Politics & Government

Hurricane Sandy Closings, Cancellations, Photos, Updates

Keep up to date on what's going on in Cranston as Hurricane Sandy hits.

Upload your photos and videos of Cranston during Hurricane Sandy by clicking "Upload Photos and Videos" under the photo to the right.

8:00 p.m.: It's official — no school in Cranston tomorrow (Tuesday). Read our full story HERE. Superintendent Judith Lundsten said she was getting "conflicting information" this afternoon, making her decision hard. It appears that the storm's unexpected speed as it made landfall earlier tonight has increased the probability that winds and rains will subside a bit sooner, which means the worst of the storm could be over by tomorrow morning. 

Right now there are about 848 people without power, according to National Grid. The number has fluctuated wildly over the course of the storm. Crews are not expected to begin clearing outages at any sort of substantial clip until tomorrow morning.

Find out what's happening in Cranstonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

We're right at about high tide. This is when the worst of the flooding and damage along the water is expected to occur. I'm not down there right now to keep safe, but we'll report anything we find out as soon as I can.

To get a sense of the possible damage, check out this video we posted of the waters near Rhode Island Yacht Club and Stillhouse Cove around 6 p.m.

Find out what's happening in Cranstonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

6:11 p.m.: We're approaching the moon high tide in about two hours or so and Pawtuxet is being hit hard by the storm surge. Rescue officials have evacuated the area along Ocean Avenue near Rhode Island Yacht Club directly facing the waters and there are scattered reports of street flooding and wires and trees down blocking access to streets.

Meanwhile spectators have been streaming to the water around Pawtuxet Village to take photos and video of the choppy waters and moored sailboats jerking violently in the wind.

There have been no broader evacutation announcements made by the city at this time.

Cranston police, fire, rescue and other officials have responded to a slew of incidents involving tree limbs, downed wires and whole trees knocked to the ground by Sandy's winds over the past two hours Roads that have been closed, shut down or affected by live wires include Ocean Avenue, Hope Road, Angel Avenue, Narragansett Boulevard, Burlingame Road, Scituate Avenue, and Eldridge Street. To top it off, Cranston firefighters remained at a smoke condition in the basement of a house on Cardinal Avenue.

Meanwhile the youth of Cranston are furiously hitting refresh on their smartphones in the hopes of getting an update that school will be canceled tomorrow. 

A simple search of the word Cranston on Twitter returns dozens of Cranston teens lamenting their fate as one of the few school districts not to officially cancel Tuesday's classes.

"We're gonna have to be floating on our desks," said one. "They close Chipotle but can't cancel Cranston Public Schools?" said another.

Earlier heavier rains subsided for a time, which spared rescue workers the job of responding to serious flooding problems caused by rain. The winds continue to build steadily, increasing the number outages across the city. Right now 1,002 people are without power in Cranston, according to National Grid.

4:01 p.m. The wind has picked up significantly. Trees have begun to fall and power outages are increasing. Right now 969 people in Cranston are without power, according to National Grid, and more than 60,000 people are without power across Rhode Island.

Rescue crews responded to Pershing Avenue a few moments ago after a tree fell onto a house. The tree took some live wires with them and snapped a telephone pole in half. The live wires dangled onto a car. Local officials notified National Grid and asked for the case to be expedited. National Grid is unlikely to respond right away, however, since the tree does not pose an immediate threat to human life. That was the message from the power company after local dispatchers reported the incident.

Local officials have been hit with a slew of reports of downed wires. We're tweeting them as they happen, so make sure you're following us on Twitter.

While you're at it, make sure to sign up for our daily newsletter.

2:22 p.m. 

Here's the latest from Cranston Mayor Allan W. Fung via Facebook

Please do not put your trash out tonight as we have cancelled pickup for tomorrow. We will release a modified pickup schedule later.

The winds are really starting to pick up now and we are getting downed tree limbs in various parts of the city. This isn't even the worst of the storm yet. So for safety sake, please stay off the roads as best you can.

Finally, we will let you know about schools later in the afternoon. Thanks. 

11:51 a.m. 

A parking ban is in effect for all of Cranston through the night until Tuesday at noon.

The city has opened a Hurricane Sandy shelter at the Cranston Senior Center, 1070 Cransotn Street. It will be open 24 hours a day until further notice.

Sandbags will be available until 3 p.m. at the city's Highway Garage.

The city's emergency operations hotline is open 24 hours 401-780-3243.

Trash pickup was canceled today. More information about a modified schedule will be posted soon. Residents are asked to not put their trash out until further notice.

To report a power outage: call National Grid at 1-800-322-3223.

To report a gas leak: call National Grid 1-800-640-1595.

Closings and Cancellations

  • Cranston Public Schools — no school today
  • Paul Mitchell School — closed today
  • Garden City Center — stores closed, Whole Foods and restaurants open
  • First Years Early Learning Center — closed today
  • Faith Nursery School — closed today
  • Gingerbread House Preschool — closed today
  • Kid's Kingdom — closed today.
  • Little Shepherd School — closed today
  • Miss Lee Ann Pre School — closed today
  • Pumpkin Patch Early Learning Center — closed today
  • Western Cranston Learning Center — closed today
  • Scottish Rite — closed today
  • Cranston YMCA — no evening activities. Doors close at 2 p.m.
  • R.I Rehabilitation Center — closed today
  • Immaculate Conception Church — CCD classes cancelled Monday
  • St. Mark — no religious education classes, Parish office open
  • Alllesco Industries — closed today
  • Ross Simons — closed today
  • Swarovski  — closed today


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here