Obama Visits Flood Emergency Site In MA
Detouring from his schedule, President Barack Obama on Thursday thanked emergency workers struggling against disastrous flooding in the Northeast.
"When these kind of natural disasters hit, what matters are the people on the ground," Obama told crews at the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency headquarters some 20 miles west of Boston.
Joined by Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, Obama met with state and local emergency operations officials who are monitoring floods throughout the state.
The president thanked the workers on behalf of all Americans for their thorough response to the floods.
He did not visit any flood-hit areas in his brief detour.
Record rainfalls have caused flooding across the New England states, with Rhode Island taking the most devastating toll.
Bridges and highways have washed out from Maine to Connecticut and sewage systems have been overwhelmed to the point that families were asked to stop flushing toilets.
National Guard troops were deployed in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and FEMA Deputy Administrator Rich Serino planned to travel to Rhode Island on Friday to assess the damage.
Obama made his unannounced stop after rallying in Maine for his new health care law.
He then darted to a pair of evening fundraisers in Boston for fellow Democrats.
Flooded tracks in Rhode Island prompted Amtrak to suspend some services in the Northeast for the second consecutive day.
The major route between East Coast cities opened late Thursday afternoon.
The rains stopped Wednesday and the floodwaters began to recede in hard-hit Rhode Island, though flooding could persist for several days and permanently close businesses already struggling in the weak economy.
The flooding capped rainfall records across the region.
Boston measured nearly 15 inches for March, breaking the previous record for the month, set in 1953.
New Jersey, New York City and Portland, Maine, surpassed similar records.
Providence registered its rainiest month on record with more than 15 inches of rain in March.
3,500 MA Residents Apply For Federal Flood Aid 3/29/10
State officials say nearly 3,500 Massachusetts residents have already applied for federal emergency flood assistance.
The state Emergency Management Agency says the residents have applied for assistance through FEMA.
The agency also said Thursday there are now just two shelters for displaced residents still open, in Freetown and Lawrence.
Rivers across the state are cresting after the historic rain storm this week, but are expected to remain in flood stage for several more days.
Monitor river levels in Massachusetts.
Water remained on many roads, especially in the hard-hit southeastern area of the state, where portions of Routes 140 and 44 were made impassable (right).
Route 128 in Peabody was reduced to one lane as highway crews worked on repairing damage caused by the storm.
The floodwaters are receding across New England -- and while the situation remains dangerous, there is some good news for one part of Rhode Island.
Officials say the threat of a bridge collapse above the Pawtuxet river in Coventry has lessened considerably. The fear was that a collapse would damage several dams downstream and lead to more flooding.
Travel after Rhode Island's worst flooding in 200 years remains treacherous because of washed-out roads. Amtrak is again suspending some service in the region. And residents are figuring out how to deal with the damage left from several feet of water in their homes.
The economic impact may be even worse. Business districts were among the hardest-hit areas, and Rhode Island was already seeing double-digit unemployment even before the floods devastated some small businesses.
The Bradford Printing and Finishing plant in the Bradford section of Westerly, R.I. sits surrounded by the Pawcatuck River (below).
Health dangers lurk in New England floodwaters
The flooding in New England has overwhelmed businesses and knocked hundreds of people from their homes, but it also has also sent millions of gallons of sewage-laced water streaming into waterways.
The sudden infusion raises health concerns, since people can become ill by swallowing wastewater.
Also, Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay is bracing for a swell of sediment, garbage and oil.
Officials insist the impact will be only short-term. They have warned people exposed to wastewater to wear gloves and protective gear. Some communities also have been told to limit toilet flushes and avoid washing clothes.
Sewage treatment plants in Warwick and West Warwick were shut down by flooding. A sewer pump station in nearby Cranston also gave out.
RI reopens Interstate 95 South in Warwick
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - The Rhode Island Department of Transportation has reopened a main highway route linking Boston to New York that had been closed because of flooding.
The state agency said Thursday afternoon that Interstate 95 South in Warwick has reopened and I-95 North is set to reopen later in the day.
A stretch of the main East Coast highway shut down after Rhode Island experienced this week what the governor called its worst flooding in more than 200 years.
Tax extension for MA counties hit by severe storms
Those hit hardest by March's wild weather will have a little more time to file their taxes this year.
The Massachusetts Department of Revenue announced Wednesday that residents of seven counties in eastern and central Massachusetts will have until midnight on May 11 to file their state returns.
The announcement follows a similar announcement by the Internal Revenue Service setting the same May 11 deadline for federal tax returns.
The seven counties are Bristol, Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk and Worcester.
President Barack Obama has declared the seven counties major disaster areas, freeing up federal aid to residents and households for damages caused severe storms and flooding that began March 12.
Authorities: Beware of scams in wake of flooding
First the floods, then the scams?
The damage caused by the back-to-back storms has prompted Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley to warn about home repair scams.
Coakley says "unsavory individuals" will try to capitalize on unsuspecting homeowners. She urged consumers to do their homework before choosing a contractor, insist on a written contract and make no more than a one-third deposit on the projected cost of repairs.
Meanwhile, Boston Police issued a community advisory after an elderly couple was robbed by a man who posed as an inspector for a nonexistent government agency. Police said the man entered the home after telling the unsuspecting couple he needed to inspect their basement for damage.
Police said the man cleaned $7,500 out of a safe before leaving the home.
