed, but when the skies dump on an urban landscape the water flows along the surface with ever greater depth and virulence. Providence has 37 percent of its area covered by rooftops, roads, sidewalks, and parking lots. Tunnels under the city can store moderate rains but not the results of a hurricane. With more rain and a high percentage of impervious surface in the city, Providence’s hazard mitigation plan quite rightly recognizes that urban flooding is extremely likely.
More: Breakwaters have protected Galilee from storms for over a century. Now repairs are needed
The numbers and the threat don’t look good, but they also say that a large area of Providence can be a candidate for storing the rain on site or allowing it to sink into the ground. Simple as it seems, this requires institutional changes to incentivize private property owners to participate. In Providence, strides have been made on public property and when private property is developed or redeveloped with the use of catchment basins and a variety of other management practices. However, incentivizing retrofits of this type on private property requires innovations that many other U.S. cities are investing in like credits to owners to maintain storage and infiltration solutions. Now is the time to bring those innovations here and make them work for Rhode Island.
Rather than owing twice as much or vastly more when our watery bet goes sour, Rhode Islanders should understand the consequences of a hurricane hitting Rhode Island well before it happens. Most importantly let’s act now to hold more rainwater on land and rejuvenate key infrastructure in preparation for the day the rains come.
Richard Burroughs teaches in the Department of Marine Affairs at the University of Rhode Island. He is a member of the Providence Resilience Partnership.
Trick-or-treat? A look back at Halloween from years past in RI
Trick-or-treat? Take a look back at the spooky season around Rhode Island.
While spooky season isn’t always a treat for young children, there are still plenty of ways for your family to enjoy the smells, sounds and colors of fall.
In addition to the Jack-o-Lantern Spectacular at Roger Williams Park Zoo, various corn mazes and pumpkin patches in the area, here are some of our top choices for family-friendly Halloween and fall-themed fun:
Adams Farm, 495 Sumner Brown Road, Cumberland (adamsfarmri.com). The season’s one-stop shop has the state’s largest pumpkin patch for picking, farm animals for petting, hay and corn mazes, a hay mountain, tire playground with sawhorse ponies, games and, on weekends, hayrides. Treats are for sale in the farmstand. The farm is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays (general admission $15.48) and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekends ($23.73 admission). Children 2 and under admitted free.
New England Witches Guild Parade and Festival (New England Witches Guild 2024 Halloween Parade & Festival | Facebook). Stepping off from Riverside Square, 3731 Pawtucket Ave., East Providence, at 11 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 19, the parade is a fun way to help kids embrace one of the season’s scariest characters. Proceeding to Crescent Park’s Loof Carousel, where the festival awaits, the parade includes colorful witches, dancing witch groups and the Providence Drum Troupe. The festival offers vendors, food trucks, live music and carousel rides. While kids enjoy the dress-up photo booth, witch hat crafting, bounce house and face painting – all free – parents can indulge at Moniker Brewery’s beer garden. The festival runs until 7 p.m.
More: North Kingstown house vying for scariest in America on HGTV. How to watch.
Coggeshall Halloween, 1 Colt Drive, Bristol (coggeshallfarm.org), Oct. 19, 20, 26 and 27, from 3 to 6 p.m. Don costumes (nothing too scary) if you like and visit this historic farm for themed trick-or-treat stations offering candy, carving apple and turnip heads, a magician and night hikes. Pre-registration is suggested. Non-member pricing is $20 for adults and $15 for ages 4 to 17. Members get a $3 discount.
Spooky Zoo, Roger Williams Park Zoo, Providence (rwpzoo.org/event/spookyzoo), Oct. 19, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Kids and parents can enjoy a day at the zoo along with free trick-or-treat bags, live music, costumed characters and much more. The event is included with zoo admission and is free for zoo members; non-members must purchase tickets online in advance. Rain date is Oct. 20.
Zoo Boo Spectacular, Capron Park Zoo, 1 County St., Attleboro, Massachusetts (capronparkzoo.com). On Oct. 25 from 5 to 9 p.m., the zoo offers its “not-so-scary” Halloween celebration. Come in costume if you wish and enjoy decorated animal exhibits as the kids collect treats, marvel at magicians and play carnival-style games. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for children ages 3 to 12.
Looking for fall fun in RI?: Here’s your 2024 bucket list: Pumpkins, pirates, ghosts and more
Halloween Party Cruise, Coastal Queen, 1 East Ferry Wharf, Jamestown (coastalqueencruises). Start the fun early with a holiday-themed jaunt on Narragansett Bay on Oct. 27, at 11 a.m. Take in the ocean views – inside is warm and weatherproof, just in case – while the kids enjoy a costume contest, treats, music and games. Tickets for the one-hour cruise are $35 for adults, $15 to $20 for children and $95 for a family.
KINGSTON, R.I. — Siena swimming and diving competed in its second meet of the season on Saturday, resulting in a 181-114 loss to Rhode Island.Gabrielle Rentosa took home the 100 back as she was the lone participant to clock under one minute (59.93). The freshman was a mere .47 seconds away from entering a top-10 program […]
Originally Published:
Wheeler Cowperthwaite has been The Providence Journal’s growth and development reporter since 2022. He came to The Journal after working at The Patriot Ledger in Quincy, Massachusetts, and at the Cape Cod Times. Hailing from Northern Nevada, he brings a different perspective to the Ocean State. Before working on the East Coast, he worked for five years at an investigative weekly newspaper in New Mexico. Cowperthwaite has covered growth and development, including housing, business, transportation, the economy and real estate since 2012.
In today’s Providence Sunday Journal, Wheeler reports on the current state of hiring in Rhode Island and the struggles businesses are encountering to maintain a workforce that is ready to step in for those heading into retirement.
His recent stories include an interview with Jennifer Hawkins, who recently left her role as the CEO of One Neighborhood Builders; the state’s current real estate situation and all the ways you can eat around the world without leaving Rhode Island’s borders, as part of our Ultimate Dining Guide series.
Let’s hear from Wheeler in his own words.
What do you find most interesting about covering Rhode Island’s businesses?
I love the minutiae, from how a construction site operates to the flow of a distribution center. The pure variety of businesses, mostly small, in Rhode Island is always intriguing.
What are the kinds of stories – business or otherwise – you love covering the most, and why?
Increasingly, I find myself drawn to stories about zoning, because of its importance in dealing with the housing crisis, although it’s a hard topic to make interesting enough for people to care.
What do you see as your biggest challenge when it comes to covering Rhode Island’s businesses? Why?
Just getting people to talk has become increasingly hard over the last few years, a phenomenon that I first noticed covering weekend parades and festivals, that has permeated the culture.
What are some things you want readers in Rhode Island to know about you?
I’m a mediocre German speaker and a proud cat dad to the 14-year-old diabetic Norbit.
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