Schools Readying to Open Wednesday, Debris Pick Up and Power Restoration Continues

Update, August 30, 2011: Providence Schools Announces Delay of Start for Three Schools

Schools Readying to Open Wednesday, Debris Pick Up and Power Restoration Continues

Minor disruption to school buildings caused by storm; officials working to ensure safety before school opens Wednesday.

Providence Schools reminds families that students will start school on Wednesday, August 31. Teacher orientation day is taking place today, August 30. Starting early Monday morning, principals began surveying their buildings and grounds at all 35 Providence public schools. With teams of technology, facilities, grounds and custodial staff hard at work throughout the day Monday, the district remains confident that the storms effects will be remedied and buildings and grounds will readied for students by Wednesday.

Most schools across the city suffered only minor disruption, with tree limbs downed across lawns, playgrounds, parking lots and walkways.

Several windows at Classical High School were damaged by wind and debris, and are being replaced for safety. Roof leaks, mostly minor, were reported in ten school buildings; clean-up and patch work are ongoing and affected classrooms will be thoroughly evaluated for suitability.

As of Tuesday, power has been fully restored in all buildings except at Carl G. Lauro Elementary School, where officials are addressing a small-scale outage in parts of the building. Meanwhile, all phone, data and internet services are fully restored.

Due to an ongoing power outage at First Student's Providence bus yard, there will be no transportation service available on Tuesday for Providence residents who attend private and parochial schools. Public school students will be advised on Tuesday of any potential busing disruption for Wednesday.

Families are also reminded that the Providence Schools Parent Call Center at 456-0686 is an important resource for questions related to back-to-school.

Stay updated at www.providenceschools.org

DEBRIS AND POWER OUTAGE
City of Providence crews are continuing to remove fallen trees and debris this morning from roadways affected by this weekend's storm. As of Tuesday, 15 roads and intersections have been reported as limited or no access areas due to downed utility wires. Priority will be given to those that are on, near or adjacent to schools.

• Carter (between Bucklin and Vineyard) (Passable)
• Armstrong
• Academy Avenue (Passable)
• Lloyd and Weymouth (Blocked)
• Lloyd and Edison (Blocked)
• Prairie at Thurber's (Passable)
• Ocean at Briggs (Blocked)
• Briggs & Cahill (Blocked)
• Inkerman Street (Passable)
• Benefit between Jencks and church (Passable)
• Irving (Blocked)
• Humboldt & Wayland (Blocked)
• Lloyd between Wayland and Elmgrove (wire very low)
• East Transit Street (blocked)
• Berlin Street between Pleasant Valley Parkway and Chalkstone (wire very low)

Downed or damaged trees entangled with utility wires can be deadly and should not be touched. Downed utility wires should be reported to the Fire Department at 274-3344.

THE CITY ALSO NOTIFIED CITIZENS OF ITS DEBRIS REMOVAL PLAN YESTERDAY: http://cityof.providenceri.com/mayor/debris-removal-plan-for-providence-...

Please call the Office of Neighborhood Services at 421-2489 to assist you in recovering from the storm.

City officials continue to work closely with National Grid to restore service throughout the city. As of Tuesday, 22 local traffic signals were reported inoperable and 9,869 customers were without power, a considerable improvement from 18,600 reported Sunday in the wake of the storm. The City is again urging residents to report any power outages to National Grid at 1-800-465-1212.

Please note that downed trees that are in or around wires cannot be moved until National Grid has confirmed that wires are safe. Citizens are urged to avoid downed power lines and take all safety precautions.

FOOD AND HEALTH SAFETY
The Rhode Island Department of Health is also reminding everyone that even though the storm and adverse weather have passed, there are still health and safety issues that may impact the public. Get more information about safe food handling and other health safety tips here: http://cityof.providenceri.com/PEMA/rhode-island-department-of-health-gives