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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
PROVIDENCE — The application period for Rhode Island’s charter schools opened this week, giving families a shot at roughly 3,000 seats projected to be available at charter schools next year.
A blind lottery for available seats will be held on April 1. Charter schools are in high demand in Rhode Island, with roughly 11,000 families submitting 30,000 applications for 2,500 seats lasts year. (Families can apply for more than one school.)
There are about 13,000 Rhode Island public school students currently enrolled in 25 charters, some of which are larger networks with multiple schools.
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Despite the demand, teachers unions and other public school advocates have sought to block the expansion of charter schools, concerned they are financially hurting the traditional public school system. School funding follows each child from their home school district to the charter school.
In this week’s episode of the Rhode Island Report, Chiara Deltito-Sharrott from the Rhode Island League of Charter Schools talks about the future of charter schools in Rhode Island, and provides a rebuttal to comments made by Maribeth Calabro, the head of Rhode Island’s largest teachers union, in an episode earlier this month.
Steph Machado can be reached at steph.machado@globe.com. Follow her @StephMachado.
United Way of Rhode Island accepts initial donations from the Fund’s sponsoring energy companies. (courtesy: United Way of Rhode Island)
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — United Way of Rhode Island announced the Rhode Island Good Neighbor Energy Fund has begun for the 2024 through 2025 season.
The fund helps families that need assistance paying their home heating bills but are not eligible for federal or state assistance.
Since it was founded, the Good Neighbor Energy Fund has aided over 48,250 Rhode Island homes.
United RI says any local households in the state that are in need of funding assistance for energy are encouraged to contact a local Community Action Program agency, or to call the 211 helpline for help locating a CAP agency.
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GNEF eligibility is determined on total income not exceeding 300% of the federal poverty level, and provides up to $825 per household each heating season depending on eligibility, fuel type, and need.
United RI said in addition to sponsors, the fund relies on Rhode Islanders who donate through the “Warm Thy Neighbor” campaign.
Donations can be made through the yellow donation envelope enclosed with monthly energy bills, or by scanning the QR code on the envelope.
Additionally, donations can be given through phone by texting “WARM” to 91999.
For more information, visit United Way of Rhode Island’s website here.
Former U.S. Naval officer Darryl Lindie learned early in his career that taking care of his team was key to accomplishing a mission.
Since buying AASign & Awning in Warwick in 2023, Lindie has applied that philosophy to his business, giving his 30-person team paid days off and other benefits. But one offering remained a little too complicated and expensive: retirement savings.
Not for long.
Legislation approved in the 2024 General Assembly and signed into law by Gov. Dan McKee in September sets up a public retirement savings program for private-sector workers whose employers don’t already offer the investment option. Ahead of its formal launch, state officials unveiled details of the RISavers program at an event outside Lindie’s sign shop on Wednesday.
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Modeled after similar programs in other states, including Connecticut, RISavers automatically opens Roth Individual Retirement Accounts for eligible private-sector workers, set up through the Rhode Island Office of the General Treasurer with help from a third-party account administrator.
“It is absolutely true that anyone can open a Roth IRA or another retirement account whenever they want,” Treasurer James Diossa said. “But it’s also equally true that not everyone has the ability to navigate the financial sector. These things can be daunting and RISavers makes it quick and easy and helps ensure more Rhode Islanders are on a path to stable retirement.”
An estimated 170,000 Rhode Island workers, equal to 40% of the state’s private-sector workforce, don’t get retirement benefits through their jobs, according to information from Diossa’s office. Connecticut State Comptroller Sean Scanlon (left) and Rhode Island General Treasurer James Diossa announced a partnership between Connecticut and Rhode Island, sharing costs for administering their respective state public retirement programs. (Nancy Lavin/Rhode Island Current)
The program also alleviates the burden on small businesses, which have no obligation to match contributions. Their only cost is from processing payroll deductions from participating employees.
Businesses with at least five employees are mandated to make the new retirement program available to their workers, with phased-in deadlines based upon business size. Employers with at least 100 workers must enroll within the first year of the program, while those with 50 to 100 workers have to sign up within two years. All 400,000 businesses that meet the minimum employment requirement must join within three years. Businesses with fewer than five employees can also sign up anytime they want.
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“This represents a win for families, for the state economy, and for the overall well-being of our state,” McKee said.
And, it doesn’t come with any extra costs to taxpayers or extra staffing needs, as touted by House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi.
A fiscal note included with the legislation in March 2024 estimated a $311,000 startup cost, split between fiscal 2025 and fiscal 2026, based on comparable startup costs in other states like Delaware and Maine. However, no additional money was used in the nearly $14 billion fiscal 2025 budget to pay for the program, which instead relied on existing funds within the treasurer’s office, according to Rob Craven, Diossa’s legislative affairs director.
Rhode Island will pay a $100,000 fee for Vestwell State Savings, split between this fiscal year and the next, to administer the program. Rhode Island is also partnering with Connecticut, which launched its public retirement savings program for public-sector employees two years ago, to share in administration costs and investment fees from Vestwell.
Which, in turn, drives down the fees for participating workers.
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The program will use Bank of New York Mellon for its accounts, the same financial services company Vestwell uses for its version of a public retirement account.
Since Connecticut launched the MyCTSavings program in April 2022, it has opened retirement accounts for nearly 30,000 state residents, who have invested $33 million, said Comptroller Sean Scanlon, who attended the event in Warwick.
As of June 30, 2024, 20 states had launched, or passed legislation to launch, retirement savings programs for private sector workers, 17 of which (including Rhode Island) automatically enroll eligible workers, according to the Center for Retirement Initiatives at Georgetown University’ McCourt School of Public Policy.
Diossa plans to launch a pilot program with a small number of participants in the spring of 2025, opening up the program to full capacity “shortly after.”
Lindie is eager to sign up, noting the interest among his workers already. He hopes the perk will attract new workers to the growing, design-to-build sign shop.
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“We are looking for a younger generation of talent, and we need these kinds of benefits,” Lindie said.
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