After an initial assessment of damage from Hurricane Sandy, Ocean Drive had significant debris with minimal sea wall damage. Green Bridge had significant debris over the road as well as erosion. The structural integrity of this area is being assessed prior to roadway reopening. Once crews have completed cleanup; sections of Ocean Drive will be reopened. 

High winds on Monday evening caused a large number of downed trees. Brenton Road has been closed as tree damage caused several power poles/lines to go down. National Grid is on site working to repair this damage. As of 9 a.m. Tuesday morning, approximately 7,000 Newport residents were out of power. The southern section of Rhode Island, including Aquidneck Island, was hardest hit and National Grid has over 140 lines crews, 37 damage assessment teams and 103 tree crews out in our region working to restore power. 

One of the hardest hit locations in Newport was Easton’s Beach. The storm pushed water and sand through the Rotunda and the bathing houses causing extensive damage. These structures are currently being assessed for building structural integrity and safety. Once the sand debris has been removed from Memorial Boulevard, that section of road will be reopened. 

Trash collection resumes Wednesday, October 31st. Collection is 1 to 2 days behind schedule and collections will begin with Monday’s collection schedule on Wednesday followed by Tuesday and Wednesday’s collection on Thursday. The portion of Wednesday’s schedule that doesn’t get picked up on Thursday will be collected on Friday along with Thursday’s scheduled collection routes. Please refer people to the city’s home page for additional information on the collection schedules. 

For those concerned iwth utilities, the UV system is only operational from Memorial Day through Labor Day so the storm had no impact on it. All plants (water and waste water) maintained operations throughout the storm. Power was interrupted in the water plants but backup generators permitted uninterrupted service. From a staffing standpoint, Newport crews have been doing a tremendous job in the clean from the storm just as they did in all the preparation for the storm and should be commended for their dedication to our City by the Sea.