After Storm, Residents Survey Damage, Wait for Power: PHOTOS

Thousands are without power, intersections are dark and the wind-tossed debris of trees, leaves and limbs litter the city one day after Hurricane Irene came and went.

Residents in the Elmwood and Edgewood areas of the city yesterday stepped out into a still-windy afternoon to survey the damage Hurricane Irene, later Tropical Storm Irene, did to their neighborhoods.

They walked their dogs, or walked in pairs and groups, stepping over sidewalks carpeted in green and around fallen branches. In some cases, such as on Elmwood Avenue outside the store, they had to drive around fallen limbs. One of the many branches felled today blocked a lane of Elmwood Avenue, causing cars to take turns driving around the obstruction. The branch remained in the road at 5:30 p.m.

On Park Avenue, outside , a small tree was toppled. On the other side of the road, the entrance to Roger Williams Park was littered with fallen branches, limbs and entire trees.

In Edgewood, near Stillhouse Cove, across from the , a sailboat had run aground during the storm, drawing a steadily rotating crowd of people on foot and car who strolled past the sight, took pictures and left in no particular hurry.

Mary Jo Hines, a resident of Edgewood, said the boat had run aground around 1 p.m. She said she found it during a walk, after the worst of the storm. 

Although many Cranstonians will do without a hot shower today — or tomorrow — the city can collectively breathe a sigh of relief. There was widespread tree damage and many people will need roof or window repairs, but the biggest fear — flooding — did not materialize.

Cranston Mayor Allan W. Fung told WPRO this morning that National Grid crews are coordinating with city crews to clear trees and debris as they work to restore power to the 15,000 without electricity. The city is fortunate to not have experienced serious flooding, but the cleanup will be long and challenging nevertheless, he said.

Western Cranston was hit particularly hard, with thousands of trees felled by the strong wind gusts coupled with a saturated ground. As of last night, there were upwards of 50 roads that had access blocked because of downed trees and many roads still are impassable or partially blocked by debris.

Many businesses are closed today and school was cancelled, which means teachers report tomorrow and students on Wednesday. But some areas do have power and it's business as usual, such as Garden City Center, which opened normally this morning.

Other closures:

• Sanford Brown Institute: Closed Monday, building open to staff.
• A Child's University: Closed Monday.
• First Years Learning Center: Closed
• Gingerbread House Preschool: Delayed 3 hours, opening at 10 a.m.
• Miss Lee Ann's Preschool: Closed
• Noah's Ark Day Care & Learning Center: Closed
• Pumpkin Patch Early Learning Center: Closed
• Western Cranston Learning Center: Closed.
• Cranston Libraries: Opening late at 1 p.m. Monday.
• CODAC: Closed Monday.
• Davol, Inc: Closed.
• Taco, Inc.: Day shift cancelled, no first shift.

If you know of other closings, or, if you want to report a business that's open, let us know in the comments and we'll add it to this story.