Jim Crosby had just reopened his restaurant, The Gentleman-Farmer in West Warwick, when the second major storm hit. Sewage backup caused by heavy rainfalls two weeks prior had already cost him $17,000 in repairs and lost business. Complicating matters further, it had driven him, his wife, and his teenage son from their first-floor condominium across the street. Now the rain was back again. "That's when the big one came," said Crosby. "I had never expected anything of this magnitude." Record rains in March 2010 pushed Rhode Island rivers over their banks, causing an estimated $200 million in damage and prompting President Obama to declare the entire state a disaster area. At least 25,000 homes and 3,400 businesses were affected, though many others, according to state officials, never reported any damage.
The worst flooding occurred after three days of rain starting on March 29th, which inundated the state. Floodwaters forced businesses to shut down and people to evacuate their homes in Rhode Island, from Woonsocket in the north to Westerly in the south. Interstate-95 was flooded and closed. Streets in Providence turned into rivers.
A year later, federal agencies have provided nearly $100 million in grants and low-interest loans to more than 16,000 affected Rhode Island residents, 174 businesses, and state and local governments. Additionally, Governor Lincoln Chafee expects the federal office to distribute another $10 million worth of funds this year to help with long-term flood relief.
Despite the funding, recovery for some is far from complete. Crosby’s family evacuated their condominium without much notice during the first storm, managing only to take their son's pet rabbit and a change of clothes. They could only save pictures that hung above the waterline. Crosby's condo is partially underground, designated as a basement by the National Flood Insurance Program, so it wasn't federally flood-insured. The family now lives in a rented house provided by the city.
On the other side of the street, The Gentleman-Farmer's basement filled with 16 feet of water, ruining the subfloor of his 50-seat dining room. The landlord was not required to purchase flood insurance and never did. Crosby said the owner refused to help cover the estimated $72,000 in repairs, and Crosby didn't want to take out a federal loan to fix a building he didn't own himself. Crosby estimates his losses at about $225,000 for damages to his house and restaurant.
Others in Crosby's neighborhood fared better despite being among the hardest hit in the state. A chapel at the Heart of Jesus Church and its church basement filled with seven feet of rainwater during the flood, just a few days before Easter. However, Reverend Richard Bucci mentioned...
(Note: The original text seems to include promotional or unrelated product mentions like "Woolrich jacken," "puma schuhe," etc., which have been excluded from the translation for clarity and relevance.)