Coventry Rep Wants State of Emergency Declared for Storm-Hit Areas

Though the Speaker of the House promised to meet with the Small Business Administration and Commerce RI, Rep. Jared R. Nunes is asking Governor Gina Raimondo to declare a state of emergency for Coventry, Warwick and West Warwick following Tuesday’s severe thunderstorm that knocked out power to more people in 30 minutes than Hurricane Sandy.

“These three communities were hit severely by the storm, and the hardships these families and businesses are going through are devastating,” Nunes (D-Dist. 25, Coventry, West Warwick). “If we had a disaster declaration for these three areas, the assistance with the cost of cleanup would soften the blow to many of these residents.”

Nunes said that he’s recieved many calls from people in his district looking for help.

Many of those people are business owners who have been forced to stay closed for days. Some have had to throw out spoiled food.

“These three communities were hit severely by the storm, and the hardships these families and businesses are going through are devastating,” Nunes said. “If we had a disaster declaration for these three areas, the assistance with the cost of cleanup would soften the blow to many of these residents.”

Raimondo toured parts of Warwick on Wednesday to get a first-hand look at some of the the damage caused by the incredibly powerful thunderstorm.

In Cranston, which was similarly blasted by the storm, Speaker of the House Nicholas Mattiello toured the damage and said that he would be meeting with Raimondo to ”determine the best course of action both with continued cleanup work and financial assistance to the areas hardest hit,” according to a state house news release.

He did say that that he has plans to meet with CommerceRI officials as well as the SBA to “find out what financial resources are available to those businesses that have been.”

Photo: Speaker of the House Nicholas A. Mattiello observes a tree that fell against power lines at the intersection of Weaver Street and Warman Avenue in Cranston today. With him is House Chief of Staff Leo Skenyon.